Claudia Monja dances with the Nutcracker Prince and the Rat King in Joburg Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Photo by Bill Zurich.

We’re told that year after year, from the 1980s until the turn of the century, the hugely popular Christmas classic The Nutcracker was always a firm feature on Pretoria’s festive season calendar. That all changed after the closure of The State Theatre Ballet in 2000, and even the subsequent South African Ballet Theatre moved from Pretoria to Johannesburg soon after.

But now years later, the magic will be sparked anew when the newly renamed Joburg Ballet (previously SA Mzansi Ballet) brings their production of The Nutcracker to Pretoria’s SA State Theatre for the first time from 22 to 30 November 2013, with nine performances featuring the full ballet company.

See Joburg Ballet’s Angela Maree and Javier Monier when they perform in Pretoria in November 2013. Photo by Bill Zurich.

Joburg Ballet’s Nutcracker is based on the much-loved traditional classical version, which first premiered in Russia all the way back in December 1892. The current production has been further developed by artistic director Iain MacDonald, with the help of ballet mistresses Angela Malan and Lauren Dixon-Seager.

Set to Tchaikovsky’s magical melodies, The Nutcracker tells the story of a young girl called Clara who receives a nutcracker soldier as a Christmas gift. She dreams her nutcracker turns into a handsome prince who then leads her to strange and enchanted places, like the Land of Snow and the Kingdom of the Sweets. The audience gets swept away too and meets a delightful assortment of Sugar Plum Fairies, Nutcracker Princes, Christmas Tree Fairies, Chinese, Russian and Spanish dancers, waltzing stars, dancing snowflakes and more.

Good cheer and family fun…

While you remind yourself of the simply marvelous music, have a good laugh at these three South African ballerinas giving the funniest rendition of The Nutcracker ever, caught on camera as they wait in the wings during a 2008 performance by the South African Ballet Theatre.

Booking details:

Dates and Times:
22 & 29 November 2013 at 7:30pm
23, 24 & 30 November 2013 at 3pm
23, 27, 28 & 30 November 2013 at 11am
Venue: The Opera at the South African State Theatre, Pretoria
Tickets: from R50 to R340 via Computicket.

Special deals and discounts:

• 10% for block bookings of 10 or more;
• 15% for pensioners;
• 20% for Friends of the Ballet;
• 50% for children aged 4 to 7;
• 50% off all Opening Night seats (22 November);
• R50 for school shows on 27 and 28 November at 11am.

A dance with a difference. Mango airline and SA Mzansi Ballet collaborate at the Swartkops Air Show.

Okay, think about it for a moment, the ballet company can’t do much choreography with a Boeing while it’s sitting heavy-as-a-heffalump on the tarmac (even this sleek new generation 737-800); nor can the dancers attempt a flying corps de ballet alongside the plane in the air – that would be a little undignified, what with being blown around like a leaf and all, not to mention lethal.

No, it all comes down to synchronisation and timing, something that both pilots and dancers know pretty-darn well, and will be put to the test during their collaborative “aerial ballet spectacular” at the Swartkops Air Show outside Pretoria on Saturday 11 May 2013.

Time for some precision aerial manoeuvres…

And the planes can do some cool tricks too.

Hein Kaiser, spokesperson for the Mango airline explains: “While the aircraft performs its procedure in the air, the ballet company will execute movement on stage”. Now while that description may sound a little dry; the opportunity/challenge that this gives a ballet company is actually rather juicy (no Mango puns intended).

You see, essentially the ballet piece will be choreographed to synchronise and respond to the aerial performance of the Boeing 737-800 – now how many dancers can add that to their CVs? (Although let’s hope they explain the context, imagine the interviewer saying “hmm, you danced with a ‘Boeing’? Well that’s not a very nice way to refer to your partner.”)

SA Mzansi Ballet chief executive Dirk Badenhorst adds that while, at 7 minutes, it is likely the shortest performance in the company’s history, it is also an important one.

“We endeavour to take ballet to the public at every possible opportunity and to share its beauty and grace. What better platform than sharing airspace with a giant and graceful aircraft. What a juxtaposition,” says Dirk Badenhorst.

Choreography: A jumbo challenge

Angela Malan, SAMB’s ballet mistress and senior principal dancer, choreographed the piece for this special and unusual event. Her idea was to create a sense of flying, using an upbeat score. She has taken iconic steps from the major classics and essentially rolled them up into one performance.

The following twelve dancers will all be seen flying across the stage: Sanmarie Kreuzhuber, Burnise Silvius, Lindé Wessels, Jessica Overton, Claudia Monja, Angela Maree, Jonathan Rodrigues, Michael Revie, Ramiro Samón, Randol Figueredo, Carlos Santos and Luis de Castro.

Air Show details:

The dance performance is scheduled to take place at the Swartkops Air Show on Saturday 11 May at around 11:45 am. There will be a lot more to see with a full day of aerial activities and you’ll find all the air show details at www.saafmuseum.org.

Booking: Online-tickets are available at www.ticketbreak.co.za and Gautrain bus services are available from its Centurion station.