Introducting Cooper Rust and Artists for Africa

Of all the arts, ballet is arguably the most rarefied. French words set to Italian music, it is certainly high art and as such it has never been on my radar. And yet, as many of you know, ballet has been so good to me and to my family. Indeed, The Brothers Trust would never have been conceived had it not been for ballet.

Not that I can’t admire the craft of ballet nor the feats of its exponents. Never mind the steroid munching gym-bunnies we see posing online, I have heard that ballet dancers are as strong as human beings can possibly be and when Tom was training to be Billy Elliot, one of my favourite take-aways from the whole experience was when one of his ballet teachers (an ex-professional dancer) explained that Tom was as physically fit as any boy of his age in the UK.

I also have some understanding of just how hard it is to become a ballet dancer. The attrition rates are high and the odds are firmly against any kid living out the ‘Billy’ story.

Hundreds of thousands of children, the world over, dreaming of being dancers. And with so few professional opportunities, to make it in the world of ballet is nigh-on-impossible. My grasp of mathematics might be appalling but this is an equation that even I can understand.

So then, any child emerging from ballet classes in school and church halls, gaining entry to a ballet school and then auditioning for the professional dance companies has already done remarkably well. And no doubt, they will have made numerous sacrifices and invested inordinate amounts of hard work already.

One such wannabe is a Joel Kioko a friend of the Holland family and a young man who we are rooting for. Joel is 19 and is about to complete his training at the English National Ballet – a graduation even more remarkable, given that he was born and raised in a Kenyan slum dwelling, similar to Kibera that we visited as a family and I blogged about in January.

From Nairobi to London alone, Joel’s life and journey is extraordinary in itself and I would like to introduce you to a certain clutch of people who have made this possible.

First and foremost is Cooper Rust.

Cooper hails from Columbia, South Carolina, USA. She was one of those little girls who dared to dream big and was lucky and talented enough that they came true. Copper became a principal ballerina, enjoying a career where she graced stages the world over.

And yet, she saved her most remarkable achievements for her encore – by founding Artists for Africa. Far from hanging up her ballet shoes and giving her feet a well-earned rest, Cooper was only just getting started and her retirement looks set to be well off in the distance.

Most people head to Kenya for some sun and the chance to watch a lion or two - and Cooper included until she witnessed the Nairobi slums and her life was irrevocably altered. She stayed in Kenya and got busy, literally saving the lives of the world’s poorest children.

Artists for Africa was born.

Principally a ballet school (DCK) under Cooper's tutelage –educating kids from the slums – a provision that would simply not exist if Cooper had just been an ordinary tourist. Amongst her school's many achievements, Joel’s story is noteworthy and worth sharing, but before that…

Lawrence Ogina is another protégé of Cooper – currently studying engineering at the University of South Carolina in the US and dancing lead roles for his college. And then there is we Francis Waweru. He loved to dance but didn’t have the natural physique and gifts for a career in tights and so Cooper encouraged him to pursue other avenues and he has just been accepted to Cameron University in Oklahoma to study theatre sound, lighting and design.

And keep in mind, that without Cooper Rust and her Artists for Africa, these three boys (and many others) would be confined to their slum and without even a basic education and now find themselves with such golden opportunities.

No prizes if you have concluded already that Cooper Rust is not an ordinary person. She is special and I make no apologies if this sounds trite.

A force of nature, Cooper’s energy is infectious and something to behold. We met her in early January 2020 at the home she rents in Nairobi. Only a day before our visit, she had been with her family in the U.S for Christmas but there was no apparent jet lag and no shortage of energy associated with post-vacation blues as she breezily catered for at least 20 people. Coopers home is a boarding house for about ten kids from the slum – kids enrolled in the Artists for Africa programme who Cooper identifies as either having exceptional potential or exceptional need – and her beautiful home becomes their home. It is clean, spacious and secure. A world away from the slum dwellings they were born in to – and with Cooper as their matriarch; taking an active role in their complete education and all their pastoral needs, these kids are blessed indeed and have a real chance in life. Much like my kids and yours I suspect.

Like The Lunch Bowl Network, Artists for Africa is a perfect fit for what we are trying to achieve with The Brothers Trust. They are both charities doing remarkable work and with very tangible outcomes. And the added appeal is their muscular use of funds that is kindly provided by their donors. Almost all of the money that they raise is spent directly on the ground and for the kids in their care. The only salaries of any note are the indigenous and local staff, who are themselves residents of the slums. These charities have the bare minimum administrative costs – which is why The Brothers Trust can commend their work and are proud to support them.

It will be exhilarating if Joel manages to secure himself a berth with a professional dance company. His mum will ache with pride that her son had the fortitude, the guile and the opportunity to get himself out of the slum, but Joel’s achievements will be Copper’s also.

But not all kids in DCK will enjoy such vaunted opportunities as Joel. Those unlikely odds that I have already mentioned will mean that so few ballet students will get such a shot. But no matter, because each week, via these two charities, many hundreds of kids are able to escape their grinding reality - which comes with the misfortune of being born in to such circumstances and are allowed to enjoy their childhood and perhaps even dare to dream - just like our kids do.

And all because of a remarkable young American woman called Cooper Rust – aided and abetted by a range of other people integral to this success story and whom I would like to mention here also.

Introducing the Gomes family who live locally to us and we are lucky to have as our friends.

Dad, Alan (a sound man in TV land who I met many moons ago when I used to appear on the small screen) – mum, Heidi, another force of nature and their four girls, Ellie, Lottie, Lucy and Kitty.

Heidi is a major force behind The Lunch Bowl Network – co-ordinating fundraising activities in the UK and introduced it to The Brothers Trust. Students attending a school like the English National Ballet must overcome many hurdles and obstacles. Living away from home is a challenge because of course, most of the school’s intake will not come from London. And such difficulties are compounded for a student who hails from a Kenyan slum to go abroad for the first time and to a country where he knows no one.

And so for this to work, such a student cannot be expected to fend for himself - in digs or a youth hostel and especially so outside of term-time when returning to Kenya is too expensive and out of the question.

If Joel was to stand any chance at all, then he would need a surrogate family – and for this - step forward, Team Gomes.

Already with a brood of their own, Heidi and Alan welcomed Joel in to their family home where he has lived now for almost three years. Without this love and family, I don’t think Joel could have made such a success of the opportunity.

And finally, what about the school fees, you might be interested to know about?

London is a first world city. Maybe even the world’s premiere city? And presumably, the fees to attend a school like the English National Ballet school are incredibly high and prohibitive for ordinary kids and certainly for kids like Joel.

I am pleased therefore to share with you that the ENB, on seeing Joel at his auditions, recognised his talent and potential and granted him a full scholarship. Take a bow ENB.

But what of the ancillary costs also?

The ballet shoes, the tights, leotards… the private tutors to ensure that Joel meets his academics requirements which is as high as his ballet bar, because keep in mind, he has not had the schooling of his fellow students.

But surely, Cooper is not expected to raise the money in Kenya to meet all such costs.

No, she is not.

And nor can the Gomes family afford such extra outgoings.

Philanthropists are required – which is a word, heard too rarely nowadays.

Its official definition:

”humanitarians, improvers of the condition of the working class, organisers of charity, members of societies for the prevention of cruelty to animals, temperance fanatics, hole-and-corner reformers of every imaginable kind.”

In more plane language – thoroughly decent people who realise their own good fortune and would like to give something back and most often to people less privileged than them. Bill Gates is a prominent example of a philanthropist.

And so it is with Joel. A man who I have met but he will remain anonymous, since I don’t have his permission but I suspect he wouldn’t want his name revealed anyway. But to say, he was the CEO of one of the UK’s most prestigious companies. He happens to love his ballet and coupled with his humanity and decency, he very kindly provides a grant for Joel to meet the many costs of being in London and associated with taking his shot.

What a phenomenally kind gesture and I hope, that if Joel ever takes to the sorts of stages that Cooper graced, that this ex-CEO will be in the stalls and will take his own metaphorical bow along with the young man under the lights.