SA International Ballet Competition Postponed

Due to the current Lockdown restrictions, the 8th South African International Ballet Competition (SAIBC) at Arstcape has been postponed to October 2021. However, while the competition date has been shifted, the two panel discussions with South African and International dancers and experts will be going ahead this month as scheduled, on 20 and 22 July at 16h00 SAST. The competition already has 140 participants from across the globe and to accommodate the date change, SAIBC Founder and CEO Dirk Badenhorst will be accepting entries (including video submissions), up to 30 July 2021.

The first discussion, to be facilitated by the London-based organisation called The Healthy Young Dancer Project (THYDP), will speak to the optimal mental, emotional and physical wellbeing of a dancer, also addressing pressing issues around how to cope with not being able to practice or perform in stringent Lockdown phases, and how best to manage this and other setbacks. The second discussion on Inclusivity will be chaired by Amsterdam-based ballerina Michaela DePrince who'll be joined by a number of South African dancers such as Washington Ballet's Andile Ndlovu (pictured), National Ballet of Canada's Tanya Howard and Xola Willie from Mzansi Ballet in Joburg, and Educators such as Charmaine Hunter from the Orlando Ballet Company and School in Florida in the USA, Allison Hendricks, Executive Director of Dance for All in Athlone and Cooper Rust, the Executive and Artistic Director at the Dance Centre in Kenya.