MBE – a personal note

As I received the MBE, I was thinking of everyone who has walked alongside me on this journey. I feel deep gratitude.

My first thoughts were of my parents. We came to the UK from India when I was a child. They arrived without the language, but with determination, dignity and a belief that a new life was possible. They showed me that you can hold on to where you come from while contributing fully to where you are. That understanding has shaped everything I have done.

Dance has been my way of making sense of that journey. Kathak keeps me connected to lineage, rhythm and memory. Contemporary practice gives me space to question, experiment, and respond to the present.

When I founded the company twenty years ago, I simply wanted to make work that felt meaningful and to share it widely. Over time, that has meant performing in theatres across the UK and internationally, but also working in community centres, care homes, museums and health settings. I have always believed that dance belongs wherever people gather. It can create conversation, offer reflection and bring different worlds into contact.

This recognition belongs to many people. The dancers and musicians who give their imagination and discipline so generously. The producers, partners and funders who have sustained the work. I am especially grateful to our Chair, Anamaria Wills, who has held my hand since the early days, and to Mira Kaushik, whose grace, insight and generosity of spirit have supported the journey from near and far. The NHS staff, academics, sports organisations and community groups who have invited us into their spaces. And the audiences and participants who have trusted us, sometimes over many years.

As a British Indian artist, this moment carried particular meaning. I hope it affirms that our cultural inheritances are not side notes in British life but part of its living, evolving story. I hope it encourages young artists who feel they stand between cultures to see that as a place of strength.

An honour like this is a reminder of responsibility. To continue working with care. To nurture the next generation. To keep building spaces where people feel seen, connected and inspired.

As I received the MBE, I was thinking of everyone who has walked alongside me on this journey. I feel deep gratitude, and I look forward to what we will create together next.

A life spent asking what dance can do

Discover a creative journey that has taken Balbir Singh from theatres and stages to universities and libraries, care homes, community halls, hospitals, sports arenas and even research laboratories . . .

What dance can do

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