Romeo and Juliette at Joburg Theatre

Under the direction of Philippe Cohen the world-renowned Geneva Ballet’s Roméo and Juliette, opens on Wednesday, June 17, for six shows only at the Mandela, Joburg Theatre.

During its Johannesburg season the company will celebrate the anniversary of the 100th performance of this production of Roméo and Juliette.

Established in Switzerland at the start of the 19th century, the Geneva Ballet is known for its rich repertoire of neo-classical and contemporary dance styles featuring highly skilled classically trained dancers and top choreographers.

Joëlle Bouvier, one of several guest choreographers invited by the Geneva Ballet to enrich its repertoire, has with this production of Roméo and Juliette, re-imagined Shakespeare’s classic tragedy as a contemporary piece, re-visiting the ballet in an inventive way.

She has taken the essence of the story, its fundamental characteristics and choreographed around that, rather than sticking strictly to the details of the play.

She turns the sequence of the traditional classic upside down – conversely beginning with the funeral ceremony and working retrospectively back to the beginning.

“Together, we unite our bodies into the gentleness and fury of this music; we let ourselves be inspired by the rhythm and its poetic nature to compose body movements, lifts, motions and fractures. All describe the passionate adventure of the two lovers,” says Bouvier.

The elegance of the costumes and the stage décor is offset by the vitality of the fight scenes, as the 22-dancer strong company creates a dynamic energy and an eye-catching aesthetic.

“Bouvier has stripped everything down, creating movement which, while technically challenging, innovative and incredibly beautiful, never feels forced, and a plot consisting of only the most integral events,” says Ann Rogovoy, in a crit in the The Rogovoy Report (USA).

“It is as if she were leaving it up to the viewer to decide the specifics of who these two people are, what defines them, and what draws them simultaneously together and apart; and, of course, these are the questions which make this story timelessly relevant.”

The company is considered one of the most original dance companies in Europe, excelling in variations of the classical ballet vernacular through innovative artistic collaborations.

With an average age of 25, Geneva Ballet is a company that features youthful dancers from around the world and includes the South African Angela Rebelo, niece of well-known South African actors Nicky Rebelo and Jennifer Steyn Rebelo.

Roméo and Juliette performances are from June 17 to June 19 at 8pm, June 20 at 3pm and 8pm, and June 21 at 2pm.