Ballet Theatre moves to Joburg
Chandrea Gerber
6 May 2004The melodic sound of the piano fills the passages, reminiscent of local ballet classes in recreation halls. But, beyond the glass-fronted airy studio, are not little girls in pink tutus doing pliers, but the professional dancers of South Africa's largest ballet company hard at work.
This is the South African Ballet Theatre rehearsing the pieces they are performing for their Joburg debut season - and, after nearly a month in their new home at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre, they're getting used to performing with an audience peering through the glass walls.
Starting their rigorous eight-hour day at 10am, the dancers are continuously on display as the studios have glass walls on two sides: one overlooks the civic piazza and Simmonds Street in Braamfontein; and the other offers a perfect view to the administration staff.
When the State Theatre in Pretoria said they could no longer house the company, the SABT decided to take Joburg up on its plea for a resident ballet company, and moved to their new, specially built, studios at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre complex.
Iain Macdonald, principal dancer, ballet master and board member, says the dancers had performed in Pretoria for so long with its dark, closed-in studio, that adjusting to Joburg's beautiful, airy and light environment has been difficult to get used to. "But the whole vibe has changed, and it's positive in the long term scheme of things. It was also important to get away from the stigma attached to the state theatre," he says.
Monde Mashiqa, a 19-year-old corps de ballet dancer who has achieved the dream of performing after being tutored privately at primary school, described the new studios as inspirational. "They are good quality, and the scenery is an inspiration to see while we dance - the city and the beautiful gardens. I just keep working anyhow - it doesn't matter that I am being watched."
Madeleine van Brakel, one of nine members of the SABT graduate programme, says she is one step closer to her dream. She started ballet at the age of five, and now, at SABT, she has to work hard to be one of the lucky "one or two" accepted by the company at the end of the year. For Van Brakel, ballet is a love that she cannot describe.
"Sometimes, when you dance, you forget everything else." Though it's not easy, she says she benefits daily from the graduate programme by watching junior and senior corps de ballet at work during classes and rehearsals.
The principal dancers at the SABT, a young company in both senses of the word (it was only started in 2000, and the dancers range from 17 to mid-30s), have been dancing for more than 10 years, and are still going strong.
One of them, Kimbrian Bergh, admired for his athleticism and exciting bravura dancing, has been dancing for 23 years, 14 of them professionally. Bergh is retiring from ballet to pursue a business venture in New Zealand, and while he laments his departure, he also laments the state of the arts in South Africa, and stresses how much persistence artists need just to keep their heads above water. "I'm not being pessimistic, just realistic; but this didn't influence my decision to leave."
Esther Nasser, formerly the artistic director of the now defunct Pretoria Contemporary Dance Company and now working with the SABT on "Schlager", echoes his despair. Nasser does not believe that artists are getting a fair deal, and adds that it's time for South Africa to support artists who also need role models.
Many senior dancers are opting out due to lack of opportunity caused by a lack of funds and support. "There is a wealth of talent, but we have lost a lot of skilled dancers across the board," she says.
However, Bergh and Nasser remain positive. "I have no doubt that arts will find its place in the next 10 years or so - there will always be something new and something different," says Nasser.
Advice for dancers? "Have a strong heart and head - it's a really tough career, and there's a lot of fighting to do. It's a fight against body and mind, and a fight to get to the top - but it's very rewarding," says Bergh.
Macdonald says that South African audiences don't realise that the standards of the SABT, and SA ballet generally, is world class and that "we have the calibre of dancer to equal anywhere in the world". He explains that while the opening weekend of any performance is always slow, it picks up from word-of-mouth reports.
He adds that the future of ballet in South Africa is looking up, and for the SABT specifically because of the upliftment of Joburg. "We don't have the mountain, we don't have the sea - we have the ballet to offer."
Says Nasser: "The SABT is very admirable. They are keeping themselves alive under difficult circumstances, and I wish them well. They deserve payback."
Macdonald is confident they will get their deserved payback. The SABT is a solid, permanent company, which provides both the dancers and the audience with diversity and stimulation. "We are hoping that Joburg audiences will be more receptive now that that we have moved."
Source: City of Johannesburg website
