The red curtain has been rolled up and Joburg Ballet is back on stage, in all its splendour, with a run of The Nutcracker, which will be showcased at the Joburg Theatre until October 17, before being staged in Durban.
Speaking on behalf of the ballet company at a final rehearsal (October 7), company manager Chase Bosch explained that the return of The Nutcracker to the stage was a triumphant moment for the company. He said they had previously performed Solo Flight, which was a selection of solo performances, which had been easier to rehearse and perform given the Covid-19 restrictions at the time.
“As a company, we have had to adapt over the past year-and-a-half,” he said.
At the rehearsal Bosch said he was thrilled to have pre-show butterflies, as these were one of the things he and his team had most missed during recent lockdowns.
He said shows of the calibre of The Nutcracker required tremendous strength and training. “For a run of a show like The Nutcracker, a dancer can go through as many as 22 pairs of pointe shoes. There is also something very special about dress rehearsal, as dancers step into elaborate costumes, some of which have been worn before by much-acclaimed dancers. They might see the name of a dancer they looked up to as a child stitched inside a costume they are putting on.”
But what Bosch said made the performances most special was the interactions the ballerinas made with audiences. “The dancers are fuelled by their engagement with the audiences, as many of them have grown up on stage. Coming back onto the stage for such a grand performance is for us, a return to life.”
At Thursday’s dress rehearsal was a special group of guests including the friends and family of Anne-Marie Moore and her team from Friends with Threads, as well as the team from The Teddy Bear Foundation.
Moore and her team have sponsored blankets and teddies for The Teddy Bear Foundation for years, and Joburg Ballet, also supporters of the non-profit organisation, thought they would step up to honour Moore on her birthday, and encourage others to follow Moore and her team’s example.
Details: www.joburgtheatre.com
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