Fairy-tale dreams with Shannon Glover and Jonathan Rodrigues in SAMB’s all-new Cinderella. Photo by Bill Zurich.

Johannesburg audiences will have a choice of four ballerinas alternating in the title role of South African Mzansi Ballet’s all-new production of Cinderella, which opens on Friday 13 September 2013 at the Joburg Theatre.

SAMB’s principal dancers, Burnise Silvius and Michael Revie. Photo by Bill Zurich.

Won, two, three, four…

Across this 11-performance season, the local SAMB stars – Burnise Silvius, Shannon Glover and Lindé Wessels – will share Cinderella’s magical coach with international guest dancer, Jin Ho Won from South Korea. (Read more about Won here: Gold medalist guest ballerina arrives in SA.)

The source of the magic in the story, Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother, will be danced by Nicole Ferreira, Lindé Wessels, Sanmarie Kreuzhuber, Claudia Monja and Kitty Phetla; while the dashing Prince Charming will be danced by Jonathan Rodrigues, Michael Revie and Ramiro Samón.

Providing the comic flamboyance to the story, Cinderella’s two Ugly Sisters will be pranced, ahem, I mean danced by men, with Luis de Castro, Chase Bosch, Javier Monier, Carlos Santos, Keke Chele and Randol Figueredo getting their drag on in alternating performances.

And adding the high jinks (and high jumps) will be the Jesters danced by Javier Monier, Randol Figueredo, Luis de Castro and Chase Bosch.

Casting Summary

Here’s the quick casting guide for Cinderella and her Prince:

• 

  See visiting star, South Korean Jin Ho Won as Cinderella. Photo courtesy of SAMB.

  Friday 13 September at 19:30: Burnise Silvius & Jonathan Rodrigues

• Saturday 14 September at 15:00: Jin Ho Won & Michael Revie
• Saturday 14 September at 19:30: Lindé Wessels & Jonathan Rodrigues
• Sunday 15 September at 11:00: Shannon Glover & Ramiro Samón
• Sunday 15 September at 15:00: Jin Ho Won & Michael Revie
• Tuesday 17 September at 11:00: Lindé Wessels & Jonathan Rodrigues (School Performance)
• Saturday 21 September at 15:00: Shannon Glover & Ramiro Samón
• Sunday 22 September at 15:00: Burnise Silvius & Jonathan Rodrigues
• Friday 27 September at 19:30: Jin Ho Won & Michael Revie
• Saturday 28 September at 15:00: Shannon Glover & Ramiro Samón
• Sunday 29 September at 15:00: Burnise Silvius & Michael Revie

Cinderella booking details:

Dates: 13 to 29 September 2013
Venue: Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg
Tickets: From R189 to R336 from www.joburgtheatre.com

SA Mzansi Ballet dancers in rehearsals for their upcoming production of Celebration 5. Photo by Jurgen Badenhorst courtesy of SAMB.

If you’re in Joburg this weekend, make your way over to South African Mzansi Ballet’s Open Day on Saturday, 31 August 2013 at their Braamfontein studios, taking place from 10am to 1pm.

You’ll be able to watch the dancers warm up in their morning ballet class, followed by a tea break where fans and friends of the ballet can socialise and network within the inner-workings of the Joburg Theatre. Thereafter, you’ll be treated to a mix of rehearsals for the ballet company’s upcoming all-new production of Cinderella, as well as rehearsals for Celebration 5 (more information on this to follow soon).

Keen to attend? Contact Edgar Moagi on 011 877 6898 or edgar@samzansiballet.com to book your seat. The cost is R90 per person.

Can’t make it? You can still get that sneak peek by watching this video. See South Korean guest dancer, Jin Ho Won, and SAMB’s principal ballerina, Burnise Silvius, rehearsing the role of Cinderella with artistic director, Iain MacDonald.

Want to see the real deal? Go and book your seats here…

Cinderella booking details:

Dates: 13 to 29 September 2013
Venue: Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg
Tickets: From R189 to R336 from www.joburgtheatre.com

Celebration 5 booking details – Johannesburg:

Dates: Friday 20 September at 19:30; Saturday 21 September at 19:30; Saturday 28 September at 19:30.
Venue: Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg
Tickets: From R189 to R336 from www.joburgtheatre.com

Celebration 5 booking details – Cape Town:

Dates: Tuesday 24 September at 19:30; Wednesday 25 September at 19:30.
Venue: Joseph Stone Auditorium, Athlone, Cape Town
Tickets: R150 (or R120 for children under 12) from Computicket

Jin Ho Won in her Gold medal winning performance at CTIBC 2012. Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing

South Africans first saw South Korean ballerina Jin Ho Won (21) when she won her double gold medals in the senior division of the Cape Town International Ballet Competition in 2012. Now she has returned, this time to Johannesburg, as a guest ballerina in South African Mzansi Ballet’s new production of Cinderella, alternating in the title role with the local SAMB principal dancers.

Jin Ho Won studied both in South Korea and at American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York. She has also danced extensively in South Korea and with American Ballet Theatre 2 in the USA, and will now be able to add South Africa to the list as she takes part in  SAMB’s new full-length ballet.

Apart from her award-winning performances at the Cape Town International Ballet Competition, she’s also danced in the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, the Youth America Grand Prix in New York, the Beijing International Competition and you can watch her in this video, where she received a gold medal at the Seoul International Dance Competition…

All-new production of Cinderella

Artistic director Iain MacDonald has choreographed the ballet to the sparkling melodies of Johann Strauss II. SAMB tells us that the lilting and charming sounds of Strauss’ only full-length ballet score will be heard in Johannesburg for the first time, replacing the more familiar Prokofiev music.

The ballet company’s previous production of Cinderella broke box-office records in 2009 and the 2013 staging promises new delights with Strauss’ sumptuous melodies, new choreography and  re-imagined sets by designer Andrew Botha.

Cinderella is also the first production to be presented by the company since the announcement in June of generous funding from the City of Johannesburg. (Read more on that here: Funding and future name change announced by SAMB)

The casting is still to be announced, but in the meantime, you’ll have an opportunity to see Jin Ho Won in rehearsals at an Open Day at the SAMB Studios at the Joburg Theatre on Saturday 31 August from 10am to 1pm.  Booking is through Edgar Moagi on (0)11 877 6898 or edgar@samzansiballet.com.

Or, for those not in Johannesburg, here’s another video of Jin Ho Won from her performance as Kitri (Don Quixote) from the Beijing International Ballet Competition. Enjoy!