Pieter Toerien Theatre showcases its own twist on Queen’s music

Ballet and 80s pop music may not seem the likeliest of bedfellows, but wait until you see them combined on stage.

From 8 to 19 January Mzansi Ballet, a dance company that works to identify and cultivate young dance talent, performed The Queen Show at the Pieter Toerien Theatre at Montecasino. The production saw music from the famous rock band Queen combined with beautiful dance to create a family-friendly night out. But according to director Dirk Badenhorst, The Queen Show is not just a piece of art, but also a chance to encourage young talent and bring South Africans together.

“There has been a version [of combining Queen’s music and dance] before, but Michael Revie and his wife Angela [who choreographed the performance] approached me about doing our own,” Badenhorst told the Fourways Review. “After getting funding from the National Lotteries Commission, I said we should do it as long as it doesn’t look or feel like the other one.”

Michael and Angela came up with a production that weaves 16 Queen songs (both well-known and lesser well-known) and 11 talented dancers to create a foot-tapping performance for anyone to enjoy. Badenhorst believes that his work not only helps talented dancers be discovered and developed but also creates art that can bring the country together.

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“This show celebrates, for me, the true spirit of South Africa. Just by looking at the cast make-up [mostly South Africans, but with one Cuban dancer] you can see what happens when we decide to come together.

“I truly believe that if we can dance together, we can live together.”

According to Badenhorst, there are talks for the show to go to Russia now that its run at the Pieter Toerien Theatre has ended.

To find out more about the work Mzansi Ballet does to promote dance among the youth, please visit www.saibc.com