Do you ever have those days where you know there is so much more you can do in ballet class, but your body stubbornly refuses to cooperate? Of course you do, silly question, pushing the body beyond its boundaries is basically the definition of ballet, right? After all, there is no such thing as too […]
It may sound counter-intuitive, but if you want to improve your ballet performance, you may need to step outside the ballet class to do it. Cross-training is the new must-do for professional and aspiring dancers, helping you improve fitness, flexibility, strength, injury recovery, musicality and more. Now don’t get me wrong, the only way to […]
Being able to act is a central skill for all aspiring and professional dancers (although not all dancers get it quite right – see this Swan Lake review for a recent example). But with no speaking allowed, dancers have to rely on mime to convey their messages. The hilarious master of mime So let me […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
We can joke about being able to do something with our eyes closed, but that’s exactly what Alicia Alonso learnt to do, what she had to do to succeed. Diagnosed with a detached retina at the age of 19 – which was just the beginning of her vision problems that were to worsen throughout her […]
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A few surprises revealed in Joburg Ballet’s Don Quixote casting
Don Quixote is known to be one of the most lively, big, bold and vibrant ballets, and we should be expecting exciting things from Joburg Ballet who love to snatch every opportunity to show off their virtuoso skills. Don Quixote opens at the Joburg Theatre tonight, 28 August, and runs until 13 September 2015, but […]
Joburg’s leading dancers perform in Ballet Highlights Gala – new format, new venue
For three performances only, Joburg Ballet are visiting a new venue with a shorter one-hour programme at a smaller price-point, aiming to take the best ballet highlights to more people. And with an impressive sounding line-up of popular dance pieces, you might want to take up the opportunity too at the Roodepoort Theatre this weekend […]
Cape Town City Ballet takes Thumbelina to Pietermaritzburg
On 8 and 9 July, the full-length ballet of Thumbelina, a Cape Town City Ballet Youth project, will be on stage at the Hilton College Theatre produced in association with the KZN Midlands Youth Ballet Company. Starring nine principal dancers from the Cape Town City Ballet in the leading roles, and 71 ballet students from […]
Grand classical Russian ballet tour to open in South Africa this week
Having already toured to 36 cities in France since the start of the year, the St Petersburg Ballet Theatre open their South African tour on Wednesday 6 May at Montecasino in Johannesburg performing Giselle, followed by Don Quixote and Swan Lake before they head to Cape Town to perform Swan Lake at Artscape from 19 […]
A few surprises revealed in Joburg Ballet’s Don Quixote casting
Don Quixote is known to be one of the most lively, big, bold and vibrant ballets, and we should be expecting exciting things from Joburg Ballet who love to snatch every opportunity to show off their virtuoso skills. Don Quixote opens at the Joburg Theatre tonight, 28 August, and runs until 13 September 2015, but […]
Joburg’s leading dancers perform in Ballet Highlights Gala – new format, new venue
For three performances only, Joburg Ballet are visiting a new venue with a shorter one-hour programme at a smaller price-point, aiming to take the best ballet highlights to more people. And with an impressive sounding line-up of popular dance pieces, you might want to take up the opportunity too at the Roodepoort Theatre this weekend […]
Video: Is ballet a sport? Are dancers athletes?
In her recent sports and fitness article, Discovery’s online editor, Catherine Davis, asked: Is ballet a sport? And, are ballerinas athletes? To any aspiring and professional dancer, the answers to these questions are painfully obvious. Painful in more ways than one, but sadly only obvious to some. The art and pursuit of making dance look […]