Some of Nelson Mandela Bay’s leading young dancers are set to captivate audiences with their performance of Voilà at the Savoy Theatre in October.
The multifaceted dance showcase by the Walmer School of Dance is inspired by the French exclamation meaning “there it is!”, and is inspired by the successful results of a year of dedicated dance by the pupils aged from five to 21.
A quartet of strong and elegant junior contemporary dancers open the show with Voilà, a contemporary dance set to the beautiful song of the same name.
The original Platinum-selling song by French singer Barbara Pravi earned France second place in the 2021 Eurovision Song Contest and tells the story of the singer’s journey to self-acceptance, reflected in the dance piece.
Walmer School of Dance principal Troy Coffey said Voilà featured the elegant beauty of both classical and modern ballet, the energy and sass of jazz and the slick style of contemporary dance.
“The variety of dance styles and the different moods of the pieces — from cheeky fun with the younger dancers through to the seniors exploring shades of dark and light — mean there is something in the show to enchant all lovers of dance.
“The show is also a chance to see some future star dancers who have great things ahead of them,” Coffey said.
Among those future stars are 13-year-old Alice Reekie, who will be dancing the challenging ballet solo, “Scorpion”.
Alice won the junior ballet section in the regionals of the 2024 South African International Ballet Competition and reached the international semifinals, competing against dancers from around the world, at Artscape in Cape Town.
She also won the Pre-junior Ballet championship and Most Promising Ballet Dancer trophy at the Friendly City Dance Festival and the Junior Ballet Championship at the Nelson Mandela Bay Dance Festival earlier in 2024.
The show is choreographed by Coffey, a ballet teacher for more than 30 years, presenting classes in ballet and contemporary dance styles at the Walmer School of Dance.
After studying at the UCT Ballet School, she taught at Herschel in Cape Town and then at the Harringay Club in London, where she completed her Royal Academy of Dance teacher’s exam and entered her pupils into the Royal Ballet Associate programme at the renowned Royal Ballet School.
Voilà will be staged at the Savoy Theatre at 7pm on October 11 and at 3pm and 7pm on October 12.
Tickets at R130 can be bought on Webtickets or request a Webtickets booking for Voilà at any Pick n Pay till.
HeraldLIVE
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