Review: I GOT RHYTHM from choreographer David Nixon CBE

I GOT RHYTHM kicks off the season that marks 90 years of Cape Town City Ballet. And that is something that we should be truly proud of here in the cape. As we were told by David Nixon, choreographer and creative lead for this production, at the start of the show, that's about 20 years older than the prestigious New York City Ballet.

I was curious to see that CTCB went with something non-traditional for the start of this big season. I GOT RHYTHM celebrates the music of George Gershwin and the production features Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra performing live on stage for all of the dances. It also features dancers from Jazzart and singers from Cape Town City Opera. It's quite the feast of entertainment served up for the audience.

It's true, I am a sucker for a traditional ballet (Giselle was the first ballet I ever saw at age 8 and it stuck with me). However, Gershwin's music is certainly special and I was intrigued by this combination. However, I felt that the production was a bit of a mixed bag... There were some incredible standout numbers and then some that left me feeling a bit confused. PRELUDES, danced by Leané Theunissen and Casey Swales was a big highlight. SUMMERTIME was another. MY MAN'S GONE, danced by Jazzart's Vuyelwa Phota, was simply heartbreaking, and BESS, danced by Chanté Daniels and Lihle Mfene was beautiful.

Most of the group numbers were not as successful, in my opinion. Ballet is about precision - especially when dancing in a group - and it was noticeably lacking in several numbers, which is a pity.

While I GOT RHYTHM doesn't quite live up to expectations for me, it was still an entertaining night out. It's not often you get to see so many disciplines on stage together - singing, dancing and live music. That's definitely worth seeing and hearing. And celebrating 90 years of Cape Town City Ballet is also very important to the arts in this country.

I GOT RHYTHM runs until 26 May, 2024 at the Artscape Opera House. Tickets are through Webtickets and 0214217695. 

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