Jill Waterman Dance
The removal of funding from government for the State Theatre Ballet Company has led to Maestro Entertainment stepping in to produce and present The Nutcracker from December 1 to 16. This is a tried and tested old work, which in most cases brings in good box office returns.
Maestro Entertainment, being a profit-making company, has backed this idea clearly hoping to make the ballet financially self sustaining.
I applaud Chris Lodewyk, founder and executive chairman of Maestro Entertainment, for his courage in trying to do something about keeping classical ballet alive instead of simply moaning and groaning that government should provide. I do, however, question why on the production’s third performance the State Theatre was not even half-booked.
Are audiences boredll with these oldll works? Were ticket prices too high?
Did the marketing reach the appropriate target groups? Is there still a big enough audience out there that wants to see the classical ballet? Are new audiences being courted?
The ballet is a competent and traditional production with the performers articulately schooled in the form of the work.
Karen Beukes and Iain MacDonald danced with classical mastery, delivering their solo and pas de deux sequences with clarity and skill. Technical performances to be proud of, but as with the rest of the adult cast, the passion, fantasy and dreamscape are missing.
This is a work that should move us, transport us through magical moments and spaces. We often become too involved with the mechanics of the dancing and the set changes to fully escape out of the real world.
The children from the old State Theatre Ballet School, however, dance from the heart. They truly show passion for the show, living and performing in the moment. They are possibly less aware of the harsh financial and ultimate career consequences of dancing to a half-empty State Theatre.
The choreography of this production is professional and set close to the original, a work based in the cultural context of Tzarist Russia. While there can be a great deal said for preserving tradition, one needs specific cultural capital lllto read into, appreciate and love those Russian ballet traditions. Sitting watching this performance over 100 years later in South Africa did lead me to question why this work is holding on to such an old-fashioned presentation.
Being firmly committed to the concept of freedom of expression I do believe there is a place for classical ballet in South Africa. In this period of reshuffling values, beliefs and funding status, a newfound recipe can be established to keep the audiences appreciating and coming to the ballet.
The secret ingredients might be in exploring content and presentation relevant to a wider South African audience than in the past.
Audience development is also a marketing strategy seriously in need of attention. No good dancers are going to survive playing to half-full houses.
If you are a traditionalist this is your chance to win some tickets to The Nutcracker. Phone Samantha on (011) 442-8435 on Friday December 8 and Monday December 11 between 3pm and 4pm. The first five callers will be given two tickets each to a performance of their choice.