Cape Ballet Africa makes its debut at Artscape Opera House from 25 – 27 March with a new triple bill, BREATHWORDS.
BREATHWORDS features two choreographies by international creators, presented alongside an expanded version of South African choreographer, Kirsten Isenberg’s Reverie, an ethereal masterpiece set to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2,which captivated audiences last year. Maggie Foyer for Dance Europe praised Reverie as ‘a ballet of gentle beauty.”
The line-up also features the world premiere of whispers from within, choreographed by renowned Dutch choreographer Wubkje Kuindersma, set to Summer and Spring of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons recomposed by Max Richter.
Completing the programme is excitingly Nacho Duato’s REMANSO, a project made possible with the invaluable support of the Embassy of Spain in Pretoria and the Spanish Consulate in Cape Town.
“We open our triple bill with the debut of Wubkje Kuindersma’s whispers from within, which was commissioned for the Cape Ballet Africa dancers, “ says Debbie Turner, Artistic Director and founder of Cape Ballet Africa.
“Wubkje explores the beauty and power of human connection through her work, with elegance, emotion and artistry, celebrating the transformative power of dance and music. We are honoured to be staging her first production in Africa, the continent of her birth,” says Turner.
“It is a dream come true for us and a coup to have secured Nacho Duato’s REMANSO for Breathwords,” says Turner. “This expressive, playful, sensual work, set to music by Spanish composer Enrique Grandos, forms the middle ballet of our new triple bill. We are especially grateful to the Spanish Embassy and the Consulate in Cape Town for making this project happen.”
REMANSO is an all-male work originally created on American Ballet Theatre, New York in 1997, set to music by Enrique Granados.
Cape Ballet Africa will have the privilege of working with Master Spanish Choreographer and Director Duato to bring his acclaimed one-act ballet to the Artscape stage.
Choreography for REMANSO is by Nacho Duato with Music by Enrique Granados. Set and Costume Design are by Nacho Duato with Lighting Design by Brad Fields and Production Supervision by Carlos Iturrioz.
“We are very proud to bring Nacho Duato to Cape Town for the first time, one of the renowned choreographers in the world and our greatest Spanish star in the world ballet scene. For twenty years he was the director of the Spanish National Dance Company and his choreographies have become part of the repertoire of the most prestigious international companies. And it is especially exciting to have him working together with South African dancers and conducting workshops in Cape Town during his stay,” says Jesús Silva, Consul General of Spain.
BREATHWORDS offers an unforgettable ballet experience. Don’t miss this enchanting debut that redefines the boundaries of ballet. Bookings can be made at Webtickets
Cape Ballet Africa celebrates first birthday with new studio and bumper 2025 programme
As it journeys into its second year, Cape Ballet Africa has a bumper programme lined up for 2025, including the premiere of a new triple bill, a touring programme and Maina Gielgud’s Giselle.
The Company celebrates a double whammy, marking its first birthday as well as the completion of its custom-made new studio at the Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA), a move which has been made possible thanks to the investment of Food Lover’s Market.
Established by Debbie Turner in March 2024, Cape Ballet Africa seeks to reimagine how ballet can look in Africa, instilling the discipline of classical ballet while blending in the exciting heritage of South African culture. The Company identity strongly aligns with the global dance landscape while building a proudly African organisation.
Its inaugural season SALT premiered at The Baxter last year, to sold out houses and critically acclaimed responses.
“Through our longstanding association with Debbie Turner and Cape Ballet Africa, we know dance has the power to inspire, uplift, and transform lives. Our support of Cape Ballet Africa is rooted in a shared passion for nurturing talent, creating opportunities, and building strong, vibrant communities. Seeing Cape Ballet Africa grow, celebrate its first birthday, and open this beautiful new studio at SSISA is a proud moment for all of us – it’s a home for young dancers to dream bigger and reach higher. We are so proud to be part of this journey and can’t wait to see the impact this will have on the next generation of dancers.” says Shaneen Coppin, Food Lover’s Market and Cape Ballet Africa Board Member.
“The Sports Science Institute of South Africa shares Cape Ballet Africa’s vision of creating a proudly African global reputation through performance excellence. We are excited that Cape Ballet Africa is starting a new journey with us that will positively impact even more lives and deeply enrich the human experience.” says Dr Mandla Moyo, CEO of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa.
PROGRAMME FOR 2025
Other plans for the first quarter of the year include a presentation of Mthuthuzeli November’s Chapter 2 on 28 February and 1 March at Jazzart Dance Theatre’s inaugural Meraki Dance Festival; performances at RMB Starlight Classics at Vergelegen Wine Estate as well as presenting SALT at the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees on 1 and 2 April.
“Taking us into autumn, we return in May to the intimate and wonderful The Drama Factory in Somerset West for a two-week run, followed by EXTRACTS OF SALT at FynArts Festival in Hermanus from 6 to 9 June”, says Turner. “We will also be looking forward to returning to The Drama Factory for another season in September.”
From 10 to 22 November, Cape Ballet Africa will present celebrated artist, choreographer and pedagogue Maina Gielgud’s production of classic favourite Giselle at The Baxter.
“We are cooking up something special for the end of the year and a number of exciting plans incuding national tour dates,” says Turner. “Breathwords at Artscape in March and a breathtaking programme for 2025 is in store for us!”
“We once again extend our sincere gratitude to our sponsor and partner, Food Lover’s Market and the Sports Science Institute of South Africa for helping to launch us into this next phase,” concludes Turner.
The Cape Ballet Africa Company of dancers are:
Gabriel Ravenscroft, Gemma Trehearn, Jan Kotzé, Joshua Williams, Julia O’Keeffe, Kayla Schultze, Leanè Theunissen, Mia Coomber, Nicolas Laubscher, Nina Simpson and Tayla de Bie. Apprentices are Aphiwe November, Erin Padoa, Gia Lipschitz and Thomas Larché.
Cape Ballet Africa is proud to be associated with Food Lover’s Market with their commitment to innovation and their values to….have faith, lead with love, be the miracle”.
Cape Ballet Africa is also grateful for the support of The Fine Fund, THEATRE DANCE ASSOCIATION (TDA), BASA, Ballet World, Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and CDIC (Cape Dance Injury Centre) and Southern Sun Hotels for hosting.
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NOTES TO EDITOR
Wubkje Kuindersma – Choreographer whispers from within
Wubkje is a choreographer based in The Netherlands. The past years she served as Creative Associate at Dutch National Ballet (2021- 2024), where she choreographed for the junior and main company.
Known for her poetic and emotionally rich works, she has a background with ballet and contemporary dance, which allows her to create pieces that are both technically demanding and deeply expressive.
Kuindersma was among Dancemagazine USA’s Top 25 to watch list for 2019. Her duet Two and Only for Dutch National Ballet was internationally acclaimed and performed worldwide, with Marijn Rademaker being nominated for the Prix de Benois 2018 for his role in this work.
Kuindersma graduated at Codarts, and has danced with companies such as Nürnberg Ballet, Djazzex, Gulbenkian Ballet, McGregor’s Random Dance and Danish Dance Theatre. She has choreographed for Dutch National Ballet and its Junior Company, Korzo & NDT, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Ballet Dortmund, West Australian Ballet, BalletX, Danish Dance Theatre, Skanes Dansteater, Ballet Kiel, Noverre – Stuttgart Ballet, National Youth Ballet of John Neumeier, Hessisches Staatsballet, Dutch National Ballet Academy, and many others.
Her work has been well received by audience and press and her many accolades include 4 nominations and 2 awards for her full length ballet for West Australian Ballet Echoes of Van Gogh at West Australian Performing Arts Awards in 2024.
Spanish choreographer and world ballet star Nacho Duato, visiting Cape Town soon. 25, 26 & 27 March 2025 at Artscape Theatre with Cape Ballet Africa. Not to be missed. Tickets available at Webtickets. Courtesy of the Spanish Embassy (Pretoria) and the Consulate Spain (Cape Town) with support of AECID (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo)
Nacho Duato – Choreographer REMANSO
Nacho Duato is an internationally celebrated choreographer and dancer. He trained at Rambert School in London, expanding his studies at Maurice Béjart’s Mudra School in Brussels and completing his dance education at The Alvin Ailey American Dance Centre in New York.
His long list of awards and accolades include receiving the Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres which is annually given by the French Embassy in Spain, as well as being awarded by the Spanish Government in 1998 with the Golden Medal for the Merit in the Fine Arts.
At the Stuttgart Opera he received the Benois de la Danse, one of the most prestigious international awards for choreography, presented by the International Dace Association for his ballet Multiplicity, Forms of Silence and Emptiness, in April 2000.
In 2023 he founded the Nacho Duato Academy for dance education for students and dancers from all over the world.
His ballets form part of the repertoire of companies like Paris Opera, Cullberg Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Deutche Opera Ballet, Australian Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Ballet Gulbenkian, Finish Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, The Singapore Ballet, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Hubbard St. Dance Chicago, North Carolina Dance Thatre, The Boston Ballet, The Gothemburg Ballet, The Royal Swedish Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, The Northen Ballet, Ballet du Capitole, Ballet du Rhin, Teatro Comunale Florence,
National Ballet of Portugal, The Norweigian Ballet, National Theatre Tokio, The Universal Ballet, Stars Foundation Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Staats Theater Berlin, Bolshoi Ballet, etc.
In 1980 Duato signed his first professional contract with the Cullberg Ballet in Stockholm and a year later Jirí Kylián brought him to the Nederlands Dans Theater in Holland, where he was quickly incorporated into company and repertoire.
For his achievements as a dancer, he received the VSCD Gouden Dansprijs (Golden Dance Award) for the year 1987.
Duato’s natural talent had him soon looking beyond the limitations of being a dancer and turned towards choreography. His first attempt in 1983 turned into a major success: Jardí Tancat to Spanish/Catalan music by compatriot Mª del Mar Bonet won him the first prize at the International Choreographic Workshop (Internationaler Choreographischer Wettbewerb) at Cologne.
Without reducing his responsibilities as a dancer Duato, has created more than a dozen works for the two companies of Nederlands Dans Theater: Danza y Rito (Chávez), Uccelli (Respighi), Synaphai (Xenakis/Vangelis), Bolero (Ravel), Arenal (Bonet), Chansons Madecasses (Ravel), Raptus (to Richard Wagner’s Wesendonk Lieder), Dreams of Ether (Landowsky), Lament (Gorecki), etc. For almost every work painter/designer Walter Nobbe proved a constantly inspiring and reliable collaborator.
In 1988 Nacho Duato was named Resident Choreographer for Nederlands Dans Theater – next to Hans van Manen and Jirí Kylián.
Since June 1990, invited by the Instituto Nacional de las Artes Escénicas y de la Música of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, Nacho Duato is Artistic Director of Compañía Nacional de Danza, where he created the following works: Concierto Madrigal (J.Rodrigo), Kaburias ( L. Brouwer), Opus Piat (L.V.Beethoven), Duende ( Debussy), Empty (Collage), Cor Perdut ( M de M Bonet)Coming Together (F.Rzewski), Na Floresta ( H. Villalobos), Mediterrania (Collage), Cautiva (A. Iglesias) , Alone, for a second (E. Satie), Tabulae (A. Iglesias), Rassemblement ( Toto Bissainthe)Ecos (S. Micus), Cero sobre Cero (A. Iglesias), Por Vos Muero, Ofrenda de sombras (s. XVI), Arcangelo (Corelli), Self ( A.Iglesias), Castrati (K. Jenkins), L´Homme ( Kurtag), Seventeen ( P. Alcalde/S. Caballero), Herrumbre ( P. Alcalde/S. Caballero), White Darkness ( K. Jenkins), Txalaparta ( K. Junkera), Hevel ( P.Alcalde/S.Caballero), O Domina Nostra ( H.Gorecki), Cobalto ( P. Alcalde/S. Caballero) etc.
In October 1997 he created Remanso with music by Enrique Granados and in 2000 Without Words (Schubert) at the American Ballet Theatre. In January 1998 he created his first full length ballet, Romeo and Juliet on Prokofiev music, in 2000 Multiplicity, forms of void and silence, in 2006 Alas based on the texts of Wim Wenders for his film Himmel Über Berlin and in 2010 Chejov´s Infinite Garden.
From January 2011 he took the position of Artistic Director of Mikhailowsky Ballet (Saint Petersburgs-Russia) creating the following pieces: Nunc Dimitis, Prelude, Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, Invisible.
In 2014 he created Depakine for the Martha Graham Dance and from 2014 he became Artistic Director of Berlin State Ballet (Germany) a position which he occupied until July 2018. In 2018 he was appointed Artistic Director of Mijailowsky Ballet (Saint Petersburg, Russia)
Kirsten Isenberg – Choreographer Reverie
Kirsten Isenberg studied at the University of Cape Town where she attained a Bachelor of Music in Dance, majoring in Choreography, Classical and Contemporary Dance. She went on to dance for Cape Town City Ballet as well as Bovim Ballet and later was part of the international touring company for Phantom of the Opera.
As a classical, neo-classical and contemporary dance choreographer, Kirsten has created works for various companies and schools such as the Cape Junior Ballet, Cape Academy of Performing Arts, Cape Dance Company, New World Dance Theatre and Cape Town City Ballet. She was also appointed as the first South African commissioned choreographer for the Royal Academy of Dance’s Genée International Ballet Competition in 2011.
Kirsten has previously worked with Cape Town City Ballet as Senior Repetitéur, rehearsing, coaching and staging works by choreographers such as Veronica Paeper, Maina Gielgud and Jiri Kylián. She has also served as choreographer and movement director for Cape Town Opera on their productions of Viardot’s Cendrillon, Verdi’s La Traviata and most recently Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor.
Kirsten serves on the Board of Directors for Cape Junior Ballet Company and was recently appointed Resident Choreographer for Cape Ballet Africa.
Cape Ballet Africa
Cape Ballet Africa celebrates cultural values imbued through dance, instilling the discipline of classical ballet while blending in the exciting heritage of South African culture. The Company identity strongly aligns with the global dance landscape while building a proudly African organisation. Cape Ballet Africa seeks to reimagine how ballet can look in Africa, using the interplay of identity and culture, the diversity in all elements of the artform; the people and the repertory.
Cape Ballet Africa produces performances that are bold and strongly rooted in the classical ballet technique, with exceptional quality front-and-centre as an inherent part of the artistic identity. It is founded in discipline and self-expression, individuality in teamwork, with a distinctive elegance, refinement and audacious grace.
Established by highly respected dance figure Debbie Turner, Cape Ballet Africa will, through performance excellence and ongoing professional development of artists, inspire new generations to appreciate an artform that demands much of the human spirit, gives much back to the human spirit and fosters a broad appreciation and following within the African diaspora. Innovation and collaboration are core focuses within the operation of the Company, with unique voices already a hallmark of its daily functioning, both within the cast and the creative minds. Education and upskilling of young apprentice professional artists working with more experienced artists will also be a focus for the new company.
Cape Ballet Africa is honoured to include Dr Connie September, Diane Van Schoor and Thoriso Magongwa as the company’s Patrons.
WHAT THE PRESS HAVE TO SAY
‘a triple bill of ballets bursting with beauty, strength and vibrant expression…it’s incredible.’
Karisa Nicholls, Cape Town My Love
‘Creativity on a Masterful Scale, with Blissful taste, Visual Splendour and Dancers of exquisite talent.’
Brian van Rheede
‘sheer exuberance, talent, spirit, vibrancy, excellence in technique, fabulous costumes, exciting music and innovative choreography.’
Hadley Tituss
‘The triple bill of ballets presented in SALT offers a diverse and intellectually stimulating exploration of choreographic artistry, leaving a lasting impression on audiences and critics alike.’
Shireen Fisher, The Platinum Brief
‘it’s beautiful…a feast for the eye.’
Nigel Vermaas, Bush Radio
‘It’s always thrilling to watch a performance from totally committed dancers, and SALT, Cape Ballet Africa’s inaugural performance, was this but so much more… a company classically trained and truly African… Kirsten Isenberg’s Reverie [is] a ballet of gentle beauty… Mthuthuzeli November’s Chapter Two is a winner… Smoke, a smouldering, jazzy piece, closed the evening on a high. Michelle Reid’s choreography is witty, with a clever play of dynamics to build a head of steam’
Maggie Foyer, Dance Europe
UPCOMING SHOWS
CAPE BALLET AFRICA proudly presents Breathwords, a mesmerizing triple bill that marks the company’s debut at the prestigious Artscape Opera House and celebrates its first anniversary
This landmark production features two internationally curated choreographies alongside Kirsten Isenberg’s Reverie, an ethereal masterpiece set to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2. Now expanded to encompass all three movements of this iconic composition, Reverie has become a signature work of the company, captivating audiences with its dreamlike meditation on movement and music.
Breathwords offers an unforgettable ballet experience, performed live with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra on 25 March, and with recorded music on 26 and 27 March. With a duration of 120 minutes, including a 30-minute interval, this performance promises an evening of artistry, emotion, and elegance, celebrating the transformative power of dance and music. Don’t miss this enchanting debut that redefines the boundaries of ballet.
Cape Ballet Africa has just confirmed it will stage Maina Gielgud’s “Giselle” at The Baxter next year.
Diarise the dates 13 – 23 November 2025
For Dancers:
Contracts will be available for professional ballet dancers, and additionally, special opportunities will be available for pre-professional students from the age of 15 years for experiential learning and performance opportunity
