“On Saturday, April 22nd, Cuban ballerina Claudia Monja made her debut in title role in the ballet Giselle and made local history by becoming the first Black dancer to perform the role in South Africa.
In order to inspire, and encourage other young children to follow in her (pointe) shoes, over two hundred and fifty children from Nkosi’s Haven, SABT Development School-Soweto, the SABT / Air Products Development School-Alexandra , Acres of Love home, Heal the Children home, the Salvation Army, Ennerdale Academy of Dancing and the Tomorrow Trust, were invited to attend this historic performance. SABT and Mzansi Productions receive generous funding from the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund which has made the season of Giselle possible. Transport for the children was provided by the City of Johannesburg.”
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SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISING
SABT held a successful fundraising brunch on April 1st in the Joburg Theatre’s foyer. Coordinated by Joanne Lowry, the event raised funds for the upcoming season of ‘Giselle’. Well-known media personality Samantha Cowen was the MC and SABT Artistic Director Iain MacDonald put on his auctioneer hat to raise over R18 000 for two original artworks by Tanya Pavlovic.”
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Five children from the SABT Development Programme have successfully auditioned for the National School of the Arts. They are:
Nqobile Radebe, Nomthandazo Nkosi, Patricia Nkwanyana, Mahlatse Sachane and Busisiwe Chirwa.
Seven children successfully auditioned for the Johannesburg Youth Ballet (JYB). They are Nqobile Radebe, Nomthandazo Nkosi, Patricia Nkwanyana, Mahlatse Ramonala, Koketso Mangane, Nomsa Motha and Mahlatse Sachane. They are currently rehearsing for ‘Hansel & Gretel’ which will be performed at the University of Johannesburg’s Arts Academy in August.
Balletomania
Click here to go to the Balletomania blog post by Tammy Lieberman
INTERNATIONAL TOUR FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN BALLET THEATRE
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SABT is pleased to announce that it has accepted an invitation to perform at the Royal Opera House in Muscat (ROHM), Oman on February 10th and February 11th 2012. These performances form part of an extended season which includes José Carreras and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hungarian National Opera and the Prague Symphony Orchestra. “As part of the ROHM’s inaugural season, Omani, Egyptian, Tunisian, and other Arab performers share the spotlight with esteemed artists from Buenos Aires, Japan, Budapest, Prague, South Africa, Vienna and beyond,” HH Sayyid Kamil Al Said, ROHM board member, said.
SABT will be presenting a mixed bill titled ‘Balletomania!’ in Muscat. The programme has a South African flavour and SABT has invited six drummers from the Drum Café to join the tour. SABT’s Artistic Director Iain MacDonald has programmed items including Shannon Glover’s ‘Amakhonokhono’, ‘Kopano’ choreographed by Kaloyan Boyadjiev as well as excerpts from the classical repertoire such as pas de deux from ‘Swan Lake’ and ‘Le Corsaire’. SABT’s Interim Managing Director James Campbell said “This invitation to perform at the ROHM is a great honour not only for SABT, but for the country as it marks the first time that a South African ballet company has been invited to perform in Muscat. We are extremely excited and proud to be representing South Africa on this sold-out tour.”
TOP SA DANCE COMPANIES WORK TOWARDS JOINING FORCES
It was announced today jointly by the Boards of The South African Ballet Theatre (SABT) and Mzansi Productions that the two Johannesburg-based ballet and dance companies have agreed to explore the concept of merging the companies.
Both companies receive generous funding from the National Lottery Distribution Trust. The support of the NLDTF contributes substantial towards the ability of both companies to present their productions and is gratefully acknowledges by the Boards and executive managements of SABT and Mzansi Productions.
The possible merger is motivated by the potential benefits in pooling the resources of the two professional ballet companies in Gauteng to achieve a stronger concentration of skills and a more consolidated focus in the endeavours of ballet and dance in the province.
The company will be classically-based but capable of embracing a range of techniques, among them contemporary dance and African dance genres, to ensure wider accessibility and to appeal to a broader range of audience preferences.
SABT Artistic Director Iain MacDonald said: “I am excited to once again be working with SABT founding member Dirk Badenhorst, as well as his team, and look forward to exposing new audiences to the tremendous local talent we have. I hope to offer these dancers the opportunity to extend and challenge themselves with new repertoire and know that our existing loyal audiences will continue to support these exciting dancers.”
Dirk Badenhorst, Director of Mzansi Productions, believes the proposed merger will strengthen ballet’s role in society. “The new company,” he said, “could make dance more inclusive in terms of audience reach, dancers who train and work in South Africa, dance teaching organizations and South African dance as a whole. But I also see the company having the increased capacity to enhance the all-important aspect of international links – with Cuba, which I believe provides a perfect model for SA ballet’s development, and other countries – and the Cape Town International Ballet Competition as well as similar events abroad. For South African ballet to grow it needs to intensify its interaction with the global dance community and I look forward to the dancers performing as one proudly South African company, sharing performances with international dancers and enhancing our ability to stage new works.”
In addition to performances on the professional stage, the new company will be committed to expanding the existing training programmes and development projects in historically disadvantaged communities.
Mzansi Productions’ Acting Chairperson Amos Hadebe expressed his support for the proposed merger, saying he believes a central aspect of the company will be the importance of growth through outreach and development programmes. He added: “The new company should driven by the need to be inclusive of the broadest spectrum of South African society and be acutely attuned to its African and South African identity as a company that, while embracing the international dance world to which it belongs, also strongly reflects the place and time in which it is based and in which it strives for excellence in its endeavours.”
The proposed merger is not envisioned as one company absorbing the other but the creation of an entirely new entity and it is intended that this will be reflected in the name chosen for the company. The funding model is expected to be similar to those both companies are currently using, in addition to the exploring of fresh avenues the consolidation process may open up.
The proposed senior management structure would provide for two executive directors: Mzansi Productions’ Dirk Badenhorst (CEO) and SABT’s Iain MacDonald (Artistic Director). The CEO will have executive responsibility for the overall business and artistic strategy of the company.
At this stage, it is proposed that the new Board will be made-up of a maximum of four people from The South African Ballet Theatre and four from Mzansi Productions.
Chairman of the SABT Board Cedric Ntumba said the merger would “ensure the sustainability of professional dance in Gauteng and South Africa. We are confident that pooling our resources will ensure world-class entertainment and allow both organisations to consolidate and grow their respective and rather impressive repertoires.”
Both organisations extend their grateful thanks to corporate advisor Allan Hochreiter Pty Ltd, and legal advisor Falcon and Hume Inc. for their assistance with the merger of the two companies.
Further announcements will be made as the project develops. For comments or additional information please contact:
James Campbell, Interim Managing Director & SABT Board Vice-Chairman: james@saballettheatre.co.za
Dirk Badenhorst, Director, Mzansi Productions: badenhorstdirk@yahoo.com