Joburg Ballet CEO urges the public to embrace the company

Esther Nasser was appointed CEO of Joburg ballet in July, and with a long history in the dance space, she was the obvious choice for the position.

Read: New Joburg Ballet CEO appointed

Nasser started as a ballet dancer at a young age, progressing to study dance at the University of Pretoria and later in London, then returning to South Africa where she opened and managed a number of dance companies including Pact (the dance company in Johannesburg that preceded Joburg Ballet), before taking up her new position.

Her feelings about her new team can only be described as pride. “I think Joburg Ballet, at the moment, is at a level that anyone can be proud of,” she said.

While the company is beginning to attract more audiences and aspiring dancers than before, Nasser is concerned about the number of male dancers in the company – one of the issues she aims to address. “The momentum that we’ve built this year through Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, and Cinderella, needs to be maintained.”

How does she plan to keep spirits and attendance high?

In the future she and the company’s artistic director, Iain MacDonald aim to rectify the lack of South African male dancers who join the company by focusing on Joburg Ballet’s different schools in order to bring in dancers and groom them from a young age.

The company will also seek to collaborate with dancers from other countries who can offer different experiences and choreography, as well as with dance companies that specialise in different dance disciplines within South Africa.

They also aim to implement new programmes and bring in new work for the company’s dancers to perform.

Transformation requires funding and so the company will host Rags to Riches, a fundraising gala, on 6 October at Joburg Theatre and all are welcome.

She concluded, “Joburg Ballet needs to be a product of the city that everyone is proud of – the jewel of the city. I want the public to take ownership of the ballet.

“Their support is of the utmost importance to the future of the company, not only for the financial aspect but for the pride of the city, too.”

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