Phetla set to enchant in ‘Snow White’
Fairy tale ballet dances out of the box
Ballet dancer Kitty Phetla is set to thrill with her heartstopping technique when Snow White - The Ballet opens tonight. The show has a season at the Joburg Theatre.
Phetla is highly respected for her incomparable technique, line and grace, and will portray the Evil Queen.
Snow White - The Ballet is a story of romance, comedy and drama. It is inspired by the fairy tale of a girl whose beauty drives an Evil Queen to vengeful acts.
Phetla, 34, admits the role is one of the most challenging choreographically. She commends choreographer Iain McDonald for creating something out of the box.
“Iain has gone completely out of the classical box in this show. In terms of one of the lead roles, which is the [Evil] Queen, he has taken it to another level.
“The piece is classical with technical influence, and there is an element of contemporary. When it comes to the [Seven] Dwarfs, he’s completely gone out of the box.
“One would expect pure classical dancing but that is not the case. The characterisation is very exhausting too.”
Phetla, who occupies a senior soloist position at the Joburg Ballet, says there is a lot that goes into ensuring that ballet dancers are in shape, including seeing physiotherapists twice a month and rehabilitating their bodies.
She says the long horizon jumps and en pointe require regular practice which can be six days a week for eight hours.
Phetla, who also has a slot on Radio 2000, was trained as a ballet dancer from the age of nine, later joining Ballet Theatre Afrikan.
While there, she participated in international ballet competitions such as the Prix de Lausanne, the Cecchetti Ballet Competition and the Helsinki Ballet Competition. She also has a Cecchetti International Teachers Qualification.
Phetla has featured in ballet pieces such as Giselle, The Dying Swan and Les Sylphides. She has also choreographed several works, among them Within, Jolie and, most notably, Carmina Burana. In 2012 she toured Russia with her performance of The Dying Swan.