Joburg Ballet Will Perform DREAMSCAPES

After an absence of nine years Joburg Ballet will return to the Roodepoort Theatre in Gauteng with DreamScapes, a triple bill showcasing the company’s versatility and commitment to celebrating heritage, artistry, and innovation. Performances run  from 28 March to 6 April.

This compelling programme weaves together the timeless beauty of Les Sylphides, a deeply rooted spiritual narrative in Kitty Phetla’s new work, The Underworld & Elsewhere and the electrifying vibrancy and poignant power of human resilience in Dane Hurst’s new work, Resonance. Together, these works form a rich tapestry of tradition, identity, and creative exploration, offering audiences an unforgettable dance experience that transcends the realms of reality.

A programme with cultural and artistic resonance, DreamScapes represents the interplay between tradition, ancestry and a forward-looking vision celebrating beauty and diversity. Each work in the programme offers a unique perspective on our shared humanity.

The celebrated ballet Les Sylphides is a cornerstone of classical ballet, transporting audiences to a dreamlike world of ethereal beauty. With choreography steeped in Romanticism and set to the emotive music of Frédéric Chopin, Les Sylphides, produced and staged by Joburg Ballet’s ballet mistress Kim Vieira, provides a timeless meditation on grace and harmony. Its inclusion in DreamScapes roots the programme in the rich tradition of ballet, providing a foundation for the contemporary works that follow.

Kitty Phetla’s The Underworld & Elsewhere delves into the metaphysical ties between past, present and future. Inspired by the enduring presence of ancestral spirits and energies that live with and through us, this work invites audiences to journey into the unseen realms of existence. Phetla’s choreography resonates deeply with South Africa’s cultural and spiritual heritage, offering a poignant meditation on the interconnectedness of life across generations.

Resonance by Joburg Ballet’s recently appointed interim artistic director Dane Hurst is a powerful new ballet that explores themes of resonant landscapes, diverse cultural connections and transformation, manifesting a vibrant vision of the future rooted in the lessons of the past. Driven by the sonic landscape of acclaimed South African composer Kyle Shepherd’s evocative album, South African History !X, Resonance  takes inspiration from the energy, exuberance and community spirit cultivated within underground jazz clubs of historic melting-pot communities like South End, District Six and Sophiatown. This work celebrates the enduring power of music and dance to unite, heal and inspire freedom of expression.

DreamScapes is an artistic journey through the timeless, the spiritual and the visionary. With Phetla’s The Underworld & Elsewhere and Hurst’s Resonance offering profound reflections on ancestry and cultural resonance, and Les Sylphides grounding the programme in the enduring beauty of classical ballet, DreamScapes celebrates the past, honours the present, and imagines a brighter, more harmonious future.

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