Joburg Ballet gets real with RAW 2

Joburg Ballet RAW, an initiative that was launched in 2020, will be showcasing four ballet performances on Saturday, 20 November at 2pm and 5pm and Sunday, 21 November at 11am and 2pm, providing choreographers with a platform to create new works in a setting where the audience has the opportunity to interact with the process.

According to Iain MacDonald, Joburg Ballet’s artistic director, choreography is a creative endeavour that cannot be done in isolation, like writing or painting.

“The choreographer’s instrument is the dancer’s body and to put dancers into the creative hands of aspiring choreographers is the idea behind this project.”

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This month will see the ballet company performing at the company’s studios at the Joburg Theatre where Joburg Ballet RAW 2: A Showcase for New Choreography, including four ballet performances, will be presented.

The ballets created by dancers and aspiring choreographers in the company will feature the work of Revil Yon (A Midnight Kind of Love), Chloé Blair (Table for Two), Donavin Cicatello (Diamant) and Mbongeni Moyake (Pride Draama).

Joburg Ballet will invite established South African choreographers to engage with the audience and the four aspiring choreographers to explore the creative process. To enhance the value of this experience for both the choreographers and the audiences, the performances will be followed by interactions between the creators and consumers in the form of Q&A sessions.

Tickets for the performances cost R150 and remote bookings can be made by phoning Edgar Moagi on 011-877-6898 or emailing edgar@joburgballet.com. Tickets can also be bought at the door (should there still be availability) and payment will then need to be made in cash.

The performances will not include any intervals and there will be no refreshments available other than water. Patrons will be required to comply to all Covid-19 protocols and the studio will be sanitised before each performance.