The Cape Town City Ballet Company, formerly known as the CAPAB Ballet Company, is 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. Notably, it was involved in the founding of Maynardville Open-Air Theatre on 1 December 1950, with its opening performance of Les Sylphides. It later took over management of that theatre's ballet performances, in 1963. The company 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 its 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 Elizabeth Triegaardt, who is both the executive director of the company and the director of the UCT School of Dance.
Johnny Bovang, current senior principalGary Burne [1]John CrankoRichard Glasstone [2] [3]Eduard Greyling, danseur nobleJohan Jooste, former principalTracy Li, current senior principalVeronica Paeper [4]David Poole, late artistic director and ballet masterDaniel Rajna, current principalPhyllis Spira, prima ballerina assolutaFrank Staff [5]These have included the following dancers:
Petrus BosmanDesmond DoyleThomas EdurMargot FonteynCarla FracciBeryl GreyJonathan KellyAttilio LabisNadia NerinaAgnes OaksAlexis RassineWayne SleepCape Town City Ballet mainly performs versions of traditional classics reworked by resident choreographer, Veronica Paeper.
Don Quixote with guest artists Agnes Oaks and Thomas EdurSwan LakeClassic Highlights - excerpts from ballets such as Raymonda, Carmen, Sleeping Beauty and SpartacusCinderellaSwingTime at the Ballet (premiere)Les SylphidesFirebirdCelebration - Adele Blank's Syzygy, George Balanchine's Rubies and Heinz Spoerli's All Shall BeGiselleAnna Karenina with guest artist Tanja GraaflandGala 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 UnderworldSwingTime and MoreSwan Lake Act 2 and Summer Waltzes - with scenes from Coppélia, The Sleeping Beauty and The NutcrackerQueen at the BalletViva Veronica - tribute to choreographer Veronica Paepar. Scenes from her works: Carmen, Orpheus in the Underworld, Concerto for Charlie, Ten Pieces, Emperor WaltzThe Sleeping BeautyCinderellaSpring Selection - Veronica Paeper's Concerto for Charlie and Robin van Wyk's Ensemble for SixRobin HoodLet me Entertain You (premiere)CarmenThe Sleeping Beauty with guest artists Thomas Edur and Agnes OaksSwingTime at the BalletQueen at the BalletGiselleBallets 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 FreshlygroundBallets al Fresco - Rudi van Dantzig's Four Last Songs and Robert North's Entre Dos AguasThe NutcrackerDavid Poole's Kami and Sean Bovim's Tango NightsCarmen with guest artist Jonathan OllivierCamille, by Veronica Paeper, based on The Lady of the CamelliasDancing 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 GnossiennesBallet Magic — featuring Nomvula – After the Rain, Tango Nights and excerpts from act 3 of The NutcrackerCape Town City Ballet Celebrates 10 Years (tribute to Phyllis Spira and Eduard Greyling) — scenes from La Bayadère 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 BalletJames Bond 007 - the BalletOrpheus in the UnderworldGiselleSummer Spectacular - solos and pas de deux from Concerto, Don Quixote, Le Corsaire, Paquita, Giselle and Bacchanale as well as Sean Bovim's Tango NightsCoppéliaThe Merry Widow with guest artists Elza Leimane and Raimond MartinovWinter Spectacular - solos and pas de deux from Don Quixote, Le Corsaire and Paquita as well as the premiere of Christopher Kindo's Dark SecretsThe Ugly DucklingBallet Mosaic - solos and pas de deux from Spartacus, Sheherazade and RaymondaRomeo and Juliet (Prokofiev) with guest artists Elza Leimane and Raimond MartinovChristmas ClassicsThe Nutcracker with guest artist Eduard GreylingLa SylphideSwan Lake to celebrate the company's 75th BirthdayPaquitaGiselleBalletscapes - premiere of African Landscapes, and includes Paquita and excerpts from the popular works of Paeper, Poole, Prokovsky and others in the programmeThe Sleeping PrincessAquaballet - the second act of Swan Lake and other ballets appropriate to the setting of The WaterfrontThe FirebirdBallet Bonanza - highlights of the classics, including the popular Les Sylphides and Le Corsaire pas de deux, and extracts from Sheherazade, Flower Festival at Genzano and La BayadereVeronica Paeper's Poetry in Motion (premiere)Carmen, also by PaeperPoetry in Motion 2 - the production of 2010 was supplemented by additional dance vignettes created by well-known choreographers, including Adele Bank, Robin van Wyk, Erica Brumage, Lindy Raizenberg and Veronica PaeperSwan LakeThe Sleeping BeautyTwo Ballets performed at Maynardville Open-Air Theatre- Kenneth MacMillan's Solitaire and David Lichine's Graduation BallGiselle with guest artists Daria Klimentová and Vadim Muntagirov