Robin van Wyk, choreographer of Cape Town City Ballet, discusses the ballet Tin Soldier - at the Artscape this holiday season - with Naomi Meyer.
Hi Robin, thanks for taking the time to chat. Please tell our readers about your background.
My name is Robin van Wyk, I am the artistic director of the Cape Town City Ballet. I have choreographed 11 ballets to date, mainly with story themes: ballets such as The Ugly Duckling, Alice in Wonderland and Robin Hood.
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| Daniel Szybowski and Sarah-Lee Chapman. Photograph: Jacques Conradie |
You are the choreographer of Tin Soldier - based on Hans Christian Andersen’s tale - at the Artscape this holiday season. What do you enjoy about this particular ballet, and what are the challenges?
It is always a challenge to tell a story through dance - the dancers use movement, mime and music to tell the story - but being a very simple story that was quite easy to translate into dance.
Will your take on the ballet be traditional or do you choose to spice it up with a different flavour (different interpretations of certain dances)?
As it is my first full-length ballet with full orchestra , I have stuck to a very traditional telling of the tale - and that is the kind of interpretation our audiences in Cape Town like.
You are a dancer yourself – and dancing skills probably is necessary when you have to demonstrate the dance routines to the dancers. Am I right? Or do you let the dancers interpret and use their own styles?
I am very detailed with what I want from the dancers and the younger dancers are quite shocked to see me still doing all the steps full out. A lot of them have never seen me dance, so when I do something, they are quite surprised.
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Thomas Thorne, Laura Bosenberg (doing jete) and Claire Spector (background). Photograph: Michael Groenewald |
What can the audience expect from Tin Soldier at the Artscape? Please elaborate on practical information, too: dates, times, prices.
It is a ballet for the whole family - full of intricate choreography and a lot of humour. It moves along at a fast pace.
It opens on the 11th Dec and runs until the 24th Dec (the Christmas Eve performance at 14h00 ends with a Fairy Parade for the children in the audience). Six shows are danced to accompaniment of the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra with two shows to recorded music. Prices range from R 125 to R225.
On Tuesday 24 December, the stage of the Artscape Opera House in Cape Town will be transformed in to a wonderland of fairies, princesses and young storybook heroes with Cape Town City Ballet’s annual Fairy Parade. The very popular annual event is scheduled to take place after the 14h00 performance of The Tin Soldier and all young audience members are encouraged to come dressed up in their favourite fairy tale costume.
After experiencing the magic and fun of the ballet performance, children in the audience will be invited to join the stars of the ballet company on stage to meet the dancers up-close in their costumes and make-up. Santa Claus will also be there with little surprises for the young ones, while a professional photographer will capture the special moments on camera.
Bookings are at Computicket or Artscape-Dial-a-Seat on 021 421 7695. Tickets R 125 – R 225. Special discount packages available for groups of 10 or when booking for more than one of the three productions.
The Tin Soldier : 11 – 24 Dec 2013 at Artscape Opera House
Wed 11 Dec @ 19h30 with CPO *
Fri 13 Dec @ 11h00 with soundtrack
Fri 13 Dec @ 19h30 with CPO
Sat 14 Dec @ 14h00 with CPO
Sat 14 Dec @ 19h30 with CPO
Sun 15 Dec @ 15h00 with CPO
Mon 23 Dec @ 19h30 with CPO
Tues 24 Dec @ 14h00 with soundtrack
* CPO = Cape Philharmonic Orchestra
Principal casting for The Tin Soldier
11th Dec 19h30 Laura Bosenberg, Thomas Thorne
13th Dec 11h00 Elizabeth Nienaber , Ivan Boonzaaier
13th Dec 19h30 Angela Hansford, Daniel Szybkowski
14th Dec 14h00 Kirstel Jensen, Jesse Milligan
14th Dec 19h30 Laura Bosenberg, Thomas Thorne
15th Dec 15h00 Elizabeth Nienaber , Ivan Boonzaaier
23rd Dec 19h30 Angela Hansford, Daniel Szybkowski
24th Dec 14h00 Kirstel Jensen, Jesse Milligan
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