Ballet brilliance at a young age
ROSEBANK – Joburg Ballet recently announced that local ballerina, Megan Gerber (16), has become the youngest dancer to ever join their corps de ballet (a group of dancers who are not soloists) at the beginning of October.
Gerber began dancing at the tender age of three and attended classes at the June Melville, Denise Griffith and Dorothy de Witt School of Dancing in Dunkeld.
She completed the Royal Academy of Dance examinations and won numerous bursaries and has also been a member of the Joburg Ballet Academy for the last four years.
Gerber was offered a full-time contract with Joburg Ballet after she participated in the prestigious Genée International Ballet Competition in London in September. It was her first-ever overseas trip.
“It’s been incredible so far,” said the phenomenal 16-year-old just before practise was set to begin at the Joburg Ballet studios in Braamfontein on 19 October.
“Just to be here and be a part of everything, it’s like a dream come true. I never thought I would get so far so quickly.”
She certainly isn’t a stranger to hard work and is used to training eight hours a day, almost seven days a week.
“I’ve always known what it takes to be a dancer at Joburg Ballet, and to see my hard work finally pay off is just great,” she added.
Although the trip to London was a great experience for her, it was far more work than play for the teen star.
“The highlight for me, by far, was performing on the Sadler’s Wells stage,” Gerber said excitedly.
“It has a three-storey gallery – it was simply amazing.”
In recent months, Gerber has performed alongside the Joburg Ballet company in a number of productions, including Cinderella, La Bayadère, Swan Lake and Don Quixote.
Ballet fanatics can watch Gerber dance in the company premiere of Les Sylphides as part of Joburg Ballet’s studio Soirees season which starts on 31 October.
Details: For bookings e-mail edgar@joburgballet.com; 011 877 6898 during office hours; www.joburgballet.com
