Joburg Ballet Appoints Elroy Fillis-Bell as Chief Executive Officer

Joburg Ballet has announced the appointment of Elroy Fillis-Bell as Chief Executive Officer effective 1 September 2023. Elroy will succeed Esther Nasser who has held this position since September 2016.

Elroy is the current Senior Manager of Operations and Administration at the Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria (Javett-UP). In this role, he steered the young organisation’s difficult transition out of the Covid-19 pandemic, while driving a significant increase in income generation.

Elroy holds a BA Honours (University of Cape Town) in Theatre Directing and Drama Education. He co-founded the arts development organisation, Bridgetown Theatre Company, on the Cape Flats, serving as its musical director from 2009-2011. He is currently completing his Master of Arts in Cultural Policy and Management at Wits University.

Over the past 13 years, Elroy has worked at several reputable organisations including the Suidoosterfees Arts Festival in Cape Town and the Arena Stage at the Mead Centre for American Theatre in Washington, D.C. in the United States.

He served as Company Manager for the award-winning Siwela Sonke Dance Theatre before moving to the Dramatic, Artistic and Literary Rights Organisation (DALRO) in 2016, where he ran the licensing division for visual arts, theatre and literature for five years.

He currently serves on the board of Lawyers for the Arts South Africa (LASA) – a young organisation working to build and support legal representation for arts workers in South Africa.

“I am delighted to take up this leadership role at Joburg Ballet, a world-class ballet company with a storied legacy. I look forward to working together with our dancers, partners, funders, and audiences to take this company to new heights,” Fillis-Bell said.

“Ballet offers us all a transformative experience – audiences, performers, and students alike. It is exemplary of the arts’ potential to be a catalyst for social change and development.”

Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Melanie de Nysschen, described the incoming CEO as a dynamic, values-driven leader.

“He has a diverse background of experience, and an excellent track record in theatre and dance production, arts programme development, teaching, copyright licensing and arts management. The Board looks forward to Elroy realising the full potential of Joburg Ballet as an important member of the global ballet community, delivering value for all its stakeholders. We are also grateful for Esther’s guidance over a challenging time in Joburg Ballet’s history.”

Joburg Ballet also recently bid farewell to its Artistic Director, Iain MacDonald. “The Board is grateful for Iain’s invaluable contribution to the success of Joburg Ballet since its inception, and we wish him well in his future endeavours,” De Nysschen said.

Joburg Ballet returns to the stage of the Joburg Theatre from Friday, 30 June to Sunday, 9 July for eight performances of its magnificent production of Romeo and Juliet.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s tragic story of a passionate feud between two families in Renaissance Italy, the ballet is set to a searing, powerful score by Sergei Prokofiev with choreography based on Nicolas Beriosoff’s original 1969 production. Vuyani Dance Theatre, Jozi Dance Company, National School of the Arts and the Joburg Ballet Academy will appear alongside Joburg Ballet’s dancers to add grandeur and dimension to the many scenes that call for a large cast of dancers.

Please visit Joburg Ballet’s website at www.joburgballet.com for more information.