Youths take ballet centre stage
IN THEIR first appearance in Grahamstown, the Johannesburg Youth Ballet (JYB) took to the stage as the main ballet production at this year’s National Arts Festival.
JYB is a registered non-profit organisation and although only registered last year, it has been around since 1976.
The aim of the company is to provide young dancers of all races and socioeconomic backgrounds an opportunity to develop their art and skills and to rehearse and perform in a professionally run company.
JYB has dancers from all dancing backgrounds and skill levels and is not necessarily a dance school, but rather a platform to prepare for performance.
The group is performing a version of the Brothers Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel.
Production choreographer, Mark Hawkins, said the company had been preparing for the festival for a year, rehearsing every Saturday and Sunday.
“This is the first time we have brought a production to the National Arts Festival. We did perform it at the University of Johannesburg Arts Centre Theatre in August last year,” he said.
“This has truly been an eye-opening experience for us. It’s different from performing in front of a Johannesburg audience where almost everyone knows you, but I think they did very well especially considering how exhausted a lot of them were.”
With more than 50 dancers on stage, the Guy Butler Theatre had bursts of colour, loads of enthusiasm and beautiful dancing from the whole cast. Not all the dancers were at the same skill level but the hard work and effort were evident.
The Hansel, Lwazi Mzimase, 17, and Gretel, Jaimee Mills, 15, said despite dancing before a new crowd and in a different environment, the experience of performing at the festival had been an amazing one.
This was Jaimee’s first time performing at the
it
here,” festival and the third time for Lwazi.
“I really love said Lwazi.
“It’s been amazing spending time with so many of these great dancers and meeting new people. The production itself is a very exciting story and so inspiring, no matter how old you are.”
Jaimee added: “Sometimes it gets to be overwhelming but the bigger picture at the end of the day makes it all worthwhile. I believe this is definitely an important show because it showcases just how much talent we have among our youth.”
Hawkins said he had decided to do Hansel and Gretel because it appealed to everyone from young children to adults.
“The production has five main characters but I’ve adapted it in such a way it includes everyone. It’s amazing how many young children know the story.
“I think it’s an appealing story for both children and adults and relates to both groups in different ways,” he said.
The production was self-funded with the festival covering the costs of the cast to attend the festival. — shanaazp@dispatch.