Feast of ballet lined up for Bay
THE Friendly City Youth Ballet in collaboration with Cape Town City Ballet is presenting a feast of ballet, titled Ballet Bouquet, at the Savoy Theatre next month.
This production of extracts from much-loved ballets is being staged by Robin van Wyk, artistic director of Cape Town City Ballet, and is his 10th production for the Friendly City Youth Ballet.
Sixty-five local dancers, who were auditioned by Van Wyk in March and have been rehearsing ever since, will perform a potted version of Act 1 and 2 of The Nutcracker, featuring adorable little “Chinese”, “ice fairies”, “bon bons”, “Mirlitons”, “snow flakes” and “party children”.
“Our local dancers will be joined by stars of the Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB) performing breathtaking pas de deuxs from The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet and Spring Waters,” Youth Ballet producer Monica Hewitson said.
CTCB senior soloist Angela Hansford is a former Bay dancer who has made great strides in the Cape, working her way through the ranks of the corps de ballet to soloist and finally senior soloist. Fellow dancer Revil Yon is also a former Port Elizabethan. “Other top visiting dancers are Laura Bosenberg who is CTCB’s prima ballerina and will be seen in the beautifully lyrical Spring Waters pas, partnered by Thomas Thorne.”
Friendly City Youth Ballet senior dancers will also perform extracts from Swan Lake, with Siobhan Day, Channae Erens, Vicki Pretorius and Tarryn Wright dancing the roles of “The Fiances”, and to be seen in The Swan Quartet. “It has been many years since Bay balletomanes have seen a production with so many guest dancers from CTCB, coming to us straight after their production at the National Arts Festival,” Hewitson said.
Performances are at 3pm and 7pm on July 11 and 12. Tickets (R85 adults; R75 scholars) are at Computicket.