The Joburg Ballet

We finally went to see the South African Mzansi Ballet or the Joburg Ballet as it is now called. Instead of seeing their brand new production of Cinderella, we opted instead for a program called Celebration 5.

Celebration 5 features seven (not 5) short ballets and excerpts from a couple of full-length ballets. Most were pretty modern ballets and there was also a pas de deux  from Le Corsaire with choreography after Marius Petipa and one called Flower Festival at Genzano Pas de Deux with choreography by the equally legendary Auguste Bournonville.

Most of the short ballets were choreographed by Joburg Ballet's own resident choreographers. A couple were by guest choreographer Alvaro Restrepo who is the Director and co-founder of Colombia's El Colegio del Cuerpo whose members also  performed with the company.

Most of the pieces were very enjoyable and were danced very well. We got to see a range of dancing styles and abilities danced in very classic and more modern ballet styles. The first thing you notice is that there is no pit orchestra. Come to think of it, there is no pit. We were spoiled in New York! The recorded music was actually pretty good though. One ballet had a DJ on stage who was also part of the scenery. That was very, very good. The second thing you notice is the dancers are much more athletic and acrobatic than the dancers we are used to at home. And ripped!

I have to say as the evening progressed we were thinking "this is ok, we could do this a couple of times a year. Maybe we should get tickets to The Nutcracker for Christmas." Then the curtain went up on the last ballet, God-by-the Sea.  "Concepcion and Choreography"  by Alvaro Restrepo. Concepcion? Uh oh. That did not bode well.  Somebody takes himself way too seriously. (PS he describes himself in the program as Colombian Dancer, Choreographer and Pedagogue. That should have been my first clue!)

That really bit!

As it turned out, it was worse than we thought. The music was disharmonious - and not in a good Stravinsky way - chants and cantigas and just noise. And the program included an except from a Pablo Neruda poem about death as a way to describe the ballet. Strike three.

I tried to figure out what was going on up on the stage but I soon gave up. I can't really comment about the actual choreography or how the dancers performed because I sort of curled up into a ball and fell asleep in self-defense. Apparently one of the female dancers gets completely naked on stage and Vince said even that could not save it! As Leonard Pinth-Garnell used to say on SNL's Bad Ballet, "That really bit!"

photographs for sale in the lobby

But on a good note, the Joburg Theater Complex is really nice! There are a number of theaters in the Complex showcasing most of the performing arts. Very nice and modern. There is free and secure parking underneath the complex and there is a restaurant with a full bar on the ground floor. These things are very important in the CBD. You do not have to worry about parking and if you get there too early, you do not have to roam the streets looking for a bar or a restaurant to have a pre-theater cocktail.

And speaking of getting there early, do not be late! This was the first time we have ever seen anything start on time since we got to South Africa. That curtain went up promptly at 7:30.

The Joburg Ballet is still a young company. Maybe they haven't found their voice yet. Maybe God-by-the-Sea was just an aberration. After all, the NYCB had its klinkers in my estimation. Can you say Bugaku?

We may still go to see the Nutcracker at Christmas.