March 22, 2006
By Tammy O'Reilly
THE uniformed lift attendant at the Carlton Hotel is the first reminder of the city's famous hotel's former extravagance.
"Everyone is going to the ballroom," he declares – since he knows these days the lift doesn't stop anywhere else.
It stops with a jolt and the doors open on to the fourth-floor landing, revealing a hallway with mirror-covered walls on either side giving off endless reflections. A thick, black curtain hung from the ceiling brings the walkway to an abrupt end. From behind it comes a mix of music and laughter.
Springbok rugby player James Dalton trips the light fantastic with professional ballroom and Latin dancer Sonja Stanford
(Photo: YIP photography)
Here refined men and women are seated around a polished wooden dance floor, lit by a grand chandelier on the ceiling and spotlights on the walls. There are boom microphones, cameras, camera operators and two autocues; it is weekend six of the SABC2 reality TV show Strictly Come Dancing, and the broadcast is going out live.
In the past six weeks the who's who of the entertainment business have been coming to the revamped Carlton Hotel Ballroom in downtown Jozi to watch and participate.
Hosts Sandy Ngema and quick-talking funny man Ian von Memerty prep the audience, giving pointers on sitting properly, smiling and applauding.
The show partners eight South African celebrities who have no dance experience – the likes of boxing legend Baby Jake Matlala, former Miss South Africa Claudia Henkel, DJ and TV presenter Zuraida Jardine and Springbok rugby player James Dalton – with local dance professionals.
Y-fm Radio DJ Ashifa Shabba and Tselane Mokete get into the swing
(Photo: YIP photography)
During each week's show the couples perform ballroom and Latin dances. One couple is eliminated after the judges' and viewers' votes are tallied at the end of that show. The challenge is that the couples only have the days between shows to choreograph and learn new dance sequences. And they still have to continue working as usual.
Filming the show at the once-grand Carlton Hotel is a testimony to the renewed interest in the inner city. Closed to the public in 1998, several star-studded events have been held at the world-renowned venue in the past few years. Although the 603 hotel rooms are off limits, the owner, Transnet, lets out various function rooms for special functions.
"So far the place has been used for the launch of the Absa Cup in February 2005, by Volkswagen South Africa for the launch of the Golf 5 GTI in April 2005, and this year Rapid Blue wanted to use the ballroom for the BBC programme Strictly Come Dancing," says Yolande Baron, the general manager of the Carlton Centre.
Michelle Garforth and Harold van Buuren sparkle in Strictly Come Dancing
(Photo: YIP photography)
In their day, the Carlton Centre and neighbouring Carlton Hotel formed the hub of high society in Johannesburg, and many attempts were made to keep the hotel going before the final decision was taken to close it. One of these was an attempt to get a gambling licence for the venue.
But at the time the damage done by the exit of key businesses from the city centre, coupled with the rise in crime in the area, seemed irreversible. Retail business and the demand for office accommodation in downtown Joburg declined, and the number of people coming into the centre dwindled.
Now, however, the use of the Carlton Hotel for special functions is one sign of the City of Johannesburg's efforts to rejuvenate the inner city.
The surroundings have improved, people's impressions of the inner city are more positive and more and more businesses have moved back into the area.
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