Evolve, the first of Joburg Ballet’s three main celebratory seasons this year, offers a scintillating blend of the new and the classical, bringing together four ballets, three of them world premieres, as well as a glittering showpiece from the classical repertoire. Evolve was to have been presented in 2021 but due to an escalation in Covid-19 cases was postponed to 2022.
The new works are The Afterlife: Souls, an introspective piece by principal dancer Shannon Glover in which she explores the concept of death as the great equaliser; The Game by Mario Gaglione in which the game of kings has inspired the choreographer to draw parallels between the game of chess and the game of life; and Legae, an evocative dance piece by Tumelo Lekana about which the choreographer simply says “the leaves pray for the roots to heal”.
The programme’s classic, the Grand Pas from Paquita, is ballet at its most majestic, providing a showcase for ballerina, partner, soloists and corps de ballet to shine in a series of superb classical showpieces. Choreographed in the 19th century by Marius Petipa, creator of legendary ballet classics such as The Sleeping Beauty, Paquita is being produced for Joburg Ballet by company soloist Ivan Domiciano.
Joburg Ballet artistic director Iain MacDonald says: “We are proud that as Joburg Ballet celebrates its 21st Anniversary, the company continues to consolidate its standing as a creative force in South African dance. In 2021 we presented thirteen new works and we are set to continue this trend in 2022. This aligns with our vision to offer opportunities for new choreographic voices to be heard, to offer works that reflect our world and provide new experiences for our audiences while at the same time continuing to honour the classical ballet foundations on which Joburg Ballet is based.”
EVOLVE: Booking information
In a change from booking arrangements in 2021 where patrons booked unreserved seats and were seated on a first-come-first-served basis, patrons will now book reserved seats in a graded pricing structure. In terms of Covid-19 regulations, the audience size currently allows for 494 socially distanced people in the 960-seat Joburg Theatre. All Covid-19 regulations will be observed at performances.
Dates and Times:
Friday 25 March at 18:30
Saturday 26 March at 15:00
Saturday 26 March at 18:30
Sunday 27 March at 15:00
Wednesday 30 March at 11:00 (All tickets for this performance are R100)
Friday 1 April at 18:30
Saturday 2 April at 15:00
Sunday 3 April at 15:00
Standard Ticket Prices: R475, R410, R375, R275, R200 (applicable to all performances except Wednesday 30 March 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)
