People
Of Trinidadian and British parents, Cassa founded Ballet Black in 2001 to provide role models to young, aspiring Black and Asian dancers. A year later, she opened the BB Junior School in Shepherd’s Bush. Cassa is a graduate of the 2009 National Theatre cultural leadership programme, Step Change. Since starting the Company, she has commissioned work from a wide range of choreographers, including Liam Scarlett, Richard Alston, Sophie Laplane, Javier de Frutos, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Shobana Jeyasingh, Henri Oguike, Arthur Pita, Will Tuckett, Gregory Maqoma, Hope Boykin, Monique Jonas, Joseph Sissens and Mthuthuzeli November. Ballet Black has won the Critics’ Circle National Dance Award for Outstanding Company in 2009, Best Independent Company in 2012 and Best Mid-Scale Company in 2022. Cassa was awarded an MBE in the 2013 New Years’ Honours List for Services to Classical Ballet. In 2017, Cassa and former BB dancer, Cira Robinson, collaborated with renowned British ballet shoe manufacturer, Freed of London, to create two brand new pointe shoe colours to enable dancers of Black and Asian descent to buy skin-tone pointe shoes, tights and soft shoes, ready-made. In 2018, she was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. In 2022, Cassa collaborated with the Ballet Black Company artists to create Say It Loud, a ballet to commemorate the Company’s 20th anniversary. This production won Best Dance Production at the 2022 Black British Theatre Awards and was short-listed for Best Dance Production at the 2023 South Bank Sky Arts Awards. To date, she has commissioned over 40 choreographers, to create over 60 new ballets for the Company. Cassa was named in the Arts section of the annual list of 100 Influential Black Britons in Black Excellence: The Powerlist in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026. The list celebrates the achievements of the most influential people of African, African Caribbean and African American heritage in the UK. In 2025, she adapted the best-selling novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer, written by Oyinkan Braithwaite, for BB’s UK tour. Cassa was awarded an OBE in the 2025 New Years’ Honours List. She is the Principal of the BB Junior School, teaching regularly at its Shepherd’s Bush branch. Cassa also has a degree from Durham University.
Isabela was born in Brazil and began her vocational training at the Centro De Dança Rio. She has taken part in many festivals and competitions, including the Joinville Festival and Youth America Grand Prix. As a professional, Isabela has danced with Project Deborah Colker, São Paulo Companhia de Dança, Ballet Jovem do Rio de Janeiro, Companhia Brasileira de Ballet and has toured Russia extensively. She has danced in many classics: Don Quixote, Raymonda, Swan Lake, and Serenade, as well as modern works and the Carnival parades in Brazil as a dancer. In 2009, Isabela was featured in the documentary, Only When I Dance, directed by Beaide Finzi. Isabela joined Ballet Black as a Junior Artist in 2013 dancing in works by Christopher Marney, Javier de Frutos and Martin Lawrance. In 2014, Isabela created the role of Puck in A Dream Within a Midsummer Night’s Dream by Arthur Pita. In 2015, she was promoted to Senior Artist and created roles in BB ballets by Mark Bruce, Christopher Marney, Christopher Hampson, Martin Lawrance, Annabelle Lopez-Ocho and Cathy Marston. Between 2019 and 2021, Isabela danced in new works both live and on film by Sophie Laplane, Mthuthuzeli November, Hope Boykin, Will Tuckett and Martin Lawrance. In 2022, she created roles in Black Sun by Gregory Maqoma and collaborated with Cassa Pancho and the Company to create Say It Loud, a celebration of BB’s 20th anniversary. Isabela is an Ambassador for Gaynor Minden, teaches for the BB Junior Associates, online ballet classes and workshops as a guest teacher. In 2021 Isabela became a Ballet Be Fit instructor and launched FredaBela a new collection of Ballet Skirts as a creative designer in collaboration with FredaSilk. In 2022, she was nominated for Best Soloist Performer at the Black British Theatre Awards and received an award from the Black Cultural Archive as one of the 40×40 Black Future Young Leaders for 2023. In 2023, she performed in the opening film of the Eurovision 2023 Grand Final, United By Music, choreographed by Pancho. Isabela won both Best Performer at the Black British Theatre Awards 2023 and the 2024 Olivier Award for her portrayal of Nina Simone in the award-winning BB production of Nina: By Whatever Means, choreographed by Mthuthuzeli November. In 2025, she danced in A Shadow Work by Chanel daSilva and created the role of Korede in Cassa Pancho’s ballet adaptation of the novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer. Isabela choreographed Creatures, as part of the choreographic platform, Ballet Black: PULSE which was then selected by Marcelino Sambé to feature in The Royal Ballet and Opera’s Draft Works, celebrating Black History Month 2025. Also in 2025 Isabela was invited by Instituto Rouanet to perform in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as movement director and choreographer for the Festival Negritudes.
Taraja began her training at the age of three in San Antonio, Texas under the direction of Susan and Karin Connally at San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet. Hudson graduated Cume Laude with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, class of 2020, where she studied under the likes of Ronald K. Brown, Darrell Grand Moultrie, and Dam Van Hyun. She has worked with world renowned choreographers such as Tiler Peck, Jennifer Archibald, Jamar Roberts, and Annabelle Lopez as a 20201-2022 Fellowship dancer with BalletX. She joined Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black as an Apprentice Artist in 2022, dancing in works by Mthuthuzeli November and Will Tuckett. She created roles in the newly re-staged The Waiting Game (November 2024) and If At First by Sophie Laplane, before being promoted to Junior Artist for the 2024/25 season. In 2025, Taraja created the lead role in Chanel daSilva’s, A Shadow Work and contributed choreography to Cassa Pancho’s ballet adaptation of the novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer. Taraja is also an Assistant Teacher at the Shepherd’s Bush branch of the BB Junior School.
Acaoã De Castro
Born in Brazil, Acaoã began dancing aged six and graduated from Hellô Ballet under the direction of Heloísa Randis and Especial Academia under the direction of Guivalde de Almeida and Jorge Peña. He was part of the São Paulo Companhia de Dança between 2011 and 2013, directed by Iracity Cardoso and Inês Bogéa. In 2014, he entered the Ballet Nacional del SODRE under the direction of Julio Bocca, participating in the main national and international tours. He has performed in works by Kenneth MacMillan, Ohad Naharin, Nacho Duato, Anne-Marie Holmes, John Cranko, Natalia Makarova, Mario Galizzi, Jiri Kylian, Ronald Hynd, William Forsythe, Demis Volpi, Marcia Haydée, Rodrigo Pederneiras, Gemma Bond, Francesco Ventríglia, Henrique Rodovalho and George Balanchine. Parallel to his career as a dancer, he acts as a teacher and rehearsal coach in various Brazilian schools. He joined Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black as a Senior Artist for the 2023/24 season, dancing in ballets by Mthuthuzeli November, and creating leading roles in If At First by Sophie Laplane, A Shadow Work by Chanel daSilva and contributed choreography to Cassa Pancho’s ballet adaptation of the novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer. He also teaches for the BB Company, Nimble Dance Company, London Ballet Theatre and the BB Junior School.
Ebony was born in London and started dancing at the age of 5 at the Kingston Ballet School run by Louise Jefferson. He joined The Royal Ballet School Junior Associates where he took classes for three years and was chosen to perform several times with The Royal Ballet Company. At the age of 11, he joined Elmhurst Ballet School where he had the opportunity to perform with Birmingham Royal Ballet and was featured in the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus DVDs. Ebony has also danced overseas at the Virginia Arts Festival in the USA. He has performed a wide variety of repertoire, including David Bintley’s Argonauts, Sir Peter Wright’s Coppélia and the Don Quixote pas de deux choreographed by Marius Petipa. He is delighted to be a member of Ballet Black, and since joining in 2017, has danced in ballets by Martin Lawrance, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa and Arthur Pita, and created roles in several BB works, including The Suit by Cathy Marston, Ingoma, WASHA and Like Water by Mthuthuzeli November, CLICK! choreographed by Sophie Laplane, Eightfold: RAGE by Joy Alpuerto Ritter, Then Or Now by Will Tuckett and Black Sun, created by Gregory Maqoma. In 2022, Ebony collaborated with Cassa Pancho and the Company to create Say It Loud, a celebration of BB’s 20th anniversary. He was promoted to Senior Artist in 2022 and danced lead roles in the 2023 revival of Then Or Now (Tuckett) and Nina: By Whatever Means (November). In 2024, he created roles in If At First by Laplane and the lead role of The Man in newly re-staged version of The Waiting Game by November. Also in 2024, Ebony won his first Black British Theatre Award for Best Performer for this role. In 2025, he was a featured dancer in A Shadow Work by Chanel daSilva and created the role of Dr Tade in Cassa Pancho’s ballet adaptation of the novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer. Ebony is also a qualified Personal Trainer. Training in central London, he draws upon his wealth of knowledge of the physical aspects of ballet and combines them into training his own clients from all walks of life.
Born in San Juan Puerto Rico where she grew up with music and her native dance bomba y plena. At the age of seven, Helga and her family moved to Cincinnati Ohio where began training at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. From 2008 to 2016, she studied tap, musical theatre, and classical ballet. Helga participated in Summer Intensive programs and received merit scholarship awards across the states including American Ballet Theater, Joffrey Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, and Cincinnati Ballet. In 2016 Helga was scouted by Julie Kent, former principal ballerina and Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet, to attend The Washington School of Ballet pre-professional training program and trainee program. She was promoted in 2018 to TWB’s Studio Company and performed various roles within the company’s repertoire including; George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, Julie Kent’s Sleeping Beauty, and works by Johnathan Heginbotham. Helga was commissioned in 2020 to choreograph a ballet and direct a film on The Washington Ballet for their new works, Season of Joy programme. She has since created multiple works for the Company and School. Helga joined Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black as a Junior Artist in 2022 and has danced in works by Will Tuckett and Mthuthuzeli November, creating roles in If At First by Sophie Laplane and the newly re-staged The Waiting Game by November in 2024. In 2025, Helga was featured in A Shadow Work by Chanel daSilva and created the role of Ayoola, the serial killer, in Cassa Pancho’s ballet adaptation of the novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer. She also created her first commission for Ballet Black’s choreographic platform, Ballet Black: PULSE, titled, Standing Still, But Moving Fast.
Megan Chiu
Originally from Chicago, Megan trained at Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center under Homer Hans Brant and attended Chicago High School for the Arts. She graduated from Point Park University where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a minor in Business Management. While at Point Park, Megan had the opportunity to perform works by choreographers such as Christopher Wheeldon, Jessica Lang, Jae Man Joo, and many more, as well as perform principal roles in Swan Lake, Raymonda, and Cinderella. In 2021, she joined Madison Ballet and performed works by Yusha Marie-Sorzano, Kia Smith and Marika Brussel. She also got to perform ballets, including Birthday Variations, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Paquita, and The Nutcracker. Megan joined Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black in 2023, dancing in ballets by Mthuthuzeli November and Will Tuckett. In 2024, she created roles in If At First, by Sophie Laplane and danced in the newly re-staged The Waiting Game by November. In 2025 she created roles in A Shadow Work by Chanel daSilva and contributed choreography in Cassa Pancho’s ballet adaptation of the novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer. Outside of dancing, Megan enjoys modelling and had the wonderful opportunity to dance and model for the billboard of The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in 2023, and more recently be part of an Aesop and Liberty Collaboration with Ballet Black.
Bhungane began his ballet training at the age of 16 at Vaal Park Articon & The National School of the Arts. He then studied & graduated from the Cape Academy of Performing Arts under the direction of Debbie Turner. He has worked with world-renowned choreographers such as Kenneth Tidal & Christopher Huggins and has performed in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Sir Frederick Ashton’s Les Patineurs & Robert North’s Troy Game. He has also worked with proudly South African choreographers such as Mthuthuzeli November, Michelle Reid, Kirsten Isenburg & Mamela Nyamza through Cape Dance Company & Cape Town City Ballet. Bhungane is also a fashion & costume designer and has worked with numerous dance companies in South Africa and was included on News 24’s list of Young Mandela’s to watch. He joined Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black in 2023, dancing in works by Mthuthuzeli November and Will Tuckett. In 2024, Bhungane created roles in If At First by Sophie Laplane and the newly re-staged The Waiting Game, by November. In 2025, he created roles in A Shadow Work by Chanel daSilva and contributed choreography in Cassa Pancho’s ballet adaptation of the novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer. Bhungane is also the founder of AmaBallet which is the blending of multiple South African music genres such as Gqom, Afrotech, Bacardi and Amapiano with classical ballet technique. He’s worked with brands such as Netflix, Volvo, Glamour Magazine and hosts workshops between London, Johannesburg & Cape Town. He teaches across London, including the cast of The Lion King, and for the BB Junior School. He is also a curator in interior design, creating innovative wall art, rugs and pillowcases. The medium he works in is called punch needling which is embroidery with yarn.
Mikayla Isaacs
Born in Cape Town, South Africa. Mikayla is RAD and Cecchetti-trained, and trained with Nicolette Loxton under Cape Town Junior Ballet, and Martin Schonberg. In 2017, she joined Cape Town City Ballet and has performed principal roles in The Nutcracker, Carmen, Concerto Barocco, Giselle and Les Sylphides. Some career highlights have included dancing in Kenneth Tindall’s Polarity, Elke Scheepers’s Falling Angels, and Mthuthuzeli November’s Ingoma. In 2021, she was awarded for outstanding performances in the latter two works. In 2023, she was awarded for Excellence in multiple roles throughout 2022. During lockdown, she took part in BBC’s Swan Lake Bath Ballet. She joined Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black as a Second Year Apprentice for the 2023/24 season and has since danced in ballets by Mthuthuzeli November, Sophie Laplane. In 2025, she was featured in A Shadow Work by Chanel daSilva and contributed choreography to Cassa Pancho’s ballet adaptation of the novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer. Mikayla was promoted to Junior Artist for the 2025/26 season. She is also an Assistant Teacher at the BB Junior School East London branch, and prides herself on educating and motivating future generations. In 2025 she completed a Level 3 Diploma in Pilates, expanding her passion for health and fitness. Mikayla teaches group classes across West London as well as private clients.
Love Kotiya
Born in Faridabad, India Love started his ballet training at the age of 15 with Fernando Aguilera, under a full scholarship at the school of the Imperial Fernando Ballet Company (IFBC) in New Delhi. As part of his training, he learned several classical repertory pieces, including the Act 2 pas de deux from Swan Lake and the Act 3 pas de deux from Don Quixote, both of which he performed as part of gala performances in India. In 2022, he joined the Third Year Men’s program at the English National Ballet School, under the direction of Viviana Durante. At ENBS, he trained under Juan Eymar and was selected to perform one of the lead roles in the graduation performance of Balanchine’s Who Cares, staged by Deborah Wingert. He joined Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black as a First Year Apprentice in 2023, dancing in works by Mthuthuzeli November and Will Tuckett. He was promoted to Second Year Apprentice in 2024 and has since created roles in If At First by Sophie Laplane and The Waiting Game by November. In 2025, he was featured in A Shadow Work by Chanel daSilva and contributed choreography to Cassa Pancho’s ballet adaptation of the novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer. Love was promoted to Junior Artist for the 2025/26 season.
Elijah began his dance training in Northwest London at the age of five. He trained at The London Junior Ballet and at The Royal Academy of Dance before joining The Royal Ballet Junior associates in 2014. At the age of nine, he performed in the world-renowned West End production of The Lion King, touring to Southampton, Sunderland, Cardiff, Manchester and Switzerland. After eighteen months’ touring with Disney, Elijah joined The Royal Ballet School in 2016 which was the start of an eight-year vocational journey. He also trained at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts and English National Ballet School, graduating in July 2024. Elijah has performed various ballet and contemporary works including numerous roles in The Royal Ballet’s The Nutcracker from 2016-2019, the Cecchetti Society Centenary Gala in 2022, and English National Ballet’s The Nutcracker in 2023/24. He has danced repertoire from August Bournonville, Andrew McNicol and Monique Jonas, as well as dancing excerpts from George Balanchine, Swan Lake and Don Quixote to name a few. He won a commendation for his Diana and Acteon solo at the Cecchetti Society Trust competition in 2023. In February 2024, he was the second student to join Ballet Black as a Trainee Artist whilst still in vocational training, touring with the Company around the UK, dancing in works by Mthuthuzeli November and Sophie Laplane. He joined Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black as First Year Apprentice Artist for the 2024/25 season and was promoted to Second Year Apprentice for the 2025/26 season, dancing in A Shadow Work, by Chanel daSilva and contributed choreography in Cassa Pancho’s ballet adaptation of the novel, My Sister, The Serial Killer.
Ruby was born in London and began her training at the Leader School of Dance in South London. She went on to join London Junior and Senior Ballet, The Royal Ballet Associate Programme, Trinity Laban Youth Dance Company, took part in several productions with The London Children’s Ballet, The Royal Academy of Dance and the Ballet Black Junior Associate Programme. Ruby then joined Rambert School, where she performed Akram Khan’s Sacred Monsters, along with new works by Julian Nichols and Rose Alice. Ruby was also a featured artist in Clod Ensemble’s Black Saint and the Sinner Lady at the Barbican. Ruby is the third Trainee Artist at Ballet Black, and is the first student to join the Company from the BB Junior School. Since joining, she has danced multiple roles in A Shadow Work by Chanel daSilva and My Sister, The Serial Killer, created by Cassa Pancho. Ruby is trained in classical trumpet, artistic gymnastics and athletics, and has been a Ball Girl at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.