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Dancing Through the Dust: Ballerinas turn one of the Kenya's Largest Slum into a Stage for a Christmas Show

Dancing Through the Dust: Ballerinas turn one of the Kenya's Largest Slum into a Stage for a Christmas Show

Henry Naminde
December 23, 2025

Young dancers perform, during a Christmas ballet event in Kibera slum, one of the busiest neighborhoods of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (Photo Credit:Henry Naminde/The 254 Report)

On a dusty open ground between rows of tin - roofed houses, music rises where traffic noise and daily hustle usually dominate one of the Africa’s largest slum. For one evening, one of the Kenya’s largest informal settlement is transformed into an unlikely theatre, as young ballerinas step forward, arms lifted, toes pointed, claiming the space as their stage.

Hundreds of residents in Kenya’s Nairobi cheered as the nimble ballerinas wearing santa hats and sparking colourful outfits turned the dusty narrow roads of the neighbourhood of kibera into a dance worthy stage on Tuesday.

Young ballet dancer get’s his makeup applied at a salon prior to the start of a Christmas ballet event in Kibera slum, one of the busiest neighborhoods of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (Photo Credit:Henry Naminde/The 254 Report)

Organized by the Kibera Ballet School, one of Kenya’s smaller but determined dance institutions, the Christmas production was the culmination of months of rigorous practice. The school offers free ballet lessons to children who would otherwise never have access to such training, opening a world often seen as distant and elite to some of the country’s most marginalized communities.

For months, the young dancers rehearsed in modest community halls, carefully fitting practice sessions around daily household responsibilities. Many arrived for rehearsals after long walks to fetch water in plastic jerricans, navigating a neighborhood where clean running water remains a luxury. Despite the challenges, attendance rarely wavered.

For Kibera residents, the early Christmas ballet show was more than a performance-it was a celebration of community resilience and creativity.

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We don’t have grand stages here, but we have talent one observer said, watching the dancers glide across the dusty ground.

As the final routine ended in a perfectly synchronized bow, applause rippled through the neighborhood, echoing between rows of tin-roofed homes.

In that moment, beneath the open sky, the future for these young dancers gleamed just a little brighter.

Young ballet dancer looks into a mirror after having a makeup on as she awaits to perform Christmas ballet dance on one of the busiest neighborhoods of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (Photo Credit:Henry Naminde/The 254 Report)

Young dancers perform, during a Christmas ballet event in Kibera slum, one of the busiest neighborhoods of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, Kenya Saturday, Dec. 23, 2025. (Photo Credit:Henry Naminde/The 254 Report)

young dancer ties her pointe shoes in preparation to dance in a Christmas ballet event in Kibera, one of the busiest neighborhoods of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. The ballet project is run by Project Elimu, a community-driven nonprofit that offers after-school arts education and a safe space to children in Kibera. (Photo Credit:Henry Naminde/The 254 Report)

Young dancers watch a Christmas ballet event in Kibera slum, one of the busiest neighborhoods of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (Photo Credit:Henry Naminde/The 254 Report)

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