Cape Town City Ballet: Symphony of Dance

Following highly successful seasons of La Sylphide and Carmen, plus a return of Thumbelina during the first half of this year, the Cape Town City Ballet is currently preparing six productions scheduled to be staged from July to October.

The first exciting production during this period will see the company opening the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown with two modern ballets by John Neumeier, Spring and Fall and Le Sacre. After critically acclaimed performances in Cape Town last year, ballet lovers who missed out now have the opportunity to experience these ballets at the Guy Butler Theatre in Grahamstown on 2 and 3 July. To book, call 0860 002 004 or visit www.nationalartsfestival.co.za.

Then it’s off to Pietermaritzburg for selected members of the CTCB to appear in Robin van Wyk’s latest acclaimed children’s ballet. On 8 and 9 July, Thumbelina, a Cape Town City Ballet Youth project, will be on stage at the Hilton College Theatre produced in association with the Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands Youth Ballet. To book, visit www.hiltontheatre.co.za.

On 10, 11, and 12 July, Cape Town City Ballet dancers will share the Savoy Theatre stage in Port Elizabeth with the Friendly City Youth Ballet in Ballet Bouquet. The production is staged by Robin van Wyk and bookings are at Computicket.

Vortex, a new ballet choreographed by Marc Goldberg, will premiere at Pieter Toerien’s Theatre on the Bay in Cape Town on Wednesday 29 July. This two-act ballet is a dance adaptation of Noël Coward’s controversial play, The Vortex, and explores themes of addiction, adultery, aging and dysfunctional family dynamics over the course of a weekend in the country home of a 1920′s high society couple. It runs in Cape Town until 8 August and then transfers to the Montecasino Theatre in Johannesburg from 12 – 23 August. Bookings can be made at Computicket or by calling 021 438 3300 or 011 511 1988/1818.

From 25 September to 4 October it’s time for the big classic, Giselle, featuring star appearances by English Royal Ballet dancers, Hikaru Kobayashi and Federico Bonelli. The production is staged in the Artscape Opera House in Cape Town and will be accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra at seven of the nine performances, conducted by Graham Scott.

Following straight after Giselle, from 7 to 11 October, the Cape Town City Ballet and Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra will be seen together on stage in Symphony of Dance. The production will feature two new ballets, amongst others. Robin van Wyk’s Romance is danced to the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s famous Second Piano Concerto and esteemed concert pianist, Francois du Toit, will appear as piano soloist in this world premiere. Largo Variation, a new ballet by Kirsten Isenberg, will also premiere on this occasion and is choreographed to the music of Arvo Pärt.

Booking for Giselle and Symphony of Dance can be made at Artscape Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695 or at Computicket.

For more information, visit www.capetowcityballet.org.za or get latest updates from the company’s Facebook platform.