Fairies and little ballerinas join the big ballerinas on stage for a special Fairy Parade at Artscape.

Kiddies in Cape Town are in for a special experience this Christmas Eve, when the stage of the Artscape Opera House will be transformed into a wonderland of fairies, princes, princesses and other young storybook heroes with Cape Town City Ballet’s annual Fairy Parade.

On Tuesday 24 December 2013, following the 2pm performance of The Tin Soldier, all the young audience members – who are encouraged to dress up in their favourite fairy tale costumes – will be invited to join the stars of the ballet company on stage to meet the dancers up-close in their sparkly and magical costumes.

Father Christmas will also be there with little surprises for the young ones, while a professional photographer will capture the special moments on camera.

The Tin Soldier is a brand new ballet by Robin van Wyk, offering a fun family outing that will charm young and old with the touching story of a tin soldier who falls in love with a paper ballerina. The ballet takes the audience on a journey of fantasy, magic and laughter, following the adventures of the brave Tin Soldier as he endeavours to win the heart of his pretty ballerina.

The Tin Soldier (and Fairy Parade) Booking Details:

Dates: 11 – 24 December 2013
Venue: Artscape Theatre, Cape Town
Tickets: from R125 to R225 and children (6 to 16 years) at R50 through Computicket.
Special ticket prices of R120, R125, R150 and R175 apply for the performance on 24 December 2013 at 14:00.

Robin van Wyk and Annette Fransman dicsuss the finishing touches for a costume for Cape Town City Ballet’s brand new ballet, The Tin Soldier.

As the final preparations are being made for the premiere of Cape Town City Ballet’s brand new ballet, The Tin Soldier, the company is offering you a sneak peek behind the curtains to see the creative process first-hand on Friday 6 December 2013 at the Artscape Opera House at 6pm.

Hosted by the company’s Artistic Executive, Keith Mackintosh, and joined on stage by choreographer and director, Robin van Wyk, their Insight into The Tin Soldier evening will explain all the aspects of creating this new ballet, from the glittering costumes, to selecting the music and reworking the sets.

The Cape Town City Ballet dancers will also demonstrate key aspects of the choreography, particularly how the placement of the choreography transitions from the studio to the stage rehearsals.

The Tin Soldier is an all-new ballet adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of a toy tin soldier who wins the heart of a paper ballerina. On stage from 11 to 24 December 2013 at the Artscape Opera House in Cape Town, the ballet company will be also accompanied by the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Allan Stephenson at selected performances. See more information here for this ballet and the two other productions in Cape Town City Ballet’s rather busy Christmas Season at Artscape.

Tickets for ‘Insight into The Tin Soldier':

Date: Friday, 6 December 2013 at 6pm
Venue: The Artscape Opera House, Cape Town
Tickets: R50 from Computicket or Artscape-dial-a-seat on 021 421 7695.
Duration: 70 minutes

Starting with The Tin Soldier from 11 to 24 December, we’ll get to unwrap a fresh new ballet creation based on Hans Christian Andersen’s magical storybook, The Steadfast Tin Soldier (Rabbit Ears Storybook Classics)

Choreographed by Cape Town City Ballet’s artistic director, Robin van Wyk, this ballet tells the story of a toy tin soldier’s love for a paper ballerina. Set to the music of Alexander Glazunov, the score will be performed by the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra for all but two performances (recorded music will be used for the shows on Friday 13 December at 11:00 and Tuesday 24 December at 14:00).

Overlapping with The Tin Soldier, from 18 to 22 December, the ballet company will present Belles and Beaux of the Ballet, which will include a selection of beautiful scenes from well-loved ballets, where Cape Town City Ballet’s star ballerinas and danseurs will perform some of the most enticing roles in the ballet repertoire.

Following this, from 31 December 2013 to 11 January 2014, comes the entertaining and popular production of Night & Day – the ballet tribute to the legendary songwriter, Cole Porter, featuring his memorable tunes and danced with a combination of ballet, jazz, tap dance and cabaret. Read more about Night & Day here, including a fun video with Robbie Williams’ take on Cole Porter too.

A bit of fun for everyone

Commenting on this bumper ballet programme, Cape Town City Ballet’s artistic executive, Keith Mackintosh says:

“I guess the idea is to create a summer festival of ballets, offering our regular audiences, together with visitors both local and international coming into Cape Town at that time of the year, the opportunity of a variety of works while at the same time demonstrating the versatility of the company and its dancers.”

Booking details:

The Tin Soldier
Dates: 11 – 24 December 2013
Venue: Artscape Theatre, Cape Town
Tickets: from R125 to R225 and children (6 to 16 years) at R50 through Computicket.

Belles and Beaux of the Ballet
Dates: 18 – 22 December 2013
Venue: Artscape Theatre, Cape Town
Tickets: from R125 to R220 and children (6 to 16 years) at R50 through Computicket.

Night & Day
Dates: 30 December 2013 – 11 January 2014
Venue: Artscape Theatre, Cape Town
Tickets: R250 or children (6 to 16 years) at R50 through Computicket.

Special Discounts:

• Block Bookings of 10 or more: R10 off ticket price.
• 2 Show Combo (The Tin Soldier and Belles and Beaux of the Ballet OR The Tin Soldier and Night & Day): 10% off ticket price.
• 3 Show Combo (The Tin Soldier, Belles and Beaux of the Ballet and Night & Day): 10% off ticket price

Cape Town City Ballet’s soldiers, Revel Yon, Ivan Boonzaaier, Alexander Vivien-Riding and Jesse Milligan. Photo by Pat Bromilow-Downing.

Cape Town City Ballet will be holding auditions for young girls and boys on Saturday 5 October 2013, where the successful applicants will take part in an exciting new ballet, The Tin Soldier, choreographed by the company’s artistic director, Robin van Wyk.

The new ballet will be presented at Artscape from 11 to 24 December 2013 and is based on the Hans Christian Andersen tale of The Steadfast Tin Soldier.

Young dancers are required for the roles of Pillows, Lambs and Little Boys. Auditions will be held for girls between the ages of 9 to 11 (Pillows), and 12 to 15 (Lambs) to fill the parts. The number will be danced en pointe. Boys between the ages of 9 and 15 are invited to audition for the parts of Little Boys.

Audition and rehearsal details:

Auditions will be held on 5 October 2013 from 11:30 – 12:30 at the UCT School of Dance Lower Campus, Woolsack Drive in Rosebank, Cape Town.

Rehearsals will then take place every Wednesday between 16:00 – 18:00, starting on Wednesday 23 October. Once a dancer has been chosen to be in the production, a more detailed schedule will be provided. Dancers will be required to be available for all rehearsals and performances.

Interested parties can request an application form from Robin van Wyk on rvw@capetowncityballet.org.za or on 021 650 2400.

Good luck and have fun!