September 12, 2005
By Mamello Makgana
OBLIVIOUS to the scorching sun, more than 1 000 Alexandra school children gathered at the Alex Altrek Stadium for their first taste of ballet.
At the first strains of music, children scurried towards the makeshift theatre - a podium surrounded by steel poles draped with black cloth to make a dramatic backdrop.
They clung to the stage for a closer look at The Dying Swan, a solo performed by Kitty Phetla, the principal dancer at the Ballet Theatre Afrikan (BTA) dance company, which opened the day's programme.
The event, dubbed Sisonke We Dance, or Together We Dance, is part of the company's aim to expose children to different types of dance to give them an opportunity to diversify their talent.
Against the backdrop of Alexandra: the children of the Ballet Theatre Afrikan Alexandra Academy are put through their paces by teacher Alexie Illin
Performances by BTA and satellite academies were presented.
Ballerinas from the BTA's Alexandra Academy followed Phetla's performance. Young girls and boys dressed in blue and grey respectively ran on to the stage, with excitement in their feet.
Holding on to the barres, they moved into first position as the classical music started. Toes pointed and heads straight, the children danced their hearts out for their peers.
Their concentrated expressions showed how much attention they were paying to every position, making sure their hands were in the correct position, shoulders down, heads up and toes always pointed.
Next up was a contemporary dance by children from Parkhurst Primary School, in northern Johannesburg, who hopped to the children's hymn, He's Got the Whole World in his Hands.
Four other Joburg primary schools performed dance pieces, in classical and contemporary ballet. Music included songs by Nina Simone, the legendary American jazz singer.
Professional dancers Andile and Carmen mesmerised the audience with their shiny blue costumes, while performing the Blue Bird pas de deux.
After performances by the Tshwane Youth Ballet, Thoriso Magonwa's Sleeping Beauty and Tap Talk Rhythm, the Alex Academy children joined a performance of Soul with dancers from BTA and the Tshwane Youth Ballet.
The academy is one of BTA's satellite schools. It was established to nurture dance talent in the township's children. The children do not have a barre at the East Bank community hall, and plastic chairs substitute during practise.
Penelope Thloloe, the 24-year-old ballet teacher, is the director of the satellite projects. She recently won the Amstel Salute to Success Award for her dedication to the projects.
Thloloe, who grew up in Alex, trains the children at the Alex Academy in the afternoon, after school. She says there is talent but a lack of training.
"Allow me to prepare them for a better life. Enable me to open doors and create jobs with your support and belief," she had told the award's judges.
Take Five, a contemporary piece performed by the company's dancers, was the final item on the programme.
Sisonke We Dance will be performed at the Dance Factory on 17 and 18 September at 3pm. Tickets are R20. For more information contact Ballet Theatre Afrikan on 011 880 3099.
The children of the academy demonstrate a ballet class
The academy is sponsored by Region 7's arts and culture department, and other corporate and private sponsors.
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