Sheila Chisholm
WITH our country in turmoil, sending our rand crashing, this is perhaps the moment when our sights should turn towards the arts. Because the arts are an area where no one cares a hoot – what you are, where you come from and what you look like. Accepting each nation’s heritage plays a part in our physique and thinking. It is vital that all our teachers are trained to nurture their charges, no matter their circumstances, through the best possible foundation phases.
Without a sound basis, no sustainable progress is viable. Without strong roots talent cannot flower. Worse, it withers and dies. Still worse is poor teaching from trained teachers, cheats our children of their right to follow their heart and dreams. Although the above reflects every subject for purposes of this review, particular reference is laid on classical ballet – where internationally everyone speaks the same language – dance.
Having just attended six performances of the 5th SA International Ballet Competition(SAIBC) and a seminar chaired by the competition’s chief executive director Dirk Badenhorst, when the seven international judges spoke to members of our ballet fraternity, about their personal journey to success, their message was loud and clear. While their roads varied. Their commitment didn’t. Each judge praised inspiring teachers, modestly touched in on their personal determination, frequently against overwhelming odds, to become dancers. Success isn’t a hand out. It comes from dedication from all concerned.
Surprisingly the (too) often heard complaint that local ballet teachers are competing against their pupils’ extramural lessons is not unique to us. It is a universal phenomenon wherever there are no full-time government backed arts schools. According to judge Mi-Song Cho (director, Korean Youth Ballet Stars), even in South Korea the same “once a week lesson” problem prevails. With one difference. South Korean trainees have such passion to improve they regularly gather privately to practice.
So, if you missed the competition you missed witnessing 70 competitors from 10 countries of which 22 from South Korea were remarkably skilled, delicate and delightful. Although confessing to doubting the wisdom of allowing a 10 year-old “go through a series of sur-les pointes hops and sautes, this tiny tot was obviously so carefully trained, she (hopefully) will suffer no physical damage. I also quibble about 10 and 11 year-old children performing sophisticated variations from the classical repertoire. Perhaps Badenhorst could lift the scholar section age bracket from 12 to 15 years? After all the so called Baby Ballerinas were 13,14,15 when their careers launched in 1933 with Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.
So why is it possible for these dancers of both sexes to soar into the clouds; pirouette countless times (without falling over); toss off, en pointe, single and double fouettes en tournant; work “through the foot” to alight softly from grand jetes en avant, know precisely where feet should be placed in a 5th position and do so with grace and confidence – when all too often our professional dancers can’t? This is not to say South African standards are low.
Far from it. Results show a total from the 38 SA competitors 16 reached the semi-finals; seven in the 10-15 group and nine in the 16-20 group were among the finalists. For some reason only one South African entered the senior class (19-28) and he didn’t reach the semi-finals. Why? This is not the forum to tackle this issue. As judges Julio Bocca (Artistic Director Ballet Nacional del Sodre, Uruguay, and Oliver Matz, Director Dance Studies Zurich Dance Academy discussed, and suggested, teachers should come together to share knowledge how, in our present situation, we upgrade our general overall classical ballet technical standard. Regularly we hear about the wealth of talent in this country. So to coin from Winston Churchill’s famous speech “give our children the tools and they’ll finish the job”
Ballet is a visual art and one gasped at the extreme delicacy of port de bras, beauty, lightness, well controlled and used feet, and quiet confidence displayed by the 37 South Koreans – both male and female - that graced Artscape’s Opera stage. While fewer entries came this year from Cuba, other competitors represented Russia, Latvia, USA, Cuba, Mexico, Azerbaijan and United Kingdom. Results show their successful training base.
Competition rules are simple. There are three age groups Scholars 10 – 15 years; Juniors 16 – 20 years, and Seniors 21 – 28 years. There are two categories. Contemporary and Classical Ballet.
The contemporary section requires only one performance and is judged accordingly. In the classical section two (own choice) variations from the classical ballet repertoire are performed. A pas de deux is regarded as two variations and danced once.
Marks, out of a hundred, take into consideration, technique, artistry, presentation, style, musicality and grooming. On that score grooming and costuming must rate full marks so beautifully turned out was each and every candidate.
During the waiting period before the finalists were announced Angela Malan and Admill Kuyler performed Sonate, a neo-classical love pas de deux. Arms & Length Dance Company performed a contemporary work called Arrival.
Cape Celtic Dance Company showed some nifty Irish dance foot work in Whelan Way. Art of Motion performed robot like jerks in Whence Come We? What Are We? Whither Go We?, another contemporary piece by Cape Dance Company – Mirror of her Mind was followed by a dazzling Black Swan pas de deux performed by Adiarys Almeida and Jonhal Fernandes. A grand finale showcasing every competitors wound up a magic evening of dance.
As Badenhorst announced the winners each courteously stepped forward to receive a medal and a monetary prize. In the Senior Classical – Girls Gold neither R25 000 nor a medal awarded; Silver and R15 000: Miry Oh, 21, South Korea; Bronze and R10 000: Annija Kopstale, 23, Latvia. Senior Contemporary – Girls Gold and R15 000: Annija Kopstale, 23, Latvia. Senior
Classical – Boys Gold and R25 000: Jonhal Fernandez, 24, Mexico; Silver and R15 000: Ariel Fabre, 19, Cuba; Bronze and R10 00: no award. Senior Contemporary - Boys Gold and R15 000: Ariel Fabre, 19, Cuba. Junior Classical – Girls Gold and R20 000: Celine Park, 16, South Korea; Silver and R12 500: Hyeonjeong Yoo, 17, South Korea; Bronze and R7 500: Chaiwon Cho, 16, South Korea. Junior Contemporary – Girls Gold and R10 000: Neline Theron, 16, Cape Town. Junior Classical – Boys Gold and R20 000: Leroy Mokgatle, 16, Johannesburg; Silver and R12 500: Byeongin Choi, 17, South Korea; Bronze and R7 500: Justine Valentine, 17, USA. Junior Contemporary – Boys Gold and R10 000 Leroy Mokgatle, 17, Johannesburg.
Scholar Classical – Girls Gold and R7 500: Caroline Grossman, 12, USA; Silver and R5 000: Nikita Boris, 15, USA; Bronze and R2 500: Minji Namkoong, 13, South Korea. Scholar Contemporary – Girls Gold and R5 000: Tie between Hyeji Kang, 14, South Korea and Bobby Strong, 15, Johannesburg. Scholar Classical – Boys Gold and R7 500 Jeongmin Cheon, 15 South Korea; Silver and R5 000: Seungmin Lee, 11, South Korea; Bronze neither R2 500 or medal awarded. Scholar Contemporary - Boys Gold and R5 000: Faakhir Bestman, 11, Cape Town. A Special Prize offered by judge Matz was awarded to Joshua Williams, 13, Cape Town for a week’s training in Zurich. Professor Kim, (part of the South Korean delegation and teacher at Korean National University of the Arts), sponsored R10 000 towards Joshua’s travelling costs to Zurich. Judge Valentina Kozlova (founding artistic director of Valentina Kozlova InternationalBallet Competition) offered junior competitor Savannah Ireland, 17, from Johannesburg, the opportunity to attend summer school at her Dance Conservatory in New York City and invited her to compete in the Valentina Kozlova International Dance Competition in April in New York.
In spectacular fashion on Sunday a Gala wound up the highly successful competition. Once again, the North Korean dancers stood out as young technical and artistic wizards in Bladmir Rustam/Cho Misong’s attractive “blue” tutu ballet to Die Fledermaus Overture. As did Adiarys Almeida and Jonhal Fernandez from Ballet de Monterrey, Mexico in their dazzling Don Quixote pas de deux.
A surprise move by judge Matz he offered a Neline Theron, 16, from Johannesburg, an all found, week’s study at his Zurich School. And in a generous, gracious gesture Kozlova’s pupil Nikita Boris, 15, from the USA returned, to Badenhorst, her R5 000 winnings as junior silver medalist. She wishes this money be put towards a candidate’s travelling costs to take up their prize of further tuition overseas. Boris’s fine gesture, epitomises how dancers, across the board, feel about each other. So let’s build arts schools, through which our nation can learn “to love our neighbour as ourselves” and heal.