Cape Town City Ballet

The Cape Town City Ballet Company, formerly known as CAPAB, is based in Cape Town, South Africa.

History

The Cape Town City Ballet originates from the UCT Ballet Company, which was established by Dulcie Howes in 1934. This became the CAPAB (Cape Performing Arts Board) Ballet Company under the directorship of David Poole. The company benefitted from government spending on the arts and it's 60-strong company staged lavish productions at the Artscape Theatre Centre previously known as the Nico Malan in Cape Town and toured to the 1820 Settlers National Monument Theatre in Grahamstown, the Civic Theatre in Johannesburg and the Port Elizabeth Opera House. However, funding stopped in 1994 and in 1997 the company became a non-profit organization with the name "Cape Town City Ballet" under the leadership of Prof. Elizabeth Triegaardt, who is both the executive director of the company and the Director of the UCT School of Dance.

Notable members

* Johnny Bovang, current senior principal
* Eduard Greyling, danseur noble
* Johan Jooste, former principal
* Tracy Li, current senior principal
* David Poole, late artistic director and ballet master
* Daniel Rajna, current principal
* Phyllis Spira, prima ballerina assoluta

Guest Artists

These have included:
* Desmond Doyle
* Thomas Edur
* Margot Fonteyn
* Carla Fracci
* Beryl Grey
* Jonathan Kelly
* Attilio Labis
* Agnes Oaks
* Wayne Sleep

Repertoire

Cape Town City Ballet mainly performs versions of traditional classics reworked by resident choreographer, Veronica Paeper.

2003

* "Don Quixote" with guest artists Agnes Oaks and Thomas Edur
* "Swan Lake"
* "Classic Highlights" - excerpts from ballets such as "Raymonda", "Carmen", "Sleeping Beauty" and "Spartacus"
* "Cinderella"

2004

* "SwingTime at the Ballet" (premiere)
* "Les Sylphides"
* "Firebird"
* "Celebration" - Adele Blank's "Syzygy", George Balanchine's "Rubies" and Heinz Spoerli's "All Shall Be"
* "Giselle"
* "Anna Karenina" with guest artist Tanja Graafland
* "Gala Evening" with guest artists - Thomas Edur and Agnes Oaks ("Don Quixote" "pas de deux"), Desire Samaai and Jonathan Ollivier ("pas de deux" from "Romeo and Juliet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream"), as well as highlights from the company's repertoire over the past seventy years.
* "Queen at the Ballet" (premiere)
* "Orpheus in the Underworld"
* "SwingTime and More"

2005

* "Swan Lake Act 2 and Summer Waltzes" - with scenes from Coppelia, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker
* "Queen at the Ballet"
* "Viva Veronica" - tribute to choreographer Veronica Paepar. Scenes from her works: "Carmen", "Orpheus in the Underworld", "Concerto for Charlie", "Ten Pieces", "Emperor Waltz"
* "The Sleeping Beauty"
* "Cinderella"
* "Spring Selection" - Veronica Paeper's "Concerto for Charlie" and Robin van Wyk’s "Ensemble for Six"
* "Robin Hood"
* "Let me Entertain You" (premiere)

2006

* "Carmen"
* "The Sleeping Beauty" with guest artists Thomas Edur and Agnes Oaks
* "SwingTime at the Ballet"
* "Queen at the Ballet"
* "Giselle"
* "Ballets Nouveaux" - Rudi van Dantzig's "Four Last Songs" and "Pas de Six", Lindy Raizenberg's "Like So", Robert North's "Entre Dos Aguas", while guest artistes from the Cuban National Ballet, Veronica Corveas and Jose Losada performed "Diana and Actaeon".
* "Nomvula - After The Rain" - premiere to music of South African rock group Freshlyground
* "Ballets al Fresco" - Rudi van Dantzig's "Four Last Songs" and Robert North's "Entre Dos Aguas"
* "The Nutcracker"

2007

* David Poole's "Kami" and Sean Bovim's "Tango Nights"
* "Carmen" with guest artist Jonathan Ollivier
* "Camille"
* "Dancing for the Children" (charity ballet gala featuring the Royal Ballet's principal dancer Mara Galeazzi, and guest artists from the London Royal Ballet) - extracts from "Romeo and Juliet", "Two Pigeons", "Elite Syncopations" and "La Sylphide" as well as the South African premiere of Hans van Manen's "Trois Gnossiennes"
* "Ballet Magic" - featuring "Nomvula - After the Rain", "Tango Nights" and excerpts from act 3 of "The Nutcracker"
* "Cape Town City Ballet Celebrates 10 Years" (tribute to Phyllis Spira and Eduard Greyling) - scenes from "La Bayadere" as well as Adele Blank's "Mad Dogs", Robin van Wyk's "Nomvula, After the Rain" and the premiere of Sean Bovim's "Tanzanite Ten" with extracts from his "Tango Nights" and "Queen at the Ballet". Hans van Manen's "Trois Gnossiennes" and the "pas de deux" from Kenneth MacMillan's "Concerto" were also performed.
* "Queen at the Ballet"
* "James Bond 007 - the Ballet"
* "Orpheus in the Underworld"

2008

* "Giselle"
* "Summer Spectacular" - solos and "pas de deux" from "Concerto", "Don Quixote", "Le Corsaire", "Paquita", "Giselle" and "Bacchanale" as well as Sean Bovim's "Tango Nights"
* "Coppélia"
* "The Merry Widow" with guest artists Elza Leimane and Raimond Martinov
* "Winter Spectacular" - solos and "pas de deux" from "Don Quixote", "Le Corsaire" and "Paquita" as well as the premiere of Christopher Kindo's "Dark Secrets"
* "The Ugly Duckling"
* "Ballet Mosaic" - solos and "pas de deux" from "Spartacus", "Sheherazade" and "Raymonda"

External links

* [http://www.capetowncityballet.org.za Official site of the Cape Town City Ballet Company]