Tribute: The South African International Ballet Competition (SAIBC) gala in tribute to Kirvan Fortuin

✔ Date: Saturday July 18, at 7pm- scroll down for ticket info

✳ Scroll down for booking info for The South African Ballet International Ballet Competition

Tomorrow night. July 18, South African Ballet International Ballet Competition is paying tribute to Kirvan Fortuin. This incredibly talented and innovative dancer and LGBTQI+ activist was murdered in Cape Town last month. Celeste Botha and Marlin Zoutman (Cape Town) will perform a recording of an interpretive dance piece Ouma Katrina: Die Dansende Taal [Grandma Katrina: the Dancing Language] which was created by Fortuin in collaboration with Coenie de Villiers for the Suidoostefees Concert of Hope at Artscape. All the performances have been recorded for the gala. Some pieces have been created especially for the gala and others have been staged previously. The gala, will include announcement of the winners of this year’s competition.

Bravo to CEO SAIBC Founder and CEO Dirk Badenhorst for making the competition a reality during lockdown. It is a biennial event. Let us hope that by 2022, the competition can go out live for its 8th edition. The 2020 digital event is the 7th edition of the competition.

Ballet gala: The South African Ballet International Ballet Competition (SAIBC)

✔ Date: Saturday July 18, at 7pm

✔ Tickets: R200

✔ Booking link: https://form.jotform.com/201862488490059 

✔ Line-up: Guest artists from South Africa and global dance world.

Artists and works include:

  • Celeste Botha and Marlin Zoutman (Cape Town). They perform an interpretive dance piece Ouma Katrina: Die Dansende Taal [Grandma Katrina: the Dancing Language]. Ouma Katrina was created by Fortuin in collaboration with Coenie de Villiers for the Suidoostefees Concert of Hope that is presented annually by Artscape.
  • Joshua Williams (Cape Town) and Antonio Casalinho (Portugal). Williams won a scholarship to the Zürich Dance Academy in 2018. Casalinho Won gold in 2018. Ages: 18+ SN.
  • Juan Carlos Her’nandez Osma and Dayana Hardy (Cuba). These past entrants of the SAIBC, dance with the West Australian Ballet. They have a created piece especially for the gala.
  • Fei Bo (China): Bo choreographed Sacrifice, a contemporary pas de deux that was performed at the 2014 SAIBC, at Artscape in Cape Town. The audience in the packed auditorium gave the piece curtain calls. For the gala, the piece will be danced by Xinyue Zhao and Chongzheng Guan, from the National Ballet of China.
  • Leroy Mokgatle (South Africa): Gold medallist, now based in Europe.
  • Elza Leimane and Annija Kopstale (Latvia).
  • Aaron Smyth (Australia).

Image credit: Joshua Williams, Pic supplied.