Black History Spotlight: Francesca Hayward
By Gabrielle Lilly, Brown Girls Do Ballet Ambassador
Did you know professional dancer, Francesca Hayward, was in the movie Cats in 2019?! Or that she is one of few dancers of color at The Royal Ballet? She has also appeared on many talk shows and was included in the United Kingdom’s Most Influential People of African or African-Caribbean Heritage in the 2021 edition of Powerlist.
Get ready to dive into this dancer’s awesome story, complete with LEGO photos taken by me!
Photo: curated and shot by Gabrielle Lilly
Francesca Hayward was born July 4th 1992, in Nairobi, Kenya. She later moved to West Sussex, England, where she lived with her grandparents. After watching a video of The Nutcracker, she began her dance training at Le Serve School of Ballet and Theatre Dance in Worthing at the age of 3. Later, Francesca auditioned for The Royal Ballet School’s junior division, and was accepted. She progressed to The Royal Ballet Upper School, but never officially graduated, due to an injury. Still, she received a certificate of attendance.
Photo: curated and shot by Gabrielle Lilly
In 2010, Hayward joined the Royal Ballet. She was promoted to Principal in 2016. Throughout those years, she received loads of recognition and was cast in many main roles! She danced as Clara in the Nutcracker, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, just to name a few.
Photo: curated and shot by Gabrielle Lilly
“When I’m performing I just want to tell the audience something. I want every person watching to walk away feeling something.”
-Francesca Hayward
In 2019, Francesca starred in the highly acclaimed film, Cats, where she played the role of Victoria. Not only did she have to dance in this role, but she also had to step outside of her comfort zone and sing! Her performance of the song “Beautiful Ghosts,” written by Taylor Swift and Andrew Lloyd Webber, was met with critical acclaim.
Photo: curated and shot by Gabrielle Lilly
“I love acting, but that’s also kind of what I love about ballet - the acting. So, obviously, film is like an extension of that, which is amazing, but it’s also something I can do a bit later on as well.”
-Francesca Hayward
In 2020, Francesca was asked to take part in a fundraiser for Swans for Relief, an organization founded by Misty Copeland. Hayward, along with other ballerinas around the world, performed portions of the variation “The Dying Swan” to raise funds for COVID relief. That same year, she also appeared in Audrey, a documentary based on Audrey Hepburn, a British actress and humanitarian. Her portrayal of “Young Audrey'' received glowing reviews.
Francesca Hayward is an inspiration! Her hard work and dedication has taken her beyond the stage and proven that ballet can open doors to many opportunities! To follow along on her dance journey, you can follow Francesca on Instagram.