Details announced for 2014 Cape Town International Ballet Competition

| May 13, 2013 | 3 Comments
Hannah Bettes, a 2012 competitor from the USA.

Hannah Bettes, a 2012 competitor from the USA. Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing courtesy of CTICB.

The fourth Cape Town International Ballet Competition (CTIBC) takes place from 17 to 23 February 2014 at the Artscape Theatre Centre in Cape Town, with the addition of a third age group for competitors.

[Update: The competition was renamed to the South African International Ballet Competition in December 2013, read more here.]

Taking place every two years, the CTIBC – Africa’s only international ballet competition – was first launched in 2008 with subsequent competitions in 2010 and 2012, attracting talented dancers from across the globe to compete for gold, silver and bronze medals as well as substantial monetary prizes.

New category for young scholars

In unveiling the details of the 2014 competition, the CEO of CTIBC, Dirk Badenhorst, announced that a new category, Scholar, will be open to dancers aged 12 to 15 years. The other categories are Junior, for dancers aged 16 to 20 years, and Senior, for dancers aged 21 to 28 years.

First judges confirmed

South African Mthuthuzeli November was the 2012 Gold medallist in the junior contemporary section.

South African Mthuthuzeli November was the 2012 Gold medallist in the junior contemporary section. Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing courtesy of CTICB.

A distinguished panel of judges from around the world is being assembled for the 2014 competition. The following judges have been confirmed, with more announcements to follow:

  • Marcia Haydee, director of the Ballet de Santiago, Chile. She was a former ballerina and artistic director of the Stuttgart Ballet, creator of leading roles in ballets by legendary choreographer John Cranko.
  • Dawn Weller, director of Australia’s Graduate College of Dance and previously a former ballerina of PACT Ballet and artistic director of PACT Ballet/The State Theatre Ballet from 1983 to 2000.
  • Hae Shik Kim, artistic director of the Seoul International Dance Competition. Hae Shik Kim was also the founding dean of the Korean National University of Arts School of Dance and former ballerina and artistic director of the Korean National Ballet.
  • Xin Lili, former ballerina, now choreographer and artistic director of the Shanghai Ballet.
  • Ramona de Saá, former dancer, now Director of the National Ballet School of Cuba and Associate Professor of Cuba’s Higher Institute of Art and Methodology of the National Centre for Schools of Art.

The names of the further judges will be announced following Dirk Badenhorst’s visit to China in July where he will be a Judge at the Beijing International Ballet Competition.

Competition entry details:

The closing date for entries for the fourth Cape Town International Ballet Competition is 13 January 2014. You’ll find the application form, rules and more information on www.ctibc.com, or send your queries to Dirk Badenhorst on badenhorst.db@gmail.com or +27 (0)83 324 0949.

And if you want a peek into what took place at the previous (2012) competition, watch this video from SABC3’s Top Billing for insights and inspiring clips of winning performances.

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Category: Dance News

About the Author ()

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.

Comments (3)

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  1. where can I buy tickets to view the 2014 ballet competition?

    • Robynn Burls says:

      Hi Rhoda, you’ll be able to buy tickets for the preliminary rounds, the finals, the awards and/or the gala event all on Computicket.com. Search for “CTIBC” and you should find the various options.

  2. I would like to offer my guesthouse and self- catering accommodation for those travelling from afar!

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