Joburg Ballet’s Azul, 2024. Photo: Lauge Sorensen
It’s time for new adventures for Joburg Ballet as the company gears up for its first ever appearance at the KKNK in Oudtshoorn on 27 and 28 March.
For its KKNK debut Joburg Ballet will present three works from Scarcity. The season premiered at the Joburg Theatre in mid-March.
The stimulating trio of dance works Joburg Ballet is presenting at the KKNK showcases an impressive line-up of choreographers: South Africa’s Dada Masilo, Chinese-German choreographer Hannah Ma and the Netherlands-based Spanish choreographer Jorge Pérez Martínez.
Revil Yon in Dada Masilo's Salomé for Joburg Ballet, 2024. Photo: Lauge Sorenson
For her first commission for Joburg Ballet, internationally acclaimed Dada Masilo is creating Salomé. Based on Oscar Wilde’s play, Salomé revolves around desire, power and the destructive nature of unbridled passion. Masilo says she loves to tell a story in works that are universally accessible and she sees Salomé as an opportunity to create a movement vocabulary which sits well on Joburg Ballet and that challenges herself and the dancers.
In a world set on fire, multi-award winning choreographer Hannah Ma takes a dive into the vastness of the human soul with The Void, creating a moment of stillness, joy, truth, deep connection and forgiveness. The Void is a powerful reminder of the beauty of human existence and the need to preserve humanity and all lives at all times. She describes The Void as “a ceremonial celebration of dance as a form of resistance that will tenderly caress the spectator’s heart”.
Joburg Ballet's The Void, 2024. Photo: Lauge Sorenson
With Azul, Jorge Pérez Martínez has created a fresh, spirited piece distinguished by its expressive body language and beautiful pas de deux work. Danced to three classical Spanish guitar compositions, Azul captures an evocative Mediterranean and Spanish atmosphere. Azul, which is the Spanish word for blue, has a fluid dance language in its choreography reminiscent of flowing water.
Commenting on Joburg Ballet’s visit to the KKNK with Scarcity, Joburg Ballet CEO Elroy Fillis-Bell said: “Joburg Ballet is proud to present the work of Dada Masilo, Hannah Ma and Jorge Pérez Martínez at KKNK 2024 and to share their work with a wider South African audience. As we begin our 30th year of democracy, Joburg Ballet’s work must engage with our current moment in society. Both the concept and reality of scarcity is something many South Africans have become accustomed to, whether through a lack of service delivery within the urban context or a loss of dignity. These works interrogate the social context of our lives and explore the absence of natural and material resources and the loss of memory, identity and self.”
Elroy Fillis-Bell expressed Joburg Ballet’s gratitude to the Embassies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Spain for generously supporting the production of Azul by Netherlands-based Spanish choreographer Jorge Pérez Martínez and to the Ministry of Culture of Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany for supporting the production of The Void by Chinese-German choreographer Hannah Ma.
Scarcity will be presented at the ABSA Civic Centre, Oudtshoorn, on Wednesday 27 March at 11:00 and Thursday 28 March at 10:00.
Tickets are R250 (advance booking), R225 (Friends of the KKNK) and R275 (at the door) and discounts are available for pensioners, schools and groups of 10+.
To book visit www.webtickets.co.za