Stage: Dance into the month of love with tickets for Cape Town City Ballet’s captivating production of Maina Gielgud’s Giselle- March 18 until April 9, 2022 in the Artscape Opera House
| What: Maina Gielgud’s Giselle, presented by Cape Town City Ballet Featuring: CTCB and guest artist (s) on selected performances, Cape Town Philharmonic (selected performances) and recorded music at other performances When and where: March 18 until April 9, 2022 in the Artscape Opera House Tickets: R175 to R750 Discounts: Yes for seniors and block bookings (ten or more) through Artscape Dial-A-Seat Bookings: Artscape Dial-A-Seat 021 421 7695 or through Computicket Booking link: https://capetowncityballet.org.za/giselle_view_production/ Takes you to Artscape or Computicket |
Today is Valentine’s Day – January 14, 2022. In celebration of the month of love and romance, Cape Town City Ballet has announced a season of the love and romance ballet, Giselle: Maina Gielgud’s acclaimed staging will be on stage, from March 18 until April 9, 2022 in the Artscape Opera House. Note – some performances, will be accompanied by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and will feature guest artists (or in some instances, one guest artist). Some performances will be danced to recorded music. Scroll down to see box with performance details. Into as supplied:
Dance into the month of love with tickets for Cape Town City Ballet’s captivating production of Maina Gielgud’s Giselle
To celebrate the month of love, bookings open today (February 14, 2022) for Cape Town City Ballet’s captivating production of Maina Gielgud’s Giselle/ International guest artists and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of conductor Brandon Phillips, perform alongside the talented dancers of CTCB at select performances. Giselle will run for a limited season from March 18 until April 9, 2022 in the Artscape Opera House. Seating remains strictly limited due to social distancing and government regulations. All Covid-19 regulations will be in place including social distancing and wearing of masks throughout.
This much-loved ballet presents a romantic story of innocent love and betrayal portrayed in two acts. Giselle, a naive and beautiful peasant girl who loves to dance, unsuspectingly falls in love with a philandering nobleman, Albrecht. He disguises himself as a peasant while pursuing her affections and when the deceit is revealed Giselle is inconsolable. In discovering that he is already betrothed, she dies of a broken heart.
The story continues in the moonlit land of the Wilies, a mysterious landscape inhabited by the vengeful spirits of virgin brides who never reached their wedding day. The ghostly Wilies torment Albrecht as he appears in search of the spirit of Giselle.
The duality of the body and spirit, evocation of the supernatural, and the tale of undying love and devotion endears this quintessentially romantic ballet to a universal audience.
GISELLE is performed to the music of Adolphe Adam , with choreography by Maina Gielgud, after Jean Coralli & Jules Perrot. The stellar creative team again includes the powerhouse duo of Designer Peter Cazalet for Décor, assisted by Michael Mitchell, and Costume Design and Lighting Design by Wilhelm Disbergen.
“We are honoured to be presenting Maina Gielgud’s production of this wonderful, timeless classic,” says Debbie Turner, CEO of Cape Town City Ballet. “We will shortly be announcing exciting news about the international guest artists who will be joining us at select performances. Tickets are still limited due to social distancing however, so don’t delay to book. We are also greatly looking forward to being accompanied once again by the CPO.”
“In 2020, we were only able to present one performance in the entire year. In 2021, despite the continuing pandemic, we presented 60 performances. We go forward into 2022 with renewed hope to produce our four key seasons, as well as other performances throughout the year.”
Trained by the great Russians including Tamara Karsavina and Lubov Egorova, and later Rosella Hightower, Maina Gielgud danced as a principal dancer with London Festival Ballet, Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, as an international guest artist partnered by Rudolf Nureyev, and as a muse of the iconic choreographer Maurice Bejart and his company Maurice Bejart’s XXth Century Ballet.
Ms Gielgud was the Director of The Australian Ballet from 1983 until 1997 and the Royal Danish Ballet from 1997 to 1999. Freelancing since 1999, she is also Artistic Advisor of the Hungarian National Ballet and both Artistic Advisor and Authorised Repetiteur of the Anton Dolin Foundation, guest teaching and coaching in major companies all over the world, as well as in renowned schools.
Her own classical productions are much in demand including her highly acclaimed staging of Giselle for The Australian Ballet (staged also for Boston Ballet, Ballet du Rhin and Houston Ballet). Ms Gielgud also stages various works choreographed by Maurice Bejart, Kenneth MacMillan, Serge Lifar and Rudolf Nureyev.
GISELLE will be presented at Artscape Opera House from March 18 to April 9, 2022.
Cape Town City Ballet is grateful for the support of all sponsors including the City of Cape Town, Western Cape Government, Food Lovers Market, Erica Manning for the Cape Town City Ballet Endowment Trust, The Christian Ludolph Marais Trust and the Friends of Cape Town City Ballet.
| Performances dates for Maina Gielgud’s Giselle at Artscape Opera House from March 18 to April 9, 2022 March 18 at 19h30 (with international guest artist & CPO) March 19 at 19h30 (with international guest artists & CPO) March 21 @ 19h30 (with International guest artists & CPO) March 22 @ 19h30 (to recorded music) March 23 @ 19h30 (with International guest artists & CPO) March 24 @ 19h30 (to recorded music) March 25 @ 19h30 (with International guest artists & CPO) March 26 @ 15h00 (to recorded music) March 26 @ 19h30 (with International guest artist. To recorded music) March 30 @ 19h30 (to recorded music) March 21 @ 19h30 (to recorded music) 1 April @ 19h30 (To recorded music) April 2 @ 15h00 (with International guest artist. To recorded music) April 2 @ 19h30 (to recorded music) 6 April @ 19h30 (To recorded music) 7 April @ 19h30 (To recorded music) 8 April @ 19h30 (To recorded music) 9 April @ 15h00 (to recorded music) April 9 @ 19h30 (With international guest artist & CPO) Tickets: * Tickets cost from R350 to R750 for performances featuring Internationa lguest artist/s and accompanied by Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra. * Tickets cost from R250 to R395 for performances to recorded music. * Tickets to matinee performances cost from R175 to R295. Bookings can be made at Artscape Dial-A-Seat 021 421 7695 or through Computicket. *Senior tickets may be purchased from Artscape Box Office only, at R20 discount per ticket. *Block bookings (ten or more) – R10 discount per ticket through Artscape Box Office |
| Cape Town City Ballet Established in 1934 as the University of Cape Town Ballet Company, Cape Town City Ballet has a strong heritage and roots. The organisation is moving into the next era of dance with the objectives of delighting anew its loyal supporters as well as inspiring new audiences to engage with and develop a love of ballet, striving to achieve this by delivering unique dance performances aligned with the global dance landscape with diversity and inclusivity at the forefront of creativity, integrity and the pursuit of excellence. Since the Company’s inception, it has been renowned for providing opportunities for training and employment to all, despite the ruling laws of previous times. It remains committed to developing the dancers of the future. The CTCB’s various development and education programmes have reached more than 320 000 young people. Its audience development and training initiatives include the Young Male Dancer Development Programme, the Apprentice Programme and partnerships for training programme with various dance schools. The Choreolab programme was introduced in 2019 as a platform to incubate, nurture and invest in aspiring South African choreographers from within the Company. The choreographer is supported in creating and staging a work, while developing their choreographic skills by also working with a mentor. Three dancers took part in the 2019 initiative. With the onset of Covid-19 and accompanying restrictions, the Choreolab programme was adapted for 2020. Nine dancers each created a dance piece for a short dance film in collaboration with Norval Foundation and inspired by and celebrating the work of William Kentridge from his Why Should I Hesitate: Sculpture exhibition. The Choreolab will be an annual programme to further develop new South African creative talent, each year working with different choreographers as mentors on the programme. During the 2020 lockdown, Cape Town Opera and kykNET in collaboration with Cape Town City Ballet, Camerata Tinta Barocca and Wyrd Films, presented Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. The work was choreographed by London-based South African Mthuthuzeli November, and premiered on kykNET in October 2020. As part of their 2021 Autumn Season at Artscape, CTCB proudly presented the South African premiere of Mthuthuzeli November’s Olivier Award winning Ingoma, which was commissioned in 2019 by Cassa Pancho for Ballet Black and which premiered at the Barbican in London. CTCB aims to serve the dance community as a whole and provides opportunities for teachers and young dancers in training from around the City to participate and gain experience in professional productions and attend various rehearsals. In 2019, students and young dancers took part in A Christmas Carol, Sleeping Beauty and Enemy Behind the Gates. In 2020 students had the opportunity to observe rehearsals of Maina Gielgud’s Swan Lake, before the sudden lockdown and subsequent cancellation of all seasons. In December 2021, after almost two years, the company was once again able to offer performance opportunities to young dancers for the restaging of the extremely popular and uplifting A Christmas Carol at the Artscape Theatre. |
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✳ Sponsored content. Laura Bösenberg, former Principal, CTCB. Photo Michael Groenewald. Image supplied.
