After winning the Naledi Theatre Award for Best Production: Dance/Physical Theatre/Ballet for 2020-21 at a glittering ceremony last week, Joburg Ballet is in rehearsal for celebrated choreographer Veronica Paeper’s La Traviata-The Ballet. Last staged in Johannesburg in 2017, La Traviata-The Ballet will be presented for eight performances at the Joburg Theatre from 1 to 10 July.
Cape Town-based Veronica Paeper is South Africa’s leading choreographer working in the classical style. She has created an extensive repertoire of ballets and is particularly admired for her full-length story ballets, among which La Traviata-The Ballet is one of her most popular works.
Originally created in Cape Town in 1990, La Traviata -The Ballet is based on the 19th Century story of the Lady of the Camellias. A deeply moving portrait of a woman who sacrifices all for the man she loves, the ballet is set to the unforgettable music of Verdi’s opera La Traviata, arranged and adapted for the ballet by composer and conductor Allan Stephenson.
In addition to performances in South Africa, La Traviata -The Ballet has been presented in the UK where critics admired it as “outstanding”, “graceful, passionate and ravishingly romantic” and “an utterly compelling production”.
The leading roles of Camille and Armand will be danced by Shannon Glover and Revil Yon (Friday 1 July at 18h30, Saturday 9 July at 15h00), Nicole Ferreira-Dill and Armando Barros (Saturday 2 July at 15h00, Wednesday 6 July at 11h00), Monike Cristina and Ruan Galdino (Sunday 3 July at 15h00, Friday 8 July at 18h30, Sunday 10 July at 15h00) and Cristina Nakos and Gabriel Fernandes (Saturday 9 July at 18h30).
All the dancers listed will be making role debuts with the exception of Shannon Glover who danced the role of Camille in 2017. This season marks Shannon Glover’s first performances since the birth of her daughter last year.
Commenting on the return of La Traviata-The Ballet to the Johannesburg stage, Joburg Ballet artistic director Iain MacDonald said: “We are delighted to be able to give our audiences the opportunity to see this magnificent ballet after an absence of five years and privileged that Veronica is in Johannesburg to restage one of her finest works.”
LA TRAVIATA-THE BALLET: BOOKING INFORMATION
Reserved, numbered seats are sold in a graded pricing structure. Covid-19 regulations currently allow for 494 socially distanced people in the 960-seat Joburg Theatre. Patrons are not currently required to show proof of vaccination or of a negative Covid-19 test when attending performances.
Dates, Times and Casts:
Friday 1 July at 18h30 (Standard prices): Shannon Glover and Revil Yon
Saturday 2 July at 15h00 (Standard prices): Nicole Ferreira-Dill and Armando Barros
Sunday 3 July at 15h00 (Standard prices): Monike Cristina and Ruan Galdino
Wednesday 6 July at 11h00 (Morning prices): Nicole Ferreira-Dill and Armando Barros
Friday 8 July at 18h30 (Standard prices): Monike Cristina and Ruan Galdino
Saturday 9 July at 15h00 (Standard prices): Shannon Glover and Revil Yon
Saturday 9 July at 18h30 (Standard prices): Cristina Nakos and Gabriel Fernandes
Sunday 10 July at 15h00 (Standard prices): Monike Cristina and Ruan Galdino
Standard Ticket Prices: R475, R410, R375, R275, R200 (applicable to all performances except Wednesday 6 July for which all tickets are R100)
Discounts: Friends of the Ballet 35%; Pensioners 15%; Groups of 10+ 10%; Children 4-7 50% (not recommended for children under 4 years)
Where: Joburg Theatre, Braamfontein (GPS -26.191316, 28.038519)
Book now: At Joburg Theatre Box Office; or tel. 0861 670 670; or online at www.joburgtheatre.com. Patrons can also book and pay via the Nedbank app and at selected Pick n Pay stores (full list at www.webtickets.co.za/pnpoutlets.aspx)
