Jo'burg Ballet Explores LGBTQ Rights Through Dance

With Africa's first and biggest celebration of gay rights, Johannesburg Gay Pride Festival, in full swing last weekend, it's easy to forget that elsewhere on the continent, stringent anti-LGBTQ laws continue to operate.

Inspired by the real case of two South Africans currently detained in a Tanzanian prison for the crime of 'promoting homosexuality', Johannesburg Ballet Company has released this beautiful short film [top], shining a spotlight on the issue through the powerful and moving medium of dance.  

It's the fourth film in the company's ongoing #BiteSizeBallet series, created by TBWAHuntLascaris Johannesburg, which aims to take ballet out of studios and theatres and into popular culture. Inspired by trending stories and newsworthy events, the mini ballets are captured on film and released across social platforms to feed the cultural conversation and introduce a new generation to the art of ballet.

The series kicked off in July this year with a light-hearted recap of Game of Thrones to promote the seventh season of the fantasy drama, followed by a re-enactment of the much-hyped McGregor/Mayweather boxing match and a darker piece exploring the issue of domestic violence, all of which you can check out below.