SOUTH AFRICAN DANCE

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SOUTH AFRICAN DANCE

• CAPE TOWN CITY BALLET

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BACKGROUND

• 1934 Dulcie Howes began her own ballet school
  (This year is 70th anniversary)
• 1937 UCT Ballet School linked to College of
  Music.
• 1963 Performing Arts Councils set up by
  government to promote the Arts - became CAPAB
  Ballet Company
• Moulded on the British system. Many dancers went
  to Royal ballet

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DEVELOPMENT

• Colonial, lavish productions on the Nico Malan
  Opera House Stage - 60 dancers
• 1969 David Poole became Director. Influenced by
  Ninette de Valois, Frederick Ashton and Royal
  Ballet.
• Poole encouraged young choreographer, Veronica
  Paeper who became resident choreographer in 1974
  and director in 1990.
• Currently directed by Professor Elizabeth
  Triegaardt

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Political and Cultural influences

• Strongly influenced by British Ballet
• Modelled on British training system
• Eurocentric, focused on classics
• During apartheid era white only company
  performing in whites-only theatre
• Choreography did not reflect lives of South
  Africans

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Company style and approach

• Limited by apartheid policies
• Audience supported well known classical ballets
• New ballets less popular
• David Poole tried to introduce African themes and
  started to train black dancers though his
  township project today run by Phyllis Spira and
  Phillip Boyd Dance for All
• 1994 funding ceased and became Cape Town City
  Ballet (22 dancers)
• Began to commission South African choreographers
  and other dance forms

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Stars

• Phyllis Spira and Gary Burne were the most
  well-known dancers
• Mzonke Jama was the first black ballet dancer
• John Simon, Elizabeth Triegaardt, Eduard
  Greyling, Keith Macintosch and many other
  well-known dancers over the years

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Repertoire

• Many classics such as Sleeping Beauty, Coppèlia,
  Romeo and Juliet, Le Sylphide, Raymonda, Giselle,
  Nutcracker, Swan Lake and many more check their
  website!

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Veronica Paeper Classical choreographer

• Cinderella
• Swan Lake

• Classic highlights

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THE NUTCRACKER
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Don Quixote
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Orpheus in the Underworld

• Choreographed by Veronica Paeper
• Music by Jaques Offenbach
• Based on Offenbachs operetta
• Performed at Artscape Theatre

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Synopsis

• Orpheus in the Underworld is a highly comical
  ballet based on the Greek legend of Pluto, god of
  the Underworld, who falls in love with Eurydice,
  wife of Orpheus, and lures her to his kingdom

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• Paeper has based her ballet on Jacques
  Offenbach's operetta and sets the action in the
  1920's with Pluto as the head of a Mafia-type
  underworld

• Mafia

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Orpheus in the Underworld

• Orpheus' mother, Calliope, cast as Public
  Opinion
• .

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The StoryAct 1 Hotel le Grand

• Orpheus and Eurydice's marriage is not happy, so
  that when Pluto seduces and abducts Eurydice both
  she and Orpheus are delighted. However, when
  Calliope, Orpheus's mother, arrives and discovers
  what has happened, she is very shocked and
  demands, in the interest of mythology, that
  Orpheus goes to Olympus to seek assistance in
  claiming back Eurydice from the Underworld.
  Naturally, his mother insists on accompanying
  him.

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Act 2 Olympus

• On Olympus life is a little boring and when Pluto
  reveals his latest conquest, Eurydice, it offers
  a welcome though somewhat unsettling divertion.
  Orpheus and Calliope arrive and Jupiter assents
  to her request for aid, whereupon all the gods
  and godesses decide to accompany them to Hades,
  the Underworld.

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Act 3 Hades

• Eurydice is now the star of the Underworld's
  night club. Just when all are enjoying
  themselves, Calliope spoils their fun by
  reminding Jupiter of their purpose. He commands
  Orpheus to leave, followed by Eurydice. But
  Offenbach intervenes and everything is thrown
  into confusion

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All photographs and information taken from the
Cape Town City Ballet websiteat
www.capetowncityballet.org.za