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 effortless and easy, leads many observers to think that perhaps it is. (Never mind that some of these same critics couldn’t touch their own toes, let alone fly through the air in grand jeté splits. Just saying.)

But fortunately, Discovery found a more diplomatic and compelling answer for their readers through this video interview with Cape Town City Ballet’s senior principal dancer, Laura Bosenberg. See the short but inspiring video here (beautifully produced by Stage 5 Films) and share with your friends…

Elizabeth Nienaber and Ivan Boonzaaier in Cape Town City Ballet’s Thumbelina. Photo by Jacques Conradie

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 across Pietermaritzburg studios, the production is directed by Robin van Wyk, artistic director of the Cape Town City Ballet and tells the much-loved fairytale story by Hans Christian Andersen, complete with jitterbugs, ice fairies, snow crystals and blue birds.

Thumbelina’s little Ice Fairies. Photo by Jacques Conradie

Boys and girls of all ages have been coached by Colleen Boote, Susan Cleary, Joyann Goddard, Brenda Hunter, Lisa Jennings, Domaine Keyser, Brenda Mc Lachlan, Julia Powell, Heather Proctor and Cornelia Puller.

The production is playing for four performances only at the Hilton College Theatre on 8 and 9 July 2015. If you’re in the KZN Midlands, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to see the Cape Town  professionals and support the exciting local young talent.

Here’s a short but lovely sneak peek into a scene from Act 1, danced here by Elizabeth Nienaber and Ivan Boonzaaier.

Booking details:

Dates: 8 and 9 July 2015
Venue: Hilton College Theatre, Pietermaritzburg
Tickets: R100 from www.hiltontheatre.co.za.

Watch Geneva Ballet perform at Artscape and then rehearse with the dancers and learn their moves in one of three workshops. Photo by Gregory Batardon

For aspiring dancers interested in choreography, contemporary ballet, or for the chance to learn directly from touring professional dancers, you’ll get it all with the dance workshops that the Geneva Ballet company of Switzerland will be hosting in Cape Town on 7, 9 and 10 July 2014.

As part of the company’s first visit to the city, Geneva Ballet will be offering the workshops alongside their double-bill performances of Lux and Glory, on at the Artscape Theatre from 8 to 10 July 2014. You can read (and watch) more about these two pieces here.

The two-hour workshops, which are aimed at professional, pre-professional and advanced level dancers, will give dancers a unique opportunity to learn excerpts of the choreographies that the company is currently performing. These repertory workshops will be presented free of charge at Cape Town City Ballet’s studios in Rondebosch.

Each workshop will be taught by experienced Geneva Ballet dancers, and will consist of warm-up exercises to lead the participants through contemporary movement forms, followed by teaching and building dance phrases from Glory, a work choreographed by Andonis Foniadakis.

South African born dancer, Angela Rebelo, who has been touring with the company since 2013, will be one of the teachers. The others are Vladimir Ippolitov of Russia, Armando Gonzalez from the USA, Nathanaël Marie of France and Saranawee Tanatanit of Thailand.

In this short video clip, watch these and other Geneva Ballet dancers rehearse some of the cool moves that you could be learning:

Workshop registration details:

Dates, times and teachers:

• Monday 7 July 2014: 13:30 – 15:30, Vladimir Ippolitov & Armando Gonzalez.
• Wednesday 9 July 2014: 11:30 – 13:30, Nathanaël Marie & Sarawanee Tanatanit.
• Thursday 10 July 2014: 11:30 – 13:30, Vladimir Ippolitov & Angela Rebelo.

Venue: Cape Town City Ballet studios, UCT Middle Campus, Rondebosch, Cape Town

Requirements: Dancers are welcome to register for more than one workshop, but will be responsible for their own transport and are advised to arrive 30 minutes before the workshop’s starting time.

The workshops are free of charge and open to professional and pre-professional advanced-level dancers.

To register: Individual dancers, schools or dance companies are invited to submit their names, contact details, as well as the names of the participants to info@zeldaproductions.co.za.

For more information: Contact Kathleen Kortes Lynch of Zelda Productions on 076 714 5969.

Geneva Ballet presents two works, Lux and Glory, for the first time in Cape Town. Photo by Gregory Batardon

For the first time in Cape Town and for three performances only, the Geneva Ballet will present what they call “two exceptional and contrasted works”, Lux and Glory on 8, 9 and 10 July 2014 at Artscape Theatre.

Under the direction of Philippe Cohen, this acclaimed Swiss company is considered one of the most original and inventive dance companies in Europe, with a repertoire that ranges from classical ballet to neoclassical and contemporary, including fresh new collaborations and artistic interpretations of classical ballet.

Geneva Ballet will perform alongside Cape Town City Ballet’s July season of Ballet Beautiful, which runs from 4 to 12 July 2014 at Artscape Theatre.

Created by Swiss choreographer Ken Ossola, and danced to the transcendent beauty of Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, Lux uses sculpted shadow play to enhance the delicate nature of the body.

Glory, which premièred on 4 February 2012 in Geneva, is the third piece that choreographer Andonis Foniadakis was commissioned to create for Geneva Ballet. Glory is set to 16 excerpts from George Frideric Handel’s greatest music and the company describes it as “a work of great aesthetic value, a symbiotic intertwining of fluidity and tension, expansive expression and introverted reserve”.

For a glorious glimpse of what to expect, watch excerpts from Glory with this great little video compilation by choreographer Andonis Foniadakis…

Booking details:

Dates: 8, 9 and 10 July at 19:30.
Venue: Artscape Theatre, Cape Town
Tickets: From R200 to R280, and R150 for students via Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695.

From left to right: Elizabeth Nienaber, Bradley van Heerden, Kim Vieira, Daniel Szybkowski, Laura Bösenberg, Angela Hansford, Rosamund Ford and Thomas Thorne. Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing

In the midst of Cape Town City Ballet’s 80 anniversary celebrations, there are now even more celebratory ching-chings to be had as the company recently announced eight promotions within the company. The dancers who have received promotions are Elizabeth Nienaber, Bradley van Heerden, Kim Vieira, Daniel Szybkowski, Laura Bösenberg, Angela Hansford, Rosamund Ford and Thomas Thorne.

Moving up from Principal Dancers to Senior Principal Dancers are Laura Bösenberg, Thomas Thorne and Kim Vieira, while Angela Hansford has been promoted to Principal Dancer, and Daniel Szybkwoski is now a Senior Soloist. Elizabeth Nienaber and Rosamund Ford have both been promoted to Soloists and Bradley van Heerden to Senior Artist.

Congrats lovely dancers!

See these dancers starring in their upcoming mid-year production called Ballet Beautiful, at Artscape Theatre from 4 to 12 July 2014.

Booking Details for Ballet Beautiful:

Dates: Friday 4 July 2014 at 19:30;
Saturday 5 July 2014 at 14:00 and 19:30;
Sunday 6 July 2014 at 15:00;
Friday 11 July 2014 at 19:30;
Saturday 12 July 2014 at 14:00 and 19:30.
Venue: Artscape Theatre, Cape Town
Tickets: from R150 to R175 via Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695.

Daniel Szybkowski and Angela Hansford in Robin van Wyk’s new pas de deux ‘The Fragile Balance’. Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing.

As their 80th anniversary celebrations continue, Cape Town City Ballet are rehearsing for their July ballet season, which includes a mix of classical, neo-classical and contemporary works in a programme called Ballet Beautiful – on at the Artscape Theatre from 4 to 12 July 2014.

The programme looks set to show off the company’s versatility with a challenging classical piece from the beautiful Paquita, to the two new and contemporary ballets by young South African choreographers, Kirsten Isenberg and Yarisha Singh, as well as a new pas de deux by CTCB’s Artistic Director, Robin van Wyk.

Laura Bosenberg and Thomas Thorne in ‘Of Gods and Men’. Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing

Classical technique and beauty

The incomparable combination of music by Ludwig Minkus and choreography by Marius Petipa makes Paquita – particularly Paquita’s Grand Pas Classique – one of the essential classical works in the repertoire of ballet companies around the world. In Ballet Beautiful, Cape Town City Ballet will perform the much-loved divertissements from the final act.

Contemporary expression and versatility

As for the brand new ballet pieces, Cape Town City Ballet commissioned Isenberg and Singh, both UCT School of Dance graduates, to create new works for the company as part of their policy to foster and support local creative talent.

Kirsten Isenberg’s piece, called Of Gods and Men, is a neo-classical work “depicting the mythological struggle between gods and man, illustrating how their strengths and weaknesses ultimately result in their equality”. In Yarisha Singh’s contemporary style ballet, Serendipity, the piece follows less of a storyline but affords the audience more opportunity to make their own associations and discoveries.

Mark Goldberg & Frieda Mennen in Serendipity. Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing.

CTCB’s own Robin van Wyk will reveal his newly-choreographed pas de deux called The Fragile Balance, inspired by the poem of the same name by Arokuara (read the poem here) and set to the music of Max Bruch’s famous violin concerto (scroll down for the video of a fabulous live performance – of the music, not the pas de deux).

As an extra treat, one of Cape Town City Ballet’s outreach partners, ZAMA Dance School, will perform Uvuyo (Celebrate) by the renowned South African choreographer Adele Blank as the curtain-raiser performance.

Booking Details:

Dates: Friday 4 July 2014 at 19:30;
Saturday 5 July 2014 at 14:00 and 19:30;
Sunday 6 July 2014 at 15:00;
Friday 11 July 2014 at 19:30;
Saturday 12 July 2014 at 14:00 and 19:30.
Venue: Artscape Theatre, Cape Town
Tickets: from R150 to R175 via Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695.

Are you curious about that “famous” violin concerto? I was too and couldn’t help myself with a little YouTube search. This is what I found: enjoy this video of Joshua Bell performing the first movement from Max Bruch’s violin concerto no. 1 in G minor…

Get behind the scenes and take a look around the life of a professional dancer during Cape Town City Ballet’s Open Day on 29 March 2014. Photo by Jeanine Bresler

Cape Town City Ballet’s annual Open Day takes place this Saturday 29 March 2014 with a full day of activities offering a peek behind the curtains and into the real workings of a professional ballet company.

The event, hosted at the UCT School of Dance in Rosebank, is presented by the Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB) in association with the UCT School of Dance and the Cape Junior Ballet. Tickets for the action-packed day will go on sale at the door at 09:30 on Saturday.

The Open Day will include fun activities for little ones, eye-opening opportunities for young, aspiring dancers, along with open rehearsals and a variety of dance performances to be enjoyed by ballet lovers across all ages.

Learn insights into how dancers prepare for the next big show at CTCB’s Open Day. Photo by Jeanine Bresler.

Visitors can arrive at any time, but the schedule looks something like this:

Watch the professional dancers in their Company Class which begins promptly at 10:00; or visit the Cape Junior Ballet dancers in their Pre-Professional Classical Ballet Class, including repertoire and coaching.

At 11:15, one the CTCB’s outreach partners, ZAMA Dance School, will present a special lecture demonstration on working with young dancers in Gugulethu and perform a tap dance piece called Blurred Lines. The UCT School of Dance will offer a look into the life of a student dancer, with a Contemporary Dance Class, a Spanish Dance Class, as well as an African Dance Class.

Special fundraising performances including a variety of short ballets and pas de deux scenes will take place at 12:30 and 13:30. Tickets for these performances will sell for R50 from the Friends of CTCB table.

During the day, there will also be a company rehearsal for CTCB’s forthcoming production of Swan Lake, which is an exclusive opportunity to see how one of the world’s most beloved ballets takes shape behind the scenes.

There will also be an introduction to stage make-up, face-painting for the playful ones as well as a fun and relaxed beginner’s class called “Introduction to Ballet”, open to all ages where everyone can participate dressed as they are. And to further inspire big ballet dreams, many of the company’s beautiful ballet costumes will be on display.

Refreshments will be available throughout the day, giving visitors even more opportunities to rub shoulders with their favourite dancers in a relaxed atmosphere.

Tutu wonderful! Kids from the Zama Dance School from Gugulethu take part in the fun at CTCB’s Open Day. Photo by Andrew Warth.

Tickets to Cape Town City Ballet’s Open Day:

Date: 29 March 2014, from 09:30 am.
Venue: UCT School of Dance in Rosebank, Cape Town.
Tickets: Admission of R30 for adults and R20 for children under 13 is available at the door only and includes attendance of all activities except the fundraising performances. For these performances, at 12:30 and 13:30, tickets at R50 will be available at the Friends of CTCB table.

Proceeds from the Open Day support CTCB’s Outreach & Development Programmes.

See pure white magic on stage with Cape Town City Ballet’s Swan Lake in April 2014. Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing.

Following an already busy start to their 80th anniversary year, starting with the popular modern ballet Night & Day at Artscape, then the outdoor performances of The Firebird and Les Sylphides at Maynardville, now Cape Town City Ballet prepares for one of the greatest classical ballets of all time, Swan Lake, to be performed at the Artscape Opera House from 5 to 20 April 2014.

Royal Ballet couple make star appearances

In a major scoop for the Cape Town ballet company, their production of Swan Lake will feature two leading dancers from the Royal Ballet in London – Hikaru Kobayashi and Federico Bonelli. The real-life husband and wife team will make their special guest performances in the lead roles on 19 and 20 April, where they will be dancing the famous roles together as a couple for the very first time.

Cape Town City Ballet’s own Laura Bösenberg, partnered by Thomas Thorne as Prince Siegfried, will dance the dual roles of Princess Odette and Princess Odile, which is always a great challenge and achievement for a ballerina considering the tremendous emotional depth, technical strength and stamina required for this challenging role.

See Thomas Thorne partner Laura Bosenberg as she dances the challenging dual roles of the white and black swan. Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing.

For the other performances, Daniel Szybkowski will partner Angela Hansford (Odette) and Kim Vieira (Odile) and Jesse Milligan will partner Kirstel Jensen (Odette) and Mami Fuji (Odile). See the casting details and dates below.

Cape Town’s great white ballet

First performed in Cape Town in 1971, this Swan Lake marks the CTCB’s 4th restaging of Attilio Labis’s version. It was originally created for the CAPAB Ballet Company by Labis, based on his many performances in productions around the world. Now produced by Prof Elizabeth Triegaardt, honorary executive director of the CTCB, who herself had the honour of dancing the role of Odette/Odile in that first production, while simultaneously, as Ballet Mistress of CAPAB, rehearsing the corps de ballet for 15 years.

Considering the hauntingly beautiful musical masterpiece that Tchaikovsky created for this ballet, audiences will be delighted to know that all but one of the scheduled nine performances of Swan Lake will be accompanied by the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra, which is also celebrating a big anniversary this year – 100 years of orchestral music in Cape Town! The orchestra will be conducted by Graham Scott.

According to the company, early ticket sales indicate that Cape Town City Ballet may have a sell-out success with Swan Lake in April 2014. Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing.

Those with sensitive hearts will also be happy to know that this particular version of Swan Lake is one of the few that has a satisfyingly happy ending!

Casts in order of appearance:

• Saturday 5 April, 19:30: Laura Bösenberg & Thomas Thorne
• Wednesday 9 April, 19:30: Angela Hansford, Kim Vieira & Daniel Szybkowski
• Saturday 12 April, 14:00: Kirstel Jensen, Mami Fujii & Jesse Milligan
• Saturday 12 April, 19:30: Laura Bösenberg & Thomas Thorne
• Sunday 13 April, 19:30: Angela Hansford, Kim Vieira & Daniel Szybkowski (recorded music)
• Wednesday 16 April, 19:30: Kirstel Jensen, Mami Fujii & Jesse Milligan
• Saturday 19 April, 14:00: Laura Bösenberg & Thomas Thorne
• Saturday 19 April, 19:30: Hikaru Kobayashi & Federico Bonelli (Royal Ballet guests)
• Sunday 20 April, 15:00: Hikaru Kobayashi & Federico Bonelli (Royal Ballet guests)

Booking details:

Dates: 5 to 20 April 2014.
Venue: Atrscape Opera House, Cape Town.
Tickets: From R100 to R320 via Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695.

Cape Town City Ballet dancers rehearsing during auditions for the Neumeier ballets. Photo by Michael Groenewald.

Following four years of negotiations, 2014 will be the ground-breaking year when Cape Town City Ballet presents three ballets by John Neumeier, the world-renowned choreographer and artistic director of the Hamburg Ballet company in Germany, considered by many to be one of the ballet world’s greatest living choreographers.

To be performed from 26 to 30 September 2014 at Artscape in Cape Town, the three ballets selected to be staged will be Neumeier’s Spring and Fall, danced to music by Dvorak; Vaslav, to music by JS Bach; and his Rite of Spring (Le sacre du Printempts) to music by Igor Stravinsky.

Keith Mackintosh, artistic executive of Cape Town City Ballet (CTBC), said that he has long wished to bring the ballets of John Neumeier to Cape Town and has been working on this major collaboration between Hamburg Ballet and CTBC for the past four years.

Commenting on the collaboration, Keith Mackintosh said:

“The CTCB has throughout its history cultivated international cultural relations with other countries, ballet companies, dancers, choreographers and producers, but this is the first time we’ll be performing works of John Neumeier.

Presenting his ballets will not only provide opportunities for our dancers’ development, but also offer audiences the chance to witness the sublime creativity of this master choreographer”.

The US-born Neumeier has already choreographed some 130 ballets during his career thus far, all displaying diverse styles and new creative ideas. According to Hamburg Ballet, “Mr. Neumeier has continually focused on the preservation of ballet tradition, while giving his works a modern dramatic framework. His ballets range from new versions of evening-length story ballets to musicals and to his symphonic ballets, especially those based on Gustav Mahler’s compositions, as well as his choreographies to sacred music.”

Watch this video for insights into John Neumeier and Hamburg Ballet’s approach to ballet choreography and dance creativity, from their ballet school through to the professional company:

Booking details:

Dates: 26 to 30 September 2014
Venue: Artscape Theatre, Cape Town
Tickets: R110, R120 or R130 through Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695.

Cape Town City Ballet’s Laura Bosenberg as The Firebird. Photo by Pat Bromilow Downing.

How to catch a Firebird? For a start you’ll need an enchanted garden, some moonlight and of course, this magical creature’s only ever been spotted with the sounds of Stravinsky. Well, considering she’s half-woman, half-bird, you didn’t think this would be a walk in the park did you?

Except that this time it is.

Cape Town City Ballet is weaving its magic through the scenic gardens of Maynardville Park to bring The Firebird to life at the Maynardville Open-Air Theatre, giving you the perfect sylvan setting to catch it (at least with your eyes) every Sunday from 19 January until 16 February 2014.

As 2014 marks the 80th anniversary year for Cape Town City Ballet, the company is flying into celebration mode with The Firebird, followed by another moonlit ballet, Les Sylphides, with both these enchanting and ethereal ballets performed back-to-back in the ideal setting of Cape Town’s Maynardville Park.

Both ballets were first staged by Russian choreographer Michel Fokine, but have been reworked here by David Poole. Here’s a brief background into the stories and mythical beings you’ll encounter in these ballets:

The Firebird and Kashchei the Immortal

Prince Ivan (Xola Putye) shows us how it’s done as he catches his Firebird (Kim Vieira). Photo by Michael Groenewald.

According to Russian folk tales, Kashchei the Immortal is an evil sorcerer who can cast a spell on those caught in his realm. Under this spell, he holds a group of 13 young royal princesses captive in a mystical garden.

Meanwhile, the hero of the story, young Prince Ivan, enters the villain’s domain and captures a magical Firebird. She begs him to release her in exchange for one of her magical feathers and the promise that the feather can be used to summon her aid at any time.

Ivan encounters the group of maidens one evening and as he watches them play in the moonlight he falls in love with Tsarevna, one of the princesses. But in pursuit of his love, the prince is waylaid by a horde of demons under Kashchei’s spell. Ivan remembers the feather, and the Firebird arrives to rescue him and end the tyranny of Kashchei.

The ballet ends with a wedding scene where the Firebird blesses the marriage of the prince and princess. The roles of the Firebird and Prince will be danced by Kim Vieira (debut) partnering with Xola Putye; Laura Bosenberg with Thomas Thorne (debut); and Mami Fuji (debut) with Ivan Boonzaaier (debut).

Les Sylphides and poetry in motion

Laura Bosenberg and the sylphs in Les Sylphides. Photo by Pat Bromilow Downing.

Described as a “romantic reverie”, Les Sylphides is a short ballet and one of the first ballets to not have a specific story-line or plot, but instead is considered a tribute to the romantic ballets and consists of many ballerinas in long white tutus as ethereal sylphs (mythological spirits of the air) dancing in the moonlight with a poet.

Set to Chopin’s serene music, this beautiful ballet has seen various versions, even by the original choreographer Fokine himself, but the Maynardville audiences will see the graceful ballet produced by Cecily Robinson for the CAPAB Ballet Company. For this production the lead partnerships will be Laura Bosenberg, dancing with Thomas Thorne, and Angela Hansford partnering with Daniel Szybkowski – who debuts in the role of the Poet.

For a dreamy and fascinating insight into Les Sylphides, watch this video (possibly filmed in the 1950’s) of Tamara Karsavina as she talks of performing with Anna Pavlova and Vaslav Nijinsky, and she discusses the role of the corps de ballet and the necessary ethereal expression of the port de bras.

Booking details:

The Firebird and Les Sylphides
Dates: Every Sunday at 8:15pm from 19 January to 16 February 2014
Venue: Maynardville Open-Air Theatre, Cape Town
Tickets: R110, R120 or R130 through Computicket.com or via Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695.