For the first time in 3 years, the boys from GaloreSA were not sitting and working during a show, as no photos and videos were allowed at the opening night of Evolve.
We were forced to sit in our chairs and enjoy the show, not holding a phone in our hands tweeting, Facebooking and Instagramming away.
I googled for synonyms for the words ‘amazing’ and ‘magnificent’, but there are no words strong enough to describe this Joburg Ballet production!
So, I need to settle with the word ‘perfectionism’ for now until another word comes up. It’s been years since I last experienced an audience applauding for nearly 3 minutes non-stop.
Joburg Ballet celebrated their 21st birthday, and we were so fortunate to be part of this dazzling evening.
The first part was pure traditional ballet – either solos, trios or in groups in Paquita Grand Pas. I was awe struck. One thing I have never understood is how ballet dancers always have a smile on their faces, when we know that they’re going through so much pain and stretching their bodies to the utmost limit. The choreography was 10/10.
The second part, I was breathlessly transported away to another world. There were two works – the first – Legae – described by the choreographer Tumelo Lekana as “the leaves pray for the roots to heal” and the singing, drums and percussion were perfect for this work. And the second work was called The Afterlife: Souls. This was modern ballet at its best – and is described by Shannon Glover the choreographer as “Status, distinction, and honour disappear after death and all individuals are reduced to lifeless forms inhabiting the place of darkness between earth and Hades. Here, it matters not whether one has achieved glory or simply lived an unremarkable life. Death is the great equaliser.”
The third part was my ultimate favourite. The Game. I was transported into black and white blocks, the bad or good choices. The world of Chess… Surrounded by a hypnotising voice, lightning effects, smoke machines, tick tock sounds, dance and men with extremely strong upper legs and six packs. I was literally transported to the chess board. I felt like a piece on that chess board. The precision portrayed by all the dancers and the message conveying through this scene was fantastic! As choreographer Mario Gaglione said, “I envision life to be a continuous succession of choices and challenges, just like a game of chess.”
And then…Checkmate !
P.S. We sneaked in one photo at the end….We hope we don’t get into trouble for this.
The Team at GaloreSA scores Evolve an exquisite 99,38% which makes this the highest ranked event that we were present at for the past three years.
This show is a must see for everyone, not just ballet enthusiasts.
Standing applause from GaloreSA to Annzie Hancock, Esther Nasser, Iain MacDonald and the whole cast of Evolve. Bravo !
One Line Summary : The dictionary does not provide a word to describe this show and the talent ! Magnificent, maybe ? Rather, Ridiculously Outstanding !
Evolve is on stage at The Joburg Theatre till Sunday, 3rd April.
