Auditions for The South African Ballet Theatre’s 2012 Graduate Programme
THE SOUTH AFRICAN BALLET THEATRE’S GRADUATE PROGRAMME
Auditions for The South African Ballet Theatre’s 2012 Graduate Programme will be held on Tuesday October 11th at 16h00, at The South African Ballet Theatre (SABT) studios at the Joburg Theatre, Hoofd Street, Braamfontein.
For any post-matric aspiring dancer, the SABT Graduate Programme is a dream year, offering a unique opportunity to train for either six months or a year with a professional ballet company and experience first-hand the career of a professional ballet dancer. This exposure also enables amateur dancers to personally experience whether they are equipped physically, emotionally and mentally for the rigours of a full-time ballet career. The course exposes the Graduate to the world of the professional stage – aspects such as lighting design, set design and costuming. Successful Graduate applicants will participate in the professional company’s classes, rehearsals and productions of a high professional standard, produced by The South African Ballet Theatre.
The audition will consist of an audition ballet class. The audition process should be completed by 18h00. The downstairs studio will be available from 15h30 in order to enable candidates to warm up beforehand.
Applicants should be appropriately dressed in ballet gear – pink tights and leotards for ladies and tights and t-shirts for men to enable the SABT panel to clearly view their work. Female applicants need to bring pointe shoes.
The 2012 programme has been revised and enhanced and will specifically offer both practical and theoretical elements:
PRACTICAL
Graduates will be taught a set ballet class which they will learn at the beginning of the year and work on in their private classes with members of the professional company. They will also receive pas de deux classes.
They will each learn repertoire variations- both classical and contemporary works – and how to go about setting a class, which they in turn will deliver to their fellow Graduates. Over and above this they will be given strength, stretch and cardio training and will learn about professional ballet hair, make-up and shoe care.
At a Graduation ceremony at the end of the year, they will present the class (parts thereof), perform their variations from repertoire and present a group number.
THEORY
Graduates will learn basic anatomy, dance history, music appreciation, nutrition and first aid. They will be required to complete a project which will be based on a ballet performed by the Company in that year. Within this project they will also be tasked with various theory components which would need to be included.
To give Graduates a full understanding of all that goes into staging and promoting a production, they will need to job shadow selected members of management/artistic team, thereby broadening their knowledge of and exposing them to alternative career opportunities within the performing arts sector. This includes general office management, production budgeting and public relations, dealing with the members of the media, public and role-players in the ballet fraternity, and an introduction to fundraising for the arts.
At the completion of the one-year course, the Artistic Team of The South African Ballet Theatre will evaluate the Graduate’s progress and accordingly, and dependent on availability, offer the individual a contract.
All Graduates who successfully complete the course, (including the research project), receive a certificate to this effect.
The Graduation Programme fees for 2012 have not been increased and total R 3 000 per quarter or R 12 000 for the year.
A limited number of bursaries may be available for qualifying candidates.
Applicants may register their intention to audition by calling Mr Edgar Moagi on (011) 877 – 6898 and are asked to provide a one-page curriculum vitae on the day of the audition.
For any other queries please contact SABT on (011) 877 – 6898.
2011 SABT GRADUATE CLASS
Standing: Golda Rabe, Benjamin Mills and Lara de Villiers
Front Row: Nonkululeko Ndwandwe, Simone Galand and Cetheryn Swart
Absent: Leila Wagner
Photo by John Hogg