Event information
The South African National Dance Trust (SANDT) brings together eight South African dance companies for a single gala celebrating the country's dance heritage, joined by Dutch National Ballet principal dancers Anna Ol and Jan Špunda as special guest artists. Both performances are accompanied live by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Brandon Phillips.
Ol and Špunda perform a neo-classical work by incoming Dutch National Ballet artistic director Ernst Meisner, alongside an excerpt from Rudi van Dantzig's Swan Lake. The South African line-up spans Cape Town City Ballet, Joburg Ballet, WGRUV Dance Company, Cape Ballet Africa and Jazzart Dance Theatre, alongside emerging artists from the Luitingh Alexander Musical Theatre Academy and Waterfront Theatre School, with additional choreography by George Balanchine, Martha Graham and South African choreographers Veronica Paeper and Sean Bovim.
The programme also honours South Africans who have built international dance careers, with each relevant performance preceded by a short film on their contribution to the field. The gala highlights longstanding ties between South African dancers and Dutch National Ballet, whose repertoire includes Onegin by South African-born choreographer John Cranko.