Developing the next generation of South African dancers
For its showcase performance for 2022, the Joburg Ballet School presented The Prince of Egypt at the Joburg Theatre on Saturday 8 October. A dance adaptation based on the musical The Prince of Egypt by Stephen Schwartz and Hans Zimmer, the presentation was choreographed by Jo-Anne Wyngaard assisted by Tshego Masoabi and Carmen Patterson-Walz and danced by students of the School
Opened in 2012, the Joburg Ballet School is a training facility for young dancers who have had previous training as well as dancers without previous training. The School offers three levels of tuition and it is envisaged that this training initiative will develop into a fully-fledged vocational school feeding dancers into the professional company. The Joburg Ballet School provides a safe and structured environment for children to grow socially and to introduce them to the joys and benefits of ballet. The School gives children from historically disadvantaged areas a good basic training as well as increasingly advanced levels of training as they progress. Learners in the School have regular performing opportunities in Joburg Ballet productions requiring children in the cast. Personal interest in a child’s circumstances enables teachers to understand each child’s specific requirements, allowing them to mould vulnerable children into socially responsible and culturally sensitive individuals. Learners are between 5 and 16 years.
