 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2021) |
The Cape Town City Ballet Company, formerly known as the CAPAB Ballet Company, is a dance company based in Cape Town, South Africa.
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(December 2021) |
The Cape Town City Ballet Company, formerly known as the CAPAB Ballet Company, is a dance company based in Cape Town, South Africa.
The Cape Town City Ballet originated from the UCT Ballet Company, which was established by Dulcie Howes in 1934. Dr. Howes was adamant that this dance company would give opportunity to talented individuals, irrespective of race or color. The Company was involved in the founding of Maynardville Open-Air Theatre on 1 December 1950, with its opening performance of Les Sylphides . [1] [2] [3] [4] In 1963 the Cape Town City Ballet Company took over management of the Maynardville theater's ballet performances. [5] The company became the CAPAB (Cape Performing Arts Board) Ballet Company under the directorship of David Poole.
The company initially benefited from government spending on the arts; its 60-strong company staged lavish productions at the Artscape Theatre Centre (previously known as the Nico Malan in Cape Town), toured to the 1820 Settlers National Monument Theatre in Grahamstown, the Civic Theatre in Johannesburg, and the Port Elizabeth Opera House. Funding from the government stopped in 1994. In 1997 the company became Cape Town City Ballet, a non-profit organization under the leadership of Elizabeth Triegaardt. Professor Triegaardt was both the executive director of the company and the director of the UCT School of Dance.
Professor Triegaardt remained on the Board of Directors for the Cape Town City Ballet until April 2019. Afterwards, former principal ballerina, Tracy Li filled the position of Acting Executive Director from April to September 2018. Debbie Turner, the current CEO, took office in 2018.
These have included the following dancers:
Cape Town City Ballet mainly performs versions of traditional classics reworked by resident choreographer, Veronica Paeper.
Natalia Romanovna Makarova is a Russian prima ballerina and choreographer. The History of Dance, published in 1981, notes that "her performances set standards of artistry and aristocracy of dance which mark her as the finest ballerina of her generation in the West."
Altynai Abduakhimkyzy Asylmuratova is a Kazakh-born former ballerina who is artistic director of the ballet company at Astana Opera. She is a former prima ballerina with the Kirov Ballet and a guest artist all over the world.
Misa Kuranaga is a Japanese ballerina. She is a principal dancer at the San Francisco Ballet. She was formerly a dancer at Boston Ballet, and was the first Asian person to be promoted to principal dancer there.
Daniel Rajna born 1968, is a South African ballet dancer. After gaining a BSc in applied mathematics at UCT, he trained at the UCT Ballet school, Cape Town. He joined the former CAPAB Ballet in 1990, before leaving in 1997 to join PACT Ballet in Pretoria. He returned to Cape Town in 1999 and was a principal dancer at the Cape Town City Ballet. He is known for his interpretation of dramatic ballets and his partnership with friend, Tracy Li. He and his wife Leanne Voysey, a former principal dancer with Cape Town City Ballet, have a son Finn. He is the son of composer Thomas Rajna. He has performed as a guest artist in Hong Kong, Zimbabwe, The United States, South Africa and Taiwan. They were also both invited to the 2004 International Ballet Festival of Miami. He retired in August 2007 after several performances of Camille. After retirement Rajna made a radical career change and after studying for three years, joined a civil consultancy as a dam designer. He continued his association with ballet and was asked back on occasion to coach members of the ballet company. In 2015 Rajna and Li were invited to come out of retirement to give two performances of Veronica Paeper's ballet, "Carmen" accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.
Elizabeth Triegaardt is a South African ballet dancer, now retired. She is professor emerita of the University of Cape Town School of Dance and an honorary executive director of the Cape Town City Ballet.
Élisabeth Platel is a French prima ballerina.
Erina Takahashi, born in the city of Kushiro in Hokkaidō, Japan, is a Lead Principal dancer with the English National Ballet. She was the Critics Circle Best Female Newcomer in 2001.
Natalia Petrovna Osipova is a Russian ballerina, currently a principal ballerina with The Royal Ballet in London.
Stéphane Bullion is a retired French Étoile dancer of the Paris Opera Ballet.
The Alexandra Ballet is a pre-professional ballet company in St. Louis, Missouri, founded in 1949, that cultivates top dance talent. The company regularly performs classical ballets including A Midsummer Night's Dream, Pas de Quatre, Les Sylphides, and an annual performance of The Nutcracker. Many guest choreographers have worked with Alexandra Ballet including Marek Cholewa, Petrus Bosman, and Kennet Oberly.
Ji-young Kim is a South Korean prima ballerina and is currently a principal dancer with the Korea National Ballet (KNB) in Seoul, South Korea.
Manuel Legris is a French ballet dancer. He was an étoile with the Paris Opera Ballet for 23 years. On September 1, 2010, he became the director of the Vienna State Ballet. In December 2020, he was appointed artistic director of the La Scala Theatre Ballet.
Galina Olegovna Stepanenko is a Russian ballet teacher. She is a former prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet, and since 2013 has been head of the Bolshoi's ballet troupe.
Ekaterina Kondaurova is a Russian ballet dancer, currently one of the stars of the Mariinsky Ballet from Saint Petersburg. Merited Artist of the Russian Federation (2020).
Vladimir Shklyarov is a principal dancer of Mariinsky Ballet and a guest principal with the Bayerische Staatsballett and The Royal Ballet.
Viktoria Valerievna Tereshkina is a Russian ballet dancer, who performs as a principal dancer with the Mariinsky Ballet in Saint Petersburg. People's Artist of Russia (2018). Laureate of the highest theater award of St. Petersburg "Golden Soffit", and Laureate of the IX International Ballet Competition "Arabesque".
Oksana Skorik is a professional ballet dancer from Kharkiv, Ukraine and Principal Dancer of the Mariinsky Ballet. She joined the Mariinsky Ballet in 2007 after graduating from the Perm School of Dance in Russia. She was the subject of David Kinsella's documentary A Beautiful Tragedy and was featured on RT Documentary's Ballet, Sweat and Tears.
Elena Evseeva is a Russian ballerina, soloist of the Mikhailovsky (2001—2008) and the Mariinsky theaters. People's Artist of the Republic of Udmurtia.
Renata Mukhametovna Shakirova is a ballet dancer, currently a principal with the Mariinsky Ballet.
Anna Ol is a Russian ballet dancer. She is a principal dancer in the Dutch National Ballet.
