9 December 2025
Joburg Ballet School’s junior cast ended their show to roars of applause from the audience. Photos: Ihsaan Haffejee
Young dancers from Soweto, Alexandra and Braamfontein performed at Joburg Ballet School’s year-end show at the Soweto Theatre on Sunday.
Keke Chele, the Joburg Ballet School co-ordinator, said the performance, called Seasons of Dance, “is a moment for students and their families to come together to celebrate their hard work and progress they have made through the year.”
A performance of Waltzin’ Around featured dancers from Joburg Ballet and the Maison De La Dance Project from Soweto.
The Joburg Ballet School opened in 2012 and has schools in Soweto, Alexandra and Braamfontein. It aims to give children basic and advanced training in dance.
Chele said they have introduced ballet exams based on the Cecchetti grading system devised by the Italian ballet master Enrico Cecchetti. “Over the last few years, our students have been entering the annual exams. This year, 50 students entered the exams. We received eight merits and 42 distinctions,” said Chele.
Young ballet dancers from the Joburg Ballet School walk up a flight of stairs backstage at the Soweto Theatre.
This year the Joburg Ballet collaborated with students from Maison De La Dance, a non-profit dance company in Soweto led by Thabiso Manare.
A Soweto theatre packed with families and friends erupted in cheers for every Pirouette (spin), Plié (bend) and Sauté (jump), as young students performed alongside some of the professional dancers.
Savannah Jacobson, Daria D’orazio and Latoya Mokoena, professional dancers from the Joburg Ballet, perform “Mpho” .
“Our organisation takes kids from everywhere and teaches them hip-hop, ballet, and contemporary dance. It’s about creating a safe space using dance and the arts to help them fulfil their potential in dance and in life,” said Manare.
“If a child has potential, has ability and wants to become a professional dancer, we will do everything in our power to make that happen,” said Elroy Fillis-Bell, chief executive of Joburg Ballet. “Ballet for us is a language with which we can tell so many stories.”
Dancers from the Joburg Ballet School collaborated with dancers from the Soweto based dance academy Maison De La Dance Project to perform “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”
Professional dancer from the Joburg Ballet Tumelo Lekana leaps through the air during his performance of Camagwini Kago-e-ntle.