Cape Town City Ballet

Cape Town City Ballet – Pas de Deux: Review

A Pas de Deux, as its French name suggests, is a dance between two people. The Cape Town City Ballet is currently hosting a performance of various pas de deux at Artscape, showcasing many fine dancers. The programme includes selections from Anna Karenina, Romeo and Juliet, Spartacus and Don Quixote. A few ensemble pieces, such as Johann Strauss’s Emperor Waltz, are performed as well. Pairing up proficient dancers, the performers take you on a breathless journey across the world, from Russia and Greece to Spain and Italy, often matching the wild passion in some of literature’s grandest romances with celebrated pieces from classical music.

The standouts are Anna Karenina and Romeo and Juliet. Kim Viera and Daniel Szybkowski in the former and Laura Bosenberg and Ivan Boonzaaier in the latter, perfectly capture the youthful yet tragic naiveté of the doomed lovers. In a brief instant on stage we are enraptured by the young lovers’ tales, told through the subtle touches within the chorography, such as the gentle fluttering of Juliet’s hands as she appears on the balcony. The quiet grace of the dancers in Romeo and Juliet is resonant of Shakespeare’s poetic text, while the dramatic flourishes and grand gestures in Karenina are a nod to Tolstoy’s own penchant for melodrama.

The pas de deux from Le Corsaire is also a magical moment. Principal dancer Laura Bosenberg, tiara placed delicately atop her head, beautifully captures the vibrant energy of the piece, looking like a vision of a princess. Carmen is a personal favourite, particularly because of Bizet’s music, and while it had its strong moments, particularly in the choreography of the title character, the impetuous spirit of the piece is lacking. The ensembles in general are the weaker moments of the show, requiring tightening in its execution and stronger cohesion between the dancers.

The defining moments lie in the various pas de deux, enriched by their numerous solos, each displaying the skill of the dancers of the Cape Town City Ballet. The pieces are elegantly conceptualised, the rich stories and characterisation allowing for much dramatisation and performance. This is complemented by the careful thought placed into each costume. Paying special attention to the source material, the result is a plethora of exquisite costumes which reveal something of each story’s grand tradition. The set is simply designed in order not to detract from the dancers or clash with the costumes, and every inch of space is filled with the movements of the dancers as they enthral the audience with timeless stories, stirring music and dazzling skill.

Cape Town City Ballet’s Pas de Deux runs from 26 to 28 September at Artscape.

Originally published on What’s on in Cape Town.

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