World News for Students of English

26-10-2021 15:00

Traditionally, ballet shoes come in a pink colour, but now a manufacturer will produce them in darker skin tones as well.

This idea came from a black soloist at the Royal Ballet in London. Every time he performed to with bare legs, he had to paint make-up onto his shoes to match his skin. He didn’t want to waste his time, so he went to social media where a ballet shoe manufacturer contacted him.

The colour was even named after the dancer – Eric. More importantly, this paves the way to greater inclusion in the ballet world.

Difficult words: bare (naked), pave (to prepare, to make things easier), inclusion (when something is included – people with darker skin tones, in this case).

You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section.