Young South African star-in-the-making, Leroy Mokgatle, gets invited to perform in Stars of American Ballet at Montecasino. Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing.

Thanks to enthusiastic demand for tickets for this weekend’s performances of Stars of American Ballet, additional seats in the balconies at Montecasino’s Teatro in Johannesburg have been opened.

It’s the first event of its kind in over 30 years where such a group of outstanding American ballet dancers will perform in South Africa, representing New York City Ballet and other leading companies in the Americas. There are five performances only, taking place on Friday 20 June 2014 at 8pm; Saturday 21 June at 3pm and 8pm; and Sunday 22 June at 11am and 3pm. See further booking details below.

Two SA-based dancers get added to the line-up

For all those who followed the exciting South African International Ballet Competition (SAIBC) in February this year, you’ll be happy to know that audience-favourite, 14-year-old Leroy Mokgatle has been invited to perform at this weekend’s Stars of American Ballet, as well as at Stars of American Ballet in the Bush in aid of rhino conservation, taking place at Legend Golf and Safari Resort in Limpopo Province on 23 and 24 June.

Audiences will see his solo from Satanella, which helped him win the SAIBC silver medal in Cape Town in February, as well as a bronze medal at the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) in New York in April. This youngster, who trains with Art of Motion in Johannesburg, makes for an inspiring example of the future of home-grown ballet talent in South Africa.

Kitty Phetla rehearsing Nikiya’s Lament at Montecasino ahead of the Stars of American Ballet galas. Photo by Bill Zurich

The second South African dancer invited to perform alongside the Americans is Kitty Phetla from Joburg Ballet. As one of South Africa’s first professional black ballerinas, she has become a major role model for thousands of young aspiring South Africans.

Kitty Phetla has also become known as a talented choreographer and contemporary dancer, but for this weekend, she will perform Nikiya’s Lament from the Russian classic, La Bayadère, offering audiences a short highlight from the upcoming full-scale ballet production of La Bayadère by Joburg Ballet at the Joburg Theatre in September.

Click here for more stories and information behind the Stars of American Ballet gala performances, or follow these booking details to get your seats while you still can – there won’t be many left!

Booking Details:

Dates: 20 June 2014 at 8pm; 21 June 2014 at 3pm and 8pm; 22 June at 11am and 3pm.
Venue: The Teatro at Montecasino, Johannesburg
Tickets: from R150 to R420 via Computicket.

Claiming that this cultural wildlife adventure will be “luxury for a cause”, Dirk Badenhorst says the event was designed to raise awareness of the devastating onslaught on Africa’s rhinos, with proceeds being donated to The Rhino Orphanage.

Graciously supporting the initiative is US ballerina Michaela DePrince, and as patron of this Ballet in the Bush rhino orphan project, she brings her own remarkable story as an African orphan herself.

From an African orphanage to the international ballet stage

Born into war-ravaged Sierra Leone, Michaela DePrince saw her parents die while just a toddler. Once in the orphanage, the combination of a skin disorder and local superstitions meant that she was labelled the “devil’s child” and was ignored, mistreated and malnourished.

She was only four years old, left with a bleak future and little hope.

Michaela DePrince during rehearsals for Stars of American Ballet. Photo by Bill Zurich

But hope arrived in the form of a picture in a magazine that blew up against a gate – a picture of an American ballerina en pointe. From that moment, little Michaela only wished to become that exact person on tippy toes and her obsession with ballet began – even as unknown as ‘ballet’ was to her then.

Shortly after, she was adopted by a loving American family and soon ballet lessons led to ballet competitions and then full-length professional ballet productions.

Now Michaela brings her hope and inspiration to the rhino orphans who need every bit of hope and help. This tailor-made Ballet in the Bush adventure includes a game drive, an opportunity to play on the World-in-One Signature Golf Course at the resort, and of course the highlight will be a gala performance in an outdoor amphitheatre by international ballet stars, directed by New York City Ballet principal Joaquin de Luz.

Isaac Hernandez and Michaela DePrince rehearsing a scene from Don Quixote. Photo by Bill Zurich

In addition to highlights from major classics such as Le Corsaire, Don Quixote and Diana and Actaeon, the Stars of American Ballet programme also showcases choreography never before performed in South Africa, such as works by legendary choreographer George Balanchine, including his Broadway inspired classic, the Who Cares Suite.

So, are you looking for a little adventure for a good cause? Can you make things happen on short notice? Yes? Well here’s what you need to know…

See Joaquin de Luz, principal at New York City Ballet perform in Stars of American Ballet. Seen here with fellow NYCB principal Ana Sophia Scheller.

Details for Stars of American Ballet in the Bush

Dates: Monday 23 June and Tuesday 24 June 2014
Venue: Legend Golf and Safari Resort, Waterberg, Limpopo Province
Safari Package price: R1 800 per person sharing, or R2 300 for a single Safari Package (or ask about the group/corporate packages), which includes a donation to The Rhino Orphanage.

Package includes:

• 1 Ticket to the Stars of American Ballet performance and Gala Dinner function.
• Pre-performance cocktails and snacks.
• 1 Night accommodation at Legend Golf & Safari Resort.
• Breakfast.
• Game Drive in the Big 5 Entabeni Safari Conservancy.

Valid for 23 June 2014. Terms and conditions apply. Additional nights available.

For more information contact:
Dirk Badenhorst on 083 324 0949 or badenhorstdirk.db@gmail.com
Lindsay McDonald on 011 877 6900 or lindsay@dirkbadenhorst.com
Jonathan Hurwitz on 011 877 6901 or jonathan@dirkbadenhorst.com

Ernst de Jong with his American Dream Wheel.

South African artist Ernst de Jong – considered somewhat of a legend in the art and design world – marks his 80th birthday with artworks and stage designs specially painted for the Stars of American Ballet production, taking place at Montecasino’s Teatro from 20 to 22 June 2014.

As the design director for the South African bank notes (with the big five animals) and the artist behind many everyday items, from Five Roses Tea to the blue and red designs on Cobra taps, Ernst de Jong has been quoted as saying, “Nobody can escape art. [It’s] the furniture that we sit on, the fashion that we wear, the designs of the cars we drive.”

And now his artistic influence stretches to the ballets we watch too.

The paintings he’s created each reflect one of the items performed in the Stars of American Ballet galas, such as Tarantella, Le Corsaire, Balanchine’s Who Cares and others. They will appear behind the dancers on large onstage LED screens, making it the first time that LED screens form the décor for ballet in South Africa. The artworks will also be exhibited in various locations at the Teatro at Montecasino.

Okay, this is lovely, but what’s the link you ask?

The link is a rather personal one, with Ernst de Jong’s own granddaughter, the Johannesburg-born and New York-based Andrea Schermoly, appearing as one of the stars in the show. She was awarded the Outstanding Choreographer Award in 2012 and 2013 at Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) and this year received the Emerging Choreographer Grant to choreograph at Lincoln Center at YAGP’s 15th anniversary gala.

Here’s an entertaining example of her choreography from the 2012 YAGP. This one’s called “Tricks are for kids”, performed by junior competitor Adam Bernstein.

You can watch more of Andrea Schermoly’s choreography in action, along with works by Balanchine and pieces from other crowd-pleasing classics such as Le Corsaire and Don Quixote at the 5-performance-only season of Stars of American Ballet this weekend.

Born in the USA by South African artist Ernst de Jong.

Presented by local ballet entrepreneur Dirk Badenhorst, the show is directed by Joaquin de Luz of the New York City Ballet and features the following American dancers:

Ashley Bouder, Joaquin de Luz, Amar Ramasar, Emilie Gerrity and Indiana Woodward (all from New York City Ballet);
Adiarys Almeida (International free-lance dancer, previously Boston Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet and Corella Ballet Madrid);
Isaac Hernandez (Dutch National Ballet, previously San Francisco Ballet);
Jonhal Fernandez (Ballet de Monterrey);
Joseph Gatti (international freelance dancer, previously Boston Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet);
Anna Maria Lucaciu (Cedar Lake);
Andrea Schermoly (Nederlands Dans Theater);
and Michaela DePrince (Dutch National Ballet Junior Company and star of the First Position movie).

Booking Details:

Dates: 20 June 2014 at 8pm; 21 June 2014 at 3pm and 8pm; 22 June at 11am and 3pm.
Venue: The Teatro at Montecasino, Johannesburg
Tickets: from R150 to R420 via Computicket.

Principal dancer at New York City Ballet, Ashley Bouder, joins fellow NYCB principal Joaquin de Luz and other American ballet stars on a trip to South Africa. Photo courtesy Stars of American Ballet.

For the first time in over thirty years – which essentially translates to “for the first time ever” for our younger ballet enthusiasts – a group of American ballet dancers are travelling to South Africa to perform in a limited season of The Stars of American Ballet, a production featuring acclaimed dancers from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet and more, on at Montecasino’s Teatro in Johannesburg from 20 to 22 June 2014.

See works never yet performed in SA

The gala programme, presented by local ballet entrepreneur Dirk Badenhorst, will include highlights from major classics such as Le Corsaire, Don Quixote and Diana and Actaeon, but will also showcases works never before performed in South Africa, such as George Balanchine’s Broadway inspired classic Who Cares? to the much-loved music by George Gershwin.

Joaquin de Luz, New York City Ballet principal dancer and the director of this production, commented in New York on the upcoming historic visit to South Africa:

“My fellow dancers and I are looking forward to our visit and the opportunity to dance for South African audiences under Dirk Badenhorst’s banner. We have assembled a group of outstanding American stars and a repertoire of classical ballet highlights that will show them at their best.”

He adds, “We are also bringing some pieces that SA audiences have not had the opportunity to see as well as works by legendary choreographer George Balanchine. So it will be a blend of the new and the familiar that we know will thrill and enthral”.

Watch this short video of Joaquin de Luz performing a variation from Le Corsaire:

Big names in American ballet

The 5-performance-only run at the Teatro at Montecasino features dancers Adiarys Almeida, Ashley Bouder, Joaquin de Luz, Isaac Hernandez, Jonhal Fernandez, Joseph Gatti, Anna Maria Lucaciu, Amar Ramasar, Ana Sofia Scheller, Andi Schermoly, Daniel Ulbricht, Indiana Woodward and Michaela DePrince (star of the First Position movie and who has previously danced to acclaim in Joburg Ballet’s productions of Le Corsaire and Don Quixote).

US ballet star Michaela De Prince returns to SA for her third visit to perform in Stars of American Ballet. Photo courtesy Joburg Ballet

Commenting on the coming visit in June, presenter Dirk Badenhorst said: “No-one sets the stage alight quite like America’s great classical ballet stars, with the speed, sense of daring, and razzmatazz that is so unique to American ballet. For this reason I am delighted to be able to bring these great dancers to South Africa and to offer our audiences something we don’t often see here: classical ballet in the American style.”

Booking Details:

Dates: 20 June 2014 at 8pm; 21 June 2014 at 3pm and 8pm; 22 June at 11am and 3pm.
Venue: The Teatro at Montecasino, Johannesburg
Tickets: from R150 to R420 via Computicket.