Geneva Ballet makes Cape Town debut at Artscape

The world-renowned Geneva Ballet, under the direction of Philippe Cohen, makes its Cape Town debut in July at the Artscape Theatre Centre. Established in Switzerland at the start of the 19^th century, the company is known throughout the world for its neoclassical and contemporary dance styles featuring classically trained dancers and top choreographers.

Performing under the auspices of Cape Town City Ballet’s July season, Ballet Beautiful that consists of a triple bill featuring two new South African works. The Geneva Ballet double bill from 8 to 10 July consists of two exceptional and contrasted works, Lux and Glory. The company is considered one of the most original and inventive dance companies in Europe, excelling in variations of the classical ballet vernacular through innovative artistic collaborations.

It is known for its rich repertoire of neoclassical and contemporary dance and highly skilled, classically trained dancers. Since becoming Director of the Geneva Ballet in 2003, Philippe Cohen has invited many great choreographers to create works for the company. The company’s repertoire ranges from classic ballet to post modern dance as well as many contemporary dance forms.

Danced to the poignant Requiem by Gabriel Fauré, Lux is choreographed by Ken Ossola, using sculpted shadow play to enhance the delicate nature of the body. Born in Switzerland, Ossola shot to fame with the celebrated Nederlands Dans Teater, while working with some of the world’s leading contemporary choreographers.

Choreographer Adonis Foniadakis was commissioned by the Geneva Ballet to create Glory whichpremièred on 4 February 2012 in Geneva. It was the third time that the company commissioned the Crete-born Foniadakis. With Glory, he has created a work of great aesthetic value, a symbiotic intertwining of fluidity and tension, expansive expression and introverted reserve. It is a relentless succession of tableaux, danced to 16 excerpts from George Frideric Handel’s greatest music, with electronically modified musical transitions by Julien Tarride, “so that bodies become music,” he says.

With the dancer’s average age of 25, Geneva Ballet is a youthful company, featuring 21 classically trained dancers from around the world, from countries such as Argentina, Australia, France, Italy, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, Thailand and the USA.

Prior to its South African debut, the company recently completed a four-week tour to critical acclaim across the length and breadth of the United States and Canada.

During their Cape Town visit, Geneva Ballet, in collaboration with Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB), will offer Repertory Workshops for professional and semi-professional dancers at the University of Cape Town. The workshops take place Monday 7 July, Wednesday 9 July and Thursday 10 July. Dancers interested in participating can contact Zelda Productions info@zeldaproductions.co.za.

The Friends of the Cape Town City Ballet are invited to attend an open ballet class at the Artscape Theatre on 9 and 10 July. In line with the Geneva Ballet’s wish to reach out to the many different communities in and around Cape Town, Artscape has coordinated the logistics and transportation for dance lovers from different areas to attend the three Artscape performances. The guests of the outreach programme will attend a special presentation by Director Philippe Cohen, as well as experiencing a backstage visit before each show. Tickets range from R200 to R280, R150 for students. Show time is 19:30 on 8 9 and 10 July.

Bookings can be made through Artscape Dial-a-Seat 021 421 7695, Computicket 0861 915 8000, Shoprite and Checkers outlets, or on line www.computicket.com. The Geneva Ballet South Africa 2014 tour has been made possible thanks to the Swiss Embassy, the Swiss Consulate in Cape Town and BASA (Business and Arts South Africa), the presenting sponsor UBS and other sponsors Lindt & Sprüngli South Africa, Dornier Wines Stellenbosch, and Zelda Productions Cape Town.

• The Geneva Ballet has been invited to this year’s National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. They will present A Midsummer Night’s Dream, choreographed by Michel Kelemenis, accompanied by the KwaZulu-Natal Philharmonic Symphony on 4 and 5 July.