STARGAZE a 21st Anniversary Gala & Tribute to Dudley Tomlinson

Dance for All (DFA) celebrates its 21st anniversary this year with Stargaze, a Gala performance to be held at the Artscape Theatre on Sunday 26 August at 7:30pm.

Stargaze will incorporate a tribute to Dudley Tomlinson, a Master ballet teacher who, during 30 years of teaching at UCT Ballet School (now UCT School of Dance), was instrumental in training DFA CEO Philip Boyd, a number of DFA’s other teachers and many dancers who have become well known in South Africa and abroad.

The programme will showcase DFA’s InSPIRAtions Youth Company, as well as students from its Cape Town Outreach Programme and Specialised Dance Programmes. They will perform pieces that reflect the variety of dance styles offered by DFA. There will be guest performances by La Rosa Spanish Dance Theatre, the UCT School of Dance and the Cape Academy of Performing Arts (CAPA). Some of the participating artists were trained by DFA during their formative years.

After training at UCT Ballet School, Dudley Tomlinson went to London in 1960 to join the Royal Ballet School and was soon accepted into the resident Royal Ballet Company at Covent Garden. He was there when Rudolf Nureyev defected to the West and benefited from witnessing Nureyev’s dynamic, intense style, which raised the standard for male ballet dancers. At the behest of Dame Ninette de Valois, Dudley spent three years as ballet master to the Turkish National Ballet Company, which was founded by de Valois. After this, he joined the Royal Ballet touring company for a year.

Dudley returned to South Africa in 1968 and began teaching at UCT Ballet School. He retired in 1998 and since then has been teaching Pilates, Gyrotonic and Gyrokineses at his studios in Wynberg, Cape Town.

Dance for All, a non-profit Section 21 Company, is headed by Philip Boyd, a former CAPAB Ballet Principal dancer, who founded DFA in 1991. Classes are offered in various forms of dance to about 1,000 children from historically disadvantaged communities and take place daily at venues in Gugulethu, Nyanga, Langa, Khayelitsha, at DFA’s custom built studios in Athlone and as far afield as the rural areas of Barrydale and Montagu. During these classes, students ranging in age from three to young adults learn ballet, contemporary and African dance from a talented and dedicated team of teachers. It is estimated that over the past 21 years 15,000 to 20,000 children have been given the opportunity to dance, gain self-esteem, understand discipline and receive training. While the roots of DFA are with the township youth, the fruits of its training programmes are seen in the world class professional dancers that DFA has produced, such Xola Putye, now a Senior Soloist with Cape Town City Ballet, and another DFA graduate, the dancer and choreographer Noluyanda Mqulwana, who has performed with Cinevox Junior Company in Switzerland and toured internationally with The Lion King in Singapore and Germany. DFA is honoured to have Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu as its Honorary Life Patron, Dame Nicola Brewer (British High Commissioner) as Honorary Patron and Dr. Mamphela Ramphele and John Persenda among its Patrons.

Tickets cost R250 and include cheese and wine after the performance. All booking is via Computicket and additional information is through 021 697 5509 or admin@danceforall.co.za.

Stargaze is supported by The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) in association with Nedbank Arts Affinity. www.danceforall.co.za