August 23, 2004
By Chandrea Gerber
THE South African Ballet Theatre is back on stage at the Civic Theatre with an ambitious rendition of the romantic classic 'Swan Lake' from 10 to 26 September.
Targeting 14 000 people over its two-week run of 17 performances, this is the most ambitious production of Swan Lake Joburg has ever seen and will be accompanied by the sounds of the Johannesburg Festival Orchestra playing the much-loved Tchaikovsky score - to the tune of a R1-million production.
SA Ballet Theatre is back on stage at the Civic Theatre
Back from the State Theatre in Pretoria and a successful run at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival, this will be the SABT's first full-length production at the Civic Theatre since taking up residence in their new studios earlier this year.
Swan Lake tells the tale of a young prince who, on his 18th birthday, is expected to choose a bride. On a hunting expedition with friends, the prince sees an enchanted swan maiden - doomed to be a swan by day, and transformed into a beautiful maiden by night. Only true love can save her from her plight.
A hard-nosed business approach was taken on the production to maximise the chances of success, according to the company, including a R240 000 sponsorship from Rand Merchant Bank to fund the orchestra and pricing tickets appropriately.
"We hope to turn a fair profit," says Dirk Badenhorst, CEO of the SABT, "which we would use to help pay for our operating costs and future productions."
The SABT is one of the few ballet companies in the world to survive on ticket sales and corporate sponsorship.
Ballet, along with opera and theatre, is an integral part of the city's entertainment offering to locals and tourists alike, says Badenhorst, and, although about half the size of many ballet companies overseas - with 32 full-time and eight part-time dancers - the SABT has brought ballet back to Joburg with a bang.
"Ultimately, it is proof of Johannesburg's claim to be a world-class city able to rival the big capitals of Europe and America. It takes a special combination of talent, expertise and artistic heritage to produce ballet on a regular basis."
With a large population of arts lovers, Joburg's potential for attracting large ballet audiences is "unrivalled", says Badenhorst, and Joburg is the "best possible space for the growth we intend to generate".
An indication of SABT's strength are its long-standing relationships and exchange programmes with leading ballet companies in the US, the UK and Canada. "They wouldn't partner us if we weren't good," says Badenhorst.
"One of our aims is to become one of the top 10 ballet companies of our size in the world," he adds.
Swan Lake is produced by Denise Schultze and Louise Godfrey, who have worked with ballet companies such as the Royal Ballet, Australian Ballet, PACT Ballet, Cape Town City Ballet, Ballet Gulbenkian, Ballet West, Nevada Ballet Theatre and Ballet Mississippi.
The team has staged many ballet productions, including 'Coppelia', 'Giselle', 'Paquita', 'Sleeping Beauty', 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Les Sylphides'.
South African-born Anton Labuschagne will also take part in the production. Currently residing in Florida in the US, Labuschagne has worked with many international ballet companies since graduating from the National School of Arts in Johannesburg.
In 2001, SABT's Swan Lake was the first production to be performed on the newly named Nelson Mandela Stage at the Civic Theatre.
The production hopes to attract an audience of 14 000 over its two-week run
Swan Lake will be on at the Nelson Mandela Stage at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre, Loveday Street, Braamfontein, from 10 to 26 September.
The opening night of 10 September is half price, and discounted block bookings for all other performances are available through Computicket.
Tickets are from R55, excluding booking fees, and are available at Computicket or 011 340 8000. Discounted tickets for groups of ten or more are available by calling VIP Ticketing 011 877 6854.
Please note that there is a special schools performance on Tuesday September 21st - all tickets are R65.
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