Kids Love Lambeth is a registered charity that brings Russian ballet and a programme of dynamic physical education based on the Russian ballet system to children in Lambeth, either within the school curriculum or in the charity studios themselves. It is part of a small Russian Ballet school in Clapham, the London Russian Ballet School. It aims to break down barriers whether of background, lack of opportunity, cultural insularity or deprivation. In each one hour session in the schools or studio some genuine physical knowledge can be passed on. This is not only plainly beneficial for the children concerned but can be used in any other form of activity be it football or swimming. We insist on one full hour for each class in the schools in the teeth of the minimum government requirement of a half hour per child per week, which is a truly unacceptable minimum in a developed Western country.
We love ballet and all that it encompasses. We know the many positive benefits that it brings. We run a ballet school here in Lambeth. It is not football, not wrestling, not boxing but ballet: powerful, athletic, a preparation for any activity and a discipline for life.
The programme that we take in the schools is specifically not ballet in the form of tutus and tights. We want to involve children in activity and one that is based on a system which works. We are fortunate in using our own male students as teachers. Some of these are young black dancers who provide positive role models. They are not ashamed to say they do ballet.
We are run by a former principal of the Bolshoi Ballet. He wants nothing more than to share what he himself was taught. We believe that everyone can know and do if they are given the right tools. From that they may wish to share in the beauty of ballet or use the knowledge from their classes in other disciplines. If we can show children something beautiful and keep them away from the streets this is an achievement of great value.
Registered Charity Number: 1108465