For aspiring young ballet dancers wanting to follow in Michaela DePrince or Joan Sebastian Zamora’s grand jeté steps – two dancers who excelled at the Youth America Grand Prix competition, as seen in the movie First Position – you’ll want to be at Montecasino in Johannesburg for South African auditions on Sunday 30 June. The […]
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 […]
“Just take a deep breath” may be one hell of a clichéd thing to tell someone who’s stressed out of their mind. But scientists have found that it’s actually exactly what’s required to stop the body’s biological and chemical stress response and create a calmer state of mind. For dancers, this knowledge of how to […]
I love food. Yes, even the sad little brussel sprouts can take their place on my plate. But there’s only so much a girl can eat before reaching that “uh-oh, I’ve over-done it again” moment. So here’s the best advice I’ve heard to avoid overeating and be kind to your waist-line and your health. Before […]
Covering east, west, north and south, the International Ballet Gala taking place in Johannesburg from 28 to 30 June brings us ballet stars from around the globe, including gold medallists and acclaimed dancers from far-flung regions such as Russia, South Korea, the USA and of course Cuba. I say “of course” because this ballet production […]
Did you know that some high performing professional athletes get up to 12 hours sleep a night? Usain Bolt, widely regarded as the fastest sprinter on the planet, gives part of the reason when he says that “sleep is extremely important to me – I need to rest and recover in order for the training […]
You trust your dance teachers to guide you to peak physical fitness, but when it comes to your mental fitness, do you have a strategy or are you just winging it? Taking a cue from high-performance sportsmen and women who have realised the importance of a high-performance mental coach, I set out to discover just […]
“At least 5000 enter the competition, and then only a couple hundred make it to New York. You have five minutes on stage to prove why you deserve this chance.” These words, heard on the First Position movie, refer to the Youth America Grand Prix finals, one of the world’s most prestigious ballet competitions and […]
When a teacher tells a dancer to lift the arches of the foot, you’d think it’s a simple instruction with no room for misinterpretation. Think again. Are you doing it wrong? Following our recent post on arches (Fact or Myth: Do high heels strengthen the foot arch), we’ll show you one surprisingly simple exercise to […]
We’ve heard it said that if you see only one ballet in your life, let it be Swan Lake. This traditional ballet classic is being brought to Johannesburg audiences in July by the internationally acclaimed St Petersburg Ballet Theatre, thrilling audiences with their classic Russian production of the world’s most famous and beautiful ballet. The […]
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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 […]