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.

Tracy Li and Xola Putye in their pas de deux from Spartacus. Photo by Michael Groenewald.

Having recently completed their season of The Sleeping Beauty, Cape Town City Ballet returns to Artscape from 26 to 28 September 2013 with a new production simply titled Pas de Deux, highlighting some of the greatest moments in the classical pas de deux repertoire.

Bringing to the stage some of the most popular dances for two soloists, the company plans to showcase memorable partnering from ballets such as Spartacus, Anna Karenina, Le Corsaire, Diane and Acteon, The Merry Widow, and Scheherazade.

Cape Town audiences will have another opportunity to see prima ballerina Tracy Li, who made her comeback to the ballet stage this year, when she performs a moving pas de deux from Spartacus with Xola Putye.

Putye will also partner Mami Fuji – who recently had her debut in The Sleeping Beauty – as they dance the pas de deux from Diane and Acteon. (Trevor Schoonraad was initially announced as Fuji’s partner, but unfortunately will not be able to dance due to injury.)

And of course, considering that the pas de deux is often associated with a couple in love, this special production wouldn’t be complete without a scene from both Don Quixote and Romeo and Juliet (with roles alternating between different soloists across the various performances).

See Mariette Opperman & Jesse Milligan perform in Cape Town City Ballet’s Pas de Deux. Photo by by Pat Bromilow-Downing.

Booking details:

Dates & times:
Thursday, 26 September at 19:30
Friday, 27 September at 15:00
Friday, 27 September at 19:30
Saturday, 28 September at 14:00
Saturday, 28 September at 19:30

Venue: Artscape Theatre, Cape Town

Tickets: From R50 to R150 from Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695.