Ballet meets rock ‘n’ roll

This time Sean Bovim has perfectly combined ballet and rock ‘n’ roll to create Private Presley. A Salute to the King.

Following last year’s smash hit Queen at the Ballet, audience members like myself were expecting Bovim to pull off a masterpiece and, once again, he did not disappoint.

When I heard he would be bringing this ballet to Johannesburg – it’s first trip out of Cape Town – I was excited to see how he would translate the dance vocabulary of rock ‘n’ roll into one of ballet, en pointe no less.

The ballet combines 36 of Elvis’ best known hits with decade appropriate costumes – including an impressive array of coloured pointe shoes – and stunning ballet to create a wonderful theatre performance.

“The ladies of the Bovim Ballet have learnt an entirely new technique of landing out of lifts and staying en pointe through some difficult 1950s and 1960s technical dance styles,” says Bovim.

“To transfer rock ‘n’ roll steps onto pointe has been physically taxing on the ladies, but they have learnt how to twist, be-bop, pony, bump and jive en pointe.

“To my knowledge, this is groundbreaking for ballet,” says Bovim.

Henk Opperman – one of the most captivating dancers I have had the privilege of watching – takes the lead as Elvis and is well supported by an excellent troupe of fantastic dancers.

Following on from (mine and others’) rave reviews of his work as Freddy Mercury in Queen at the Ballet, Opperman once again thrills with his expressive dancing and cheeky attitude.

It is these qualities, combined with balletic precision, that make him such a pleasure to watch.

However, his leading ladies and the rest of the dance troupe cannot be dismissed as they keep him vying for the audience’s attention with great partnering work, group sequences and duets with Elvis himself.

Of particular note are Simoné Botha as Natalie Wood and Kristin Wilson as Priscilla Presley.

Wilson brings grace and elegance to her dancing, the ease of which speaks to hours of classical training and fine tuning of her craft.

Of the leading ladies, it is Botha, however, who immediately makes her presence known from the first time she takes to the stage.

Like Opperman, Botha – who was Miss Deaf SA 2012, dances with attitude, bringing personality to every graceful step.

While Wilson’s dancing is beautiful to watch, Botha stole my attention and captivated me for the duration of the show.

The show is a fun tribute to not only Elvis but the mood of the ’50s and ’60s.

“As a choreographer, the exciting array of energetic dance steps from the 1950s and ’60s has inspired me to fuse ballet with rock ‘n’ roll,” Bovim adds.

Private Presley. A Salute to the King is a masterpiece which cannot be missed and will run at the Joburg Theatre until October 25.

The show is sure to sell out quickly so there’s no time to waste in procuring your tickets.

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