Cape Town City Ballet Celebrates Cross-Genre Collaboration For I GOT RHYTHM

World Dance Day (29 April) is a celebration of all dance genres and Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB), South Africa's oldest ballet company and a gem in the Mother City's cultural crown is thrilled to have inspired a dynamic collaboration between Jazzart Dance Theatre, Joburg Ballet and several guest soloists from SA and overseas in the highly anticipated I Got Rhythm. Choreographed by CTCB Artistic Producer David Nixon and set to Gershwin's timeless music, this exuberant production that fuses ballet, jazz and neo classical dance styles will launch the company's 90th anniversary year with a ten day season at Artscape opening 17 May 2024. The Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra will be conducted onstage by Brandon Phillips. 

Guest dancers include David Ward (USA), Darragh Hourrides and Bruno Miranda (Joburg Ballet), Casey Swales (SA), Oleksii Ischchenko (SA/Ukraine) alongside CTCB dancers including Kirstél Paterson, Leané Theunissen, Jordan Roelfze, Bella Redman, Paige McElligott, Hannah Ward, Fanelo Ndweni and Leusson Muniz. Several artists from Cape Town Opera will also make an appearance.

From the soul-stirring Rhapsody in Blue and Summertime to the infectious energy of Girl Crazy and An American in Paris, the production is reminiscent of an era steeped in glamour and romance, reflecting Nixon's ability to seamlessly blend diverse dance styles into a harmonious whole. "I Got Rhythm is a fitting tribute to the 90th milestone of this historic company,” said Nixon, "a jubilant celebration not only of Gershwin's genius but also of the rich cultural tapestry of Cape Town."  

CTCB was established in 1934 as the University of Cape Town Ballet Company and evolved into CAPAB Ballet in 1964 before assuming its current name in 1997. The company also holds the distinguished title of being the oldest ballet company in the Southern Hemisphere.

For I Got Rhythm, the dancers have been meticulously coached by several outstanding individuals in the dance world. They include former Cape Town City Ballet ballerina Tracy Li who is now the Artistic Deputy of CTCB; USA- based Hisham Omardien, former CTCB principal and BalletMet ballet master, and Gerard Charles, the previous Artistic Director of the Royal Academy of Dance, as well as the former Artistic Director BalletMet, and most recently the Director of Artistic Operations at Joffrey Ballet.  Li expressed her excitement as the opening night draws closer, saying, "The rehearsal journey has been an exciting one- the company is upbeat with renewed enthusiasm and it has been a joy working with all our collaborators from the various companies. It is a delight to be able to work with David Nixon and my other colleagues to bring this uplifting masterpiece to life."

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