Roberta Marquez as Princess Aurora. Photo by Bill Cooper courtesy of CTCB

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 grace the stage in the roles of Princess Aurora and Prince Florimund for two performances, which makes for a special scoop for Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB).

Kish was born in the USA, but has travelled the world as a guest artist in numerous ballets and special performances, including partnering Darcy Bussell at the 2012 London Olympics closing ceremony. He joined The Royal Ballet in 2010 and danced principal roles such as James in La Sylphide, Romeo (Romeo & Juliet), Prince (Cinderella, The Nutcracker) and Prince Siegfried (Swan Lake).

The award-winning Marquez, originally from Brazil, has been a principal with The Royal Ballet since 2004 and has starred in roles such as Odette/Odile (Swan Lake), the title role in Cinderella, Swanhilda (Coppélia) and of course Princess Aurora from The Sleeping Beauty.

Nehemia Kish of The Royal Ballet will perform as Prince Florimund in Cape Town. Photo by Bill Cooper courtesy of CTCB.

The most iconic kiss of all time

It’s the classic romantic happily-ever-after story of the beautiful princess, an evil spell by the wicked fairy, and a kiss from her handsome prince that sets her free.

Set to the enchanting tunes of Tchaikovsky, the CTCB says they are creating an opulent production of this classic ballet with beautiful sets and costumes, and certain performances are accompanied by the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) too.

Casting of lead roles:

With Kish and Marquez dancing the lead prince and princess roles in two performances, the remaining four performances will alternate between Cape Town City Ballet’s principal dancers, Laura Bosenberg and Thomas Thorne, and with Burnise Silvius, principal dancer from South African Mzanzi Ballet, partnered by CTCB’s Trevor Schoonraad.

The Lilac Fairy will be performed by Angela Hansford, Kim Vieira and Claire Spector, while the role of the wicked fairy Carabosse will be shared by Johnny Bovang and Mervyn Williams.

• Saturday, 10 August at 19:30 (recorded music): Laura Bosenberg & Thomas Thorne
• Wednesday, 14 August at 19:30 (with CPO): Roberta Marquez & Nehemiah Kish
• Friday, 16 August at 19:30 (recorded music): Burnise Sylvius & Trevor Schoonraad
• Saturday, 17 August at 14:00 (with CPO): Laura Bosenberg & Thomas Thorne
• Saturday, 17 August at 19:30 (with CPO): Roberta Marquez & Nehemiah Kish
• Sunday, 18 August at 15:00 (with CPO): Burnise Sylvius & Trevor Schoonraad

But before you click off to book (details below), first watch the lovely Roberta Marquez in this entertaining and animated Ribbon pas de deux (with Steven McRae) from The Royal Ballet’s La fille mal gardée.

Booking details:

Dates: 10 to 18 August 2013
Venue: Artscape Opera House, Cape Town
Tickets: From R100 to R300 from Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695.