Get ready to ride… to the Hermanus FynArts Festival to see Bovim Ballet perform on Saturday 7 June 2014.

The Hermanus FynArts festival is no staid or upper-crust affair, in fact, with its focus on arts, music and wine in one of the Cape’s most gorgeous landscapes, it looks set to be a rocking little festival. No surprise then that it attracted South Africa’s rock ballet company, Bovim Ballet, to present a programme of its hip-swinging ballet highlights on Saturday evening, 7 June 2014 at the Hermanus High School Hall. They’ll be hosting a dance workshop earlier on the same day too (more on that below).

Bovim Ballet has called this production Ovations and it’s aptly named considering it includes specially selected popular pieces and award-winning choreography from across the company’s five extraordinary full length ballets: Tango Nights, Swing Time, Romeo’s Kiss, Queen at the Ballet and Private Presley.

Bovim Ballet’s founder and choreographer, Sean Bovim, has found a way to introduce ballet to whole new audiences through his highly accessible and entertaining rock-style ballet. It’s ballet with a twist, and a jive. See for yourself in this video montage of some of Bovim Ballet’s productions.

The audience can expect a night of touching duets and toe-tapping trios and quartets, as well as big hits like Fever from Swing Time and Jailhouse Rock from Private Presley. Ovations dancers will include Henk Opperman, Tanya Futter, Faye Dubinski, Devon Marshbank, Nicola van der Merwe, Trevor Schoonraad, Elzanne Crause, James Bradley, Zandile Constable, Darren Greeff, Tammy van Houten, Steven van Wyk, Llewellyn Mnguni, Sven-Eric Müller, Simoné Botha and Javan Mattei.

Bovim Ballet brings you swirling duets as well as their beat-thumping group numbers. Why not learn some of the moves too during their FynArts workshop?

Ovations is a one-off performance at Hermanus FynArts, so make sure to book your tickets now and do whatever you can to get to Hermanus to see it.

Booking details for Ovations:

Date: Saturday 7 June 2014 at 19:30.
Venue: Hermanus High School School Hall, Hermanus (about 2 hours drive from Cape Town, including a mandatory and delightful stop at Peregrine Farmstall on the way).
Tickets: R50 for scholars and R120 for full price via WebTickets here or through Hermanus Tourism on 028 312 2629.
Find more information on Ovations on the FynArts website here.

Bovim Ballet’s dance workshop

If you’re looking for an entertaining and informative insight into dance and choreography, irrespective of your age or level of dance-ability, you’re invited to join the Bovim Ballet dancers in their fun winter school-style workshop from 11:00 to 12:00 on Saturday 7 June 2014 at the Hermanus High School.

This will also give you a great sneak peek into that evening’s Ovations performance.

Booking details for Dance Workshop:

Date: Saturday 7 June 2014 from 11:00 to 12:00.
Venue: Hermanus High School School Hall, Hermanus.
Tickets: R50 via WebTickets here or through Hermanus Tourism on 028 312 2629.
Find more information on this workshop on the FynArts website here.

Fusion of Arts Fest and Winter School at this year’s FynArts Festival

To further tempt your little inner travel bug, more reasons to get to Hermanus this June include 10 days of festival activities to choose from – from 6 to 16 June 2014 – including fabulous wine routes and tastings, music recitals, soirées and workshops, art exhibitions, demonstrations and talks, and quite a bit more (see the full festival programme here) all set in the truly breathtaking scenery of this seaside village.

A little piece of heaven on earth – visit the Hemel en Aarde Valley and you’ll soon discover the truth of its name.

As for the name FynArts, it’s a play on ‘fyn’ as in the fynbos of the region and the Afrikaans word for ‘fine’ as in ‘fine arts’ or ‘of high quality’. The festival takes place across galleries, hotels and special venues in the town of Hermanus, as well as in tasting rooms and wine farms along the wine routes in the adjoining Hemel en Aarde Valley.

Oh and did I mention the classic movies?

Vintage film screening of a classic ballet movie

Ballet and film lovers alike will want to book early for the screening of The Red Shoes, showing at the terribly quaint Romantiques vintage cinema on Monday 16 June 2014 at 15:00. This 1948 film about a ballerina’s love-torn life won two Oscar awards and is considered a landmark film for its integration of dance in storytelling. Here’s the movie trailer for you to enjoy…

Booking details for the screening of The Red Shoes:

Date: Monday 16 June 2014 at 15:00.
Venue: Romantiques, 14 Aberdeen Street, Hermanus.
Tickets: Call to book on 028 312 4226.
Find more information on this film screening on the FynArts website here.

Powerhouse vocalists Angela Kilian (best known for her role in Sunset Boulevard and Evita) and Joburg’s own rocker Cito (from Wonderboom as well as Jesus Christ Superstar) recorded their performance of Barcelona as a music video ahead of their live performances in the Joburg season of Queen at the Ballet. Photo courtesy The CoLab Network.

“This isn’t your regular, conventional ballet,” says Collett Dawson, associate producer of Queen at the Ballet, as it was announced recently that the show’s top vocalists, Cito and Angela Kilian, have recorded Freddie Mercury’s big showstopper, Barcelona, as a music video and audio recording.

Originally made famous by Queen’s lead vocalist, Freddie Mercury, and operatic soprano, Montserrat Caballé, Collett Dawson had the following to say about this new recording: “Every single time this number is performed, it brings the house down – and in Queen At The Ballet even more so; where Cito and Angela will soon be singing it alongside 24 of South Africa’s finest dancers; the entire cast providing the show’s climax”.

As a teaser ahead of Queen At The Ballet’s first and much awaited season in Joburg – at the Joburg Theatre from 26 March till 13 April 2014 – watch the Barcelona music video here (from Dream Canvas Productions on Vimeo):

And if you’re looking for the MP3 track, simply click over to SoundCloud here and enjoy listening to the song as often as you like. The music arrangement is by Michael Hankinson.

Did you know?

Freddie Mercury had been a long-time fan of opera, and he especially appreciated Montserrat Caballé’s talent. They first met in Barcelona in 1987, but it was only later, after the city had been chosen to host the 1992 Summer Olympics that the two singers started to collaborate on the Barcelona song (and the album), which would later become known as one of Mercury’s greatest hits.

The song was written by Freddie Mercury and Mike Moran and was already causing shivers down spines long before the start of those Barcelona Olympics thanks to live performances such as this one, where Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé performed at the open air La Nit festival in Barcelona on 8 October 1988.

Queen At The Ballet has been choreographed by Sean Bovim of Bovim Ballet and you can read more about this innovative and highly entertaining show in our earlier story: Queen at the Ballet brings rock ballet en pointe to Joburg.

Booking Details:

Dates: 26 March – 13 April 2014,  Wednesdays to Saturdays 8pm and Sundays at 3pm.
Venue: The Mandela at Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg
Tickets: from R100 to R280 via www.joburgtheatre.com or by calling the theatre’s direct ticketing line on 0861 670 670.
Discounts: Discounted rates for scholars, students, pensioners and groups of ten or more are available.

The Bovim Ballet cast in a scene from Queen’s ‘Under Pressure’. Photo by Bill Zurich

Critics have called it “a remarkable production” and “a rocking good show”, and now Bovim Ballet brings their long awaited Queen at the Ballet to the Joburg Theatre in Johannesburg from 26 March to 13 April 2014.

Exploring the story of music legend, Freddie Mercury, the audience is led through the life of the great pretender and one of the world’s greatest music personalities. Set to over 20 of his biggest hits (including ‘Who wants to live forever’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Another one bites the dust’, ‘Barcelona’ and more), this production cleverly fuses rock and ballet, resulting in high-energy, athletic and original choreography.

Alongside the strong cast of dancers, belting out the songs will be Johannesburg’s renowned rocker, Cito (from WONDERboom and Jesus Christ Superstar fame), as well Daniel Fisher (from Fiddler on the Roof). Angela Kilian (Sunset Boulevard and Evita) also makes a special guest appearance singing ‘Barcelona’ with Cito.

You can read more about Queen at the Ballet in our full story here, but first watch this video for a preview of the show now coming to Joburg for the first time.

Booking Details:

Dates: 26 March – 13 April 2014,  Wednesdays to Saturdays 8pm and Sundays at 3pm.
Venue: The Mandela at Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg
Tickets: from R100 to R280 via www.joburgtheatre.com or by calling the theatre’s direct ticketing line on 0861 670 670.
Discounts: Discounted rates for scholars, students, pensioners and groups of ten or more are available.

Bovim Ballet’s Henk Opperman performs as Freddie Mercury in Queen at the Ballet. Photo by Bill Zurich

Opportunity for charity fundraisers:

Bovim Ballet has generously made discounted prices available to non-profit organisations (NPO’s) and charities wanting to do fundraisers for their organisations for two performances.

These dates include the first show of the season on Wednesday 26 March 2014, where NPO’s can receive a 50% discount, and Wednesday 2 April 2014, where a 25% discount is available to NPO’s.

For more details on the terms and conditions and to make a booking, contact Joburg Theatre on 011 877 6853 or 011 877 6917 or email happiness@joburgtheatre.com or tlhopiso@joburgtheatre.com.

Photo by Bill Zurich courtesy of Bovim Ballet.

Following two sold out seasons in Cape Town in 2012, Sean Bovim’s Queen at the Ballet will be coming to Johannesburg for a long-awaited limited season at the Joburg Theatre from 26 March to 13 April 2014.

No men in tights or tutus here

Bovim Ballet seem to have a knack of combining the athleticism of ballet with rock music, brought together with highly entertaining choreography (see the video clips below).

Having recently completed their second run of their other rock ‘n roll ballet, Private Presley, Sean Bovim said: “for years I’ve wanted to bring my rock ballet, Queen at the Ballet, to the Joburg Theatre. I have been asked over and over again when the show is coming to the Jozi, and I’m happy to share the exciting news that the wait is almost over!”

Queen at the Ballet tells the story of Freddie Mercury through dance. Set to over 20 of his greatest hits (including ‘Who wants to live forever’, ‘Another one bites the dust’, ‘Barcelona’ and more), viewers are taken on a journey through the fascinating life of one of the world’s greatest singers. The audience can expect to see tender pas de deux interspersed with exciting rocking group numbers performed by over 20 of South Africa’s top dancing talents.

But it’s not only dance…

Photo by Bill Zurich courtesy of Bovim Ballet.

Johannesburg’s own charismatic rocker, Cito from WONDERboom and Jesus Christ Superstar fame, will deliver the power of Queen’s music accompanied by Michael Hankinson‘s exquisite, recorded orchestral arrangements. There will also be performances by Daniel Fisher (Fiddler on the Roof) and a special guest appearance by Angela Kilian (Eva Perón in EVITA) to perform the spine-chilling Barcelona with Cito.

Bovim’s productions also include collaborations with internationally recognized South African fashion designers Malcolm Klûk & CGDT, Craig Port, Gavin Rajah and Ian West.

According to Sean Bovim, “Bovim Ballet will showcase some of the greatest dance talent that South Africa has to offer,” including Henk Opperman (winner of Dans!Dans!Dans!) who portrays the role of Freddie Mercury.

Here you can see a few of the other cast members in action as they perform on live TV for Expresso (in August 2012), along with a quick and insightful interview on the making of the show:

Booking details:

Dates: 26th March to 13 April 2014 (Wednesdays to Saturdays 8pm and Sundays at 3pm)
Venue: The Mandela at Joburg Theatre, Johannesburg
Tickets: from R100 to R280 from www.joburgtheatre.com, or call the theatre’s direct ticketing line on 0861 670 670.

Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing courtesy of Bovim Ballet.

Due to the success of Private Presley – Bovim Ballet’s latest Rock-‘n-Roll ballet – this toe-tapping tribute to the king is back in Cape Town for a second season, this time at the Baxter Theatre from 4 to 15 June 2013 with a few new faces in the lead roles.

“I am so excited to reveal some of South Africa’s newest rising stars in our second run of Private Presley,” said Sean Bovim.

“It is gratifying to be able to respond to the immense demand that we received for another run so soon after the first one. We’ve been told there were some people who saw the show 3 or 4 times!”

Getting all shook up all over again

Take over 20 of Elvis Presley’s greatest hits and bring to the stage 17 multi-talented dancers, dressed by top International fashion designers Ian West, Craig Port and KLÛK/CGDT, and you have something quite extraordinary – especially considering that these ballerinas are rocking and jiving en pointe!

In fact, click over to this Private Presley photo gallery and take a peek at some of the Elvis action for yourself.

Fresh casting

Bovim Ballet claims the roles will be expertly filled by some of South Africa’s most sought after dancers, such as Trevor Schoonraad portraying Elvis and Nicola Van der Merwe performing as Priscilla, with the role of Natalie being danced by Simoné Botha (Miss Deaf SA 2012).

Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing courtesy of Bovim Ballet.

The rest of the talented cast includes James Bradley (Nick), Devon Marshbank (Billy), Faye Dubinski (Juliet), Tanya Futter (Ann-Margret), Grant Van Ster, Zandile Constable, Llewellyn Mnguni, Ché Milani, Martin Harding, Chris Ncekana, JV Mattei, Michele La Trobe, Tamryn Van Houten and Gillian Upsher.

Here are a few of the critics’ comments following Private Presley’s first run (at the Artscape Theatre during April 2013):

“The show is a hit…..Gripping Performance” – City Press

“Treat fit for a King” – Cape Times

“Visually Striking” – Cape Argus

“Technically Perfect and Artistically Delightful” – FANBASE Magazine

Booking details:

Dates: 4 – 15 June 2013, Tuesdays to Saturdays at 8pm with a matinee performance on Sunday 9 June at 3pm.
Venue: Baxter Theatre, Cape Town
Tickets: from R150 to R220 through Computicket or directly by calling the Baxter Theatre on 021 685 7880. A 10% discount is available to Pensioners and Students.

Set to over 20 of Elvis’ greatest hits, Sean Bovim has Cape Town audiences all shook up with his latest ballet creation. It’s only on at the Artscape Theatre until 7 April 2013, so get your tickets and read more about it here.

Action Satisfaction

While seeing all these blue suede (and shiny pointe) shoes, I’m certainly feeling blue that I couldn’t be in Cape Town to see the dance action first-hand, but at least we get to enjoy it in freeze-frame…

Click on an image to open the gallery.

Love me tender – rehearsing Private Presley. Photo by Bev Simpson-Hurst courtesy of Bovim Ballet

According to Sean Bovim of Bovim Ballet, “Private Presley is a Rock-‘n-Roll Ballet that juggles full-speed, fun and energetic group dance numbers with intimate and heart-wrenching love duets.”

Featuring over 20 of Elvis Presley’s hit songs (think Love Me Tender, Suspicious Minds, Jailhouse Rock and Blue Suede Shoes), you can expect some thrilling, hip-swaying choreography, with more than a touch of 1950s nostalgia at the Artscape Theatre from 27 March to 7 April.

“Not only did this era bring out the most explosive dance styles of the 20th century, but also gave us Presley’s inspirational and intuitive ballads which pull at the heart strings of all who loved the enigmatic Elvis and his pioneering music,” says Bovim, choreographer and artistic director.

A little less conversation – and a whole lot of concentration during rehearsals for Private Presley. Photo by Bev Simpson-Hurst courtesy of Bovim Ballet

All shook up – peek into Elvis’ private life

Private Presley portrays the memorable moments from the rise of one of Rock ‘n Roll’s greatest legends from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. These include Elvis’ romance and marriage to Priscilla Presley as well as his liaisons with women such as Nathalie Wood, Juliet Prowse (raised in South Africa), and his camaraderie with the Memphis Mafia. The ballet looks at Elvis’ private life, as well as his time in the US Army as a drafted soldier.

The cast includes Henk Opperman (Freddie Mercury in Queen at the Ballet and winner of Dans Dans Dans), Devon Marshbank (signed to Universal Music), Tanya Futter (African Footprint), Nicola Van der Merwe (Lead in Queen at the Ballet), Steven Van Wyk (MasterTime in Queen at the Ballet, Dirty Dancing), Faye Dubinski (Lead in Queen at the Ballet), James Bradley (Beauty and the Beast, African Footprint), LLewellyn Mnguni, Elzanne Crause (Phantom of the Opera), Louisa Talbot (High School Musical), Zandile Constable, Sven-Eric Müller (Waterfront Theatre School Graduate), Ché Milani, Ipeleng Merafe, Simoné Botha (Miss Deaf SA), Grant Van Ster, JV Mattei, Megan Black, Martin Harding, Cindy Okkers and Mbulelo Ngubombini.

International and renowned collaborators

Top International fashion designers Craig Port, Ian West, KLÛK & CGDT were invited to create brand new costumes for the work. Set design is by Ulrich Binedell and lighting design by the highly experienced and award-winning Faheem Bardien.

Booking details:

Dates: 27 March to 7 April 2013
Venue: Artscape Theatre, Cape Town
Tickets: from R150 to R220 through Computicket or Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695

All the shows are at 8pm, except Sunday 31 March and Sunday 7 April at 3pm.

Thank you, thank you very much

Turn up the volume and get your toes tapping with this fantastically fun video, taken from Elvis’ 1957 movie, Jailhouse Rock.