‘La Traviata’ classic feast for ballet fans
Spectacular love story dazzles Joburg audiences
Avid fans of ballet were treated to the best ballet production when La Traviata opened at the Joburg Theatre in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.
It was not a surprise that it got a standing ovation last Friday night.
Everything in this show is told through beautiful ballet moves. There were amazing solos and group performances that left the audience asking for more.
Dancers present a stunning combination of backward and forward movements that are enhanced with three steps (down, up and down).
The story is set in Paris of the 1850s. It presents a deeply moving portrait of a woman who sacrifices all for the man she loves. It is based on Alexandre Dumas’s novel about love dashed by class division and jealousy. From the moment the show starts, the music transports you to the 19th century with its seductive classical pieces.
La Traviata is a massive production that features spectacular sets, beautiful costumes and dazzling stage lighting.
The show opens with Violetta Valéry, a classy young prostitute famous in Parisian high society for throwing parties at her home. Some of the guests at a party include Gaston, Viscount of Letorières, and her admirer Alfredo Germont.
Germont confesses that the moment he saw her, he was fascinated by her beauty and intelligence, though he has never had the courage to tell her.
Suddenly, Valéry pulls a stunt as she pretends to faint and everyone jumps in to help, but she asks them to go away. However, Germont remains and declares his love for her.
At first she treats him with indifference, trying to reject him, but then realises that she has never tasted true love and wonders if it is real or not.
You require stamina to keep up with the applause during the show.