Joburg Ballet to Celebrate 25 Years with BALLET ABOVE BRAAM Rooftop Event

Ballet Above Braam – Rooftop Sunset Sessions is an immersive rooftop dance experience that brings ballet into the heart of Johannesburg's inner city. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Johannesburg skyline at sunset, this event offers audiences an up-close and personal encounter with Joburg Ballet's artists in a unique urban setting.

Presented by Joburg Ballet in association with PlayBraam and with support from the French Institute of South Africa, primarily to introduce ballet to a younger audience and an inner-city audience that has never engaged with ballet before, two performances will take place on Friday 27 March at 18:30 and Saturday 28 March at 17:30 on the rooftop of the PlayBraam building in Braamfontein.

The evening will feature a vibrant cross-section of exciting and diverse works from the company's repertoire, showcasing both established and emerging choreographic voices.

According to Joburg Ballet's Artistic Director, Dane Hurst, the programme, with excerpts from Celestial Bodies, Classics of Spain, pas de deux's from Sleeping Beauty and Giselle, Chloé Blair's Nothing Twice, Camagwini by Tumelo Lekana and an extract from choreographer Jorge Pérez Martínez's Azul, will cover ballet, neoclassical ballet and contemporary works in small bites.

“It's like a seven course tasting menu of what ballet is today, what ballet can be, and it's in a setting that's not as intimidating as traditional theatres. Ballet belongs in the heart of Johannesburg. In a city built on courage, creativity and constant reinvention, dance is the lifeblood of thousands of artists who give the city its soul. To see ballet performed against the skyline of the City of Gold is not only beautiful - it is a powerful reminder that art continues to rise above any narrative that seeks to diminish it, particularly in light of recent comments made by Timotheé Chalamet.”

Audiences will have the opportunity to ‘Meet the Artists' at a pre-show talk with the dancers and choreographers, offering insight into the creative process behind the performances.  “This will give young audiences an opportunity to engage with the dancers about what it's like to be a dancer, about the works they'll be seeing and how stories can be told through music and dance”, says Hurst.

The Ballet Above Braam - Rooftop Sunset Sessions, in combining dance and music to create a dynamic cultural experience that celebrates Johannesburg's creative spirit, while reimagining how ballet can be experienced beyond the traditional theatre space, is a pilot venture and if successful, the hope is that it will become an annual offering within the city.