Our Patron

Solange comes from an impressive family of activists. Born to the late Leonie Urdang (founder of the Urdang Academy), who fled South Africa in the sixties to London after witnessing apartheid and its injustices.

Solange trained at Urdang, went on to have a successful career in commercial dance, theatre and the music industry before going onto study art and design. Becoming CEO of the Urdang Academy in 2001, she has since developed it to be one of the UK most prolific vocational colleges with an internationally renowned reputation. Solange has spent her career pushing boundaries and building cultural bridges and sits on various panels promoting and developing diversity in professional musical theatre and dance training.

As well as being Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Black British Theatre Awards, she is the founder of Link Talent agency. She is involved in various charity-based projects both in the UK and South Africa and also judges competitions all over the world.