Robynn Burls

Hi, I'm Robynn, and I'm a student of the potential of the body, the marvels of the mind, and the beauty of it all combined in ballet.

As the editor, BodyMindBallet is where I get to learn, to share and to enjoy this wide world of dance - and with every day I gain an ever richer respect for the athleticism of dance and the skill of performance artistry.

rss feed Twitter Author's Website

Robynn Burls's Latest Posts

Review and photos: Big performance spills over Swan Lake stage

Review and photos: Big performance spills over Swan Lake stage

| July 15, 2013 | 3 Comments

Despite being the second largest theatre (in terms of seats) on the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre’s international tour – which includes 50 cities so far in 2013 – the Teatro at Johannesburg’s Montecasino doesn’t have a particularly large stage, made even smaller by the ballet company’s beautifully elaborate sets. Add the corps de ballet of […]

Continue Reading

Infographic: Swan Lake and what you don’t know about this travelling ballet company

Infographic: Swan Lake and what you don’t know about this travelling ballet company

| July 12, 2013 | 0 Comments

The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre had their opening night of Swan Lake in Johannesburg this week, but they’ve already opened the ballet to sold-out theatres across Europe over the past few months and they’ll be flying off to Australia next. As far as we can tell, St Petersburg Ballet Theatre (SPBT) is the only classical […]

Continue Reading

Photos: Highlights of the International Ballet Gala Part 2

Photos: Highlights of the International Ballet Gala Part 2

| July 11, 2013 | 0 Comments

As a reminder of the sparkling ballet stars who entertained Johannesburg audiences at the recent International Ballet Gala, we’ve put together this photo gallery for you to enjoy (and maybe drool over). If you missed it, read the full story here: Highlights from the International Ballet Gala Part 1, and what they didn’t tell you […]

Continue Reading

Queen at the Ballet’s new season set to rock Joburg

Queen at the Ballet’s new season set to rock Joburg

| July 10, 2013 | 0 Comments

Following two sold out seasons in Cape Town in 2012, Sean Bovim’s Queen at the Ballet will be coming to Johannesburg for a long-awaited limited season at the Joburg Theatre from 26 March to 13 April 2014. No men in tights or tutus here Bovim Ballet seem to have a knack of combining the athleticism […]

Continue Reading

Audition for a gap year with Joburg Ballet’s 2014 graduate programme

Audition for a gap year with Joburg Ballet’s 2014 graduate programme

| July 8, 2013 | 0 Comments

(Update: South African Mzansi Ballet has changed its name to Joburg Ballet as of September 2013.) For any post-matric aspiring dancer, Joburg Ballet’s 2014 Graduate Programme could be your opportunity to train with a ballet company and experience the career of a professional ballet dancer first-hand. The auditions for the 2014 Graduate Programme will be […]

Continue Reading

Highlights from the International Ballet Gala Part 1, and what they didn’t tell you about Alicia Alonso

Highlights from the International Ballet Gala Part 1, and what they didn’t tell you about Alicia Alonso

| July 2, 2013 | 1 Comment

Just like professional athletes, where each new generation will always break the records held by the previous generations; so too, no dancer can ever claim to have absolute mastery of ballet while there is a possibility of a longer balance, a higher jump, or a few more turns. And while the pursuit of perfection can […]

Continue Reading

Funding and future name change announced by South African Mzansi Ballet

Funding and future name change announced by South African Mzansi Ballet

| June 24, 2013 | 0 Comments

The jury is still out as to whether they will become Joburg Ballet or Joburg City Ballet, but either way the name change comes as a condition of the ballet company’s latest and largest funder – the City of Johannesburg, which has just given them an R8-million injection. The announcement was made at a press […]

Continue Reading

Principal dancers from London’s Royal Ballet to perform in Cape Town City Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty

Principal dancers from London’s Royal Ballet to perform in Cape Town City Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty

| June 20, 2013 | 0 Comments

Cape Town City Ballet has announced that two international stars from The Royal Ballet – Roberta Marquez and Nehemiah Kish – will perform in their upcoming production of The Sleeping Beauty at Artscape from 10 to 18 August 2013. Roberta Marquez and Nehemiah Kish, both principal dancers for The Royal Ballet in Covent Garden, will […]

Continue Reading

Your chance to design a ballerina ball gown for Cinderella

Your chance to design a ballerina ball gown for Cinderella

| June 18, 2013 | 0 Comments

Calling all aspiring fashion designers and fashion students: Cinderella needs a dress for the ball and you get to wave your magic pencil and design the dress of your dreams. Should your design be chosen as the winner, Marie Claire and South African Mzansi Ballet (SAMB) will help bring your fairy tale dream to life […]

Continue Reading

Swan Lake season extended again due to strong demand

Swan Lake season extended again due to strong demand

| June 14, 2013 | 0 Comments

If you don’t have your tickets yet (seriously, what were you thinking?), you can now breathe a sigh of relief. But make it a short sigh and then go and book those seats quick-sticks, because this is the last and final extension before the swans fly off to Australia the very next day. With less […]

Continue Reading