Elizabeth Triegaardt

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Elizabeth Triegaardt
Born28 September 1946
Pretoria, South Africa
OccupationBallet dancer

Elizabeth Triegaardt (born 28 September 1946) 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. [1]

Contents

Early life, education, and training

Elizabeth Triegaardt was born in Pretoria where she began dancing at a young age. Later she trained with the leading dance teachers in Johannesburg, studying ballet with Ivy Conmee and Marjorie Sturman and Spanish dance with Mercedes Molina. She matriculated from Hyde Park High School in Johannesburg and graduated from the University of Cape Town, with a bachelor of science degree in pure mathematics, in 1966. That same year she was awarded a Solo Seal by examiners from the Royal Academy of Dance. In addition to her concentration on ballet, she was an active member of the Spanish Dance Society and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (Greek). [2]

Performing career

In 1967, Triegaardt joined CAPAB Ballet, named for the Cape Performing Arts Board and formerly known as the University of Cape Town Ballet. She became a principal dancer and later, in 1971, ballet mistress of the company. [3] With it, she toured extensively to major cities in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia). Among the many roles she performed until her retirement from the stage in 1990 are the following. [4] [5]

Later life

In 1986, while still performing with CAPAB Ballet, Triegaardt was appointed director of the University of Cape Town School of Dance. In addition to strengthening the program of training in classical ballet, she introduced contemporary dance and African dance majors to reflect the diversity of theatrical dance forms that had emerged in cities and towns around the country. The degree programme offered under her aegis was the first one recognized in South Africa. [6] From 1997 to 2004, as the executive chairman of the Cape Town City Ballet, she was an effective advocate for preserving the classical repertory and for encouraging the work of South African choreographers. [7] In 2011, she retired from her post as head of the university dance department but continued to host a weekly programme on Fine Music Radio called Invitation to the Dance. She served as the honorary executive director of Cape Town City Ballet until 2018. [8]

Awards

In 1975, Triegaardt received the Nederburg Prize for her contribution to ballet, with specific mention of her performance of the Lilac Fairy in David Poole's production of The Sleeping Beauty. In 2003, she received an award from the Western Cape premier, Ebrahim Rasool, for meritorious service to the arts in the province. She received a second award from the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport in 2009, and her third in 2017. [8] In July 2019 Triegaardt received her Fellowship Award for lifetime services to classical dance and the Royal Academy of Dance, awarded by Dame Darcy Bussell at the graduation ceremony for the Academy in London. [8]

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References

  1. ↑ "Elizabeth Triegaardt," in Who's Who in Southern Africa, website, http://whoswho.co.za/elizaveth-triegaardt-3436%5B%5D. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  2. ↑ Marina Grut, "Triegaardt, Elizabeth," in The History of Ballet in South Africa (Cape Town: Human & Rousseau, 1981), p. 419.
  3. ↑ Richard Glasstone, Dulcie Howes: Pioneer of Ballet in South Africa (Cape Town: Human & Rousseau, 1996), p. 114.
  4. ↑ Grut, "Triegaardt, Elizabeth," in The History of Ballet in South Africa (1981), p. 420.
  5. ↑ Veronica Paeper, website, http://www.paeperballet.com Archived 3 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  6. ↑ Elizabeth Triegaardt, "Message from the Director," Department of Dance, University of Cape Town, http://web.uct.ac.za/depts/ballet/intro.htm Archived 14 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 17 August 2007.
  7. ↑ Elizabeth Triegaardt, "Cape Town City Ballet: Preserving the Voice of Classical Ballet," in Post-Apartheid Dance: Many Bodies, Many Voices, Many Stories, edited by Sharon Friedman (Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2015), p. 21.
  8. 1 2 3 "Elizabeth Triegaardt Receives Highest Honorary Reward Bestowed On An RAD Member". The Newspaper. 2019. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
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