Help keep Cape Town City Ballet Alive!
Unless Cape Town City Ballet receives urgent and significant funding, the company is in very real danger
of being forced to close it's doors in the near future.
"It is a tragedy and a grave indication of the values of our government. I can't think of a civilised country in the world without a national ballet/dance company. Go figure..."
- Steven Stead
"Apart from the dancers this will impact the ballet school, costumes, designers, musicians, crew - while hundreds of millions are being squandered on crap, by crap and for crap."
- Dave Leverton
"Most of the supporting staff of the ballet have families to feed and have indeed dedicated their entire working careers to the company - these as specialised jobs - what must happen to them now? Another generation forced to embrace poverty or crime?
Ballet or Opera does not concern itself with the colour of skins or culture - these are Great Art Forms of expression and reflection of the human condition."- Alfred Rietmann
Please can you provide who CTCB are, is this the old CAPAB? I would like to put some money in, maybe we can challenge all ex ballet dancers!
Hi Ted,
Thank you for your comment, you can get more information here: http://www.capetowncityballet.org.za/support.php
I’m thrilled with the response we’ve had so far!
Here are some of the participating blog posts:
http://moralfibre.co.za/blog/2010/04/cape-town-city-ballet
http://www.roxilla.co.za/2010/04/14/save-cape-town-city-ballet
http://www.webaddict.co.za/2010/04/14/win-cape-town-city-ballet-poetry-in-motion-tickets
http://blog.itsveryverypink.com/2010/04/14/save-cape-town-city-ballet-and-win
http://blog.empyrean.co.za/press/save-cape-town-city-ballet
http://www.shebee.co.za/i-was-once-a-ballerina
http://cathjenkin.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/my-mother-was-a-ballet-dancer
http://seags.co.za/2010/04/help-save-cape-town-city-ballet
http://www.cptawesome.co.za/2010/04/14/help-save-the-cape-town-ballet
It’s a fantastic turn out. I also put up a blog post on my website, hopefully that will drive some more traffic towards to initiative.
Let’s keep pushing!
And we have some more blog posts =)
http://www.gone-fishing.co.za/2010/04/15/save-cape-town-city-ballet
http://www.harassedmom.co.za/?p=3713
http://www.danbaileyuk.com/2010/04/15/save-the-cape-town-city-ballet
So much support coming in! Here are a few more posts:
http://www.capetowndailyphoto.com/blog/2010/04/a-call-to-save-cape-town-city-ballet
http://matthewbuckland.com/?p=1754
http://www.mulletized.com/2010/04/15/where-would-we-be-without-tutus-i-mean-what-would-desmond-do
http://travelblog.portfoliocollection.com/Blog/Save-Cape-Town-City-Ballet-and-Win
Hi.
I don’t have money to donate (student), but I’d like to watch a ballet one day.
The point is that people do not really appreciate something like ballet. It’s just something you hear on Sunday night radio, to most. The threat of losing something as special as the CTC Ballet could be a great catalyst to get new ‘feet’ into auditoriums, which will ensure the long term survival (given the present threat is overcome).
So, in short, I suggest this situation be used as an awareness drive of sorts, so that those of us who cannot afford a direct donation can still spend money – in the form of performance attendance.
I hope you survive.
-Stefan
And some more =)
Thank you so much everyone!
http://www.springleap.com/posts/view/help-save-the-cape-town-ballet-save-arts-and-culture-in-south-africa
http://stii.co.za/article/save-the-ballet-for-the-uncouth
http://www.therealjenty.com/2010/04/a-dancing-shame
What about facebook links?
Hi Jane, please feel free to post this website to Facebook to share with all your friends..
You have my FULL support via @CapeTown Twitter account – to my 3862 followers. Sent our a tweet already and hope you get some more responses.
Best Wishes!
Thank you – are you interested in donating?
A couple more posts:
http://phr0g.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/save-the-cape-town-city-ballet
http://blindcripple.co.za/2010/04/a-little-bit-about-ballet
http://www.2oceansvibe.com/2010/04/16/friday-morning-spice-11
http://blog.sa-venues.com/attractions/save-the-cape-town-city-ballet/
http://livingladolcevita.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/en-pointe/
THANK YOU!
My sister Carol Kinsey was prima ballerina with CAPAB for 15 years and I enjoyed many years of watching her talent in the wonderful ballets.
You are welcome to use my name and company, the Cape Town Academy of Music, to create further awareness and promotion.
I would be willing to do a classical guitar performance and donate the funds to the company.
All best Avril Kinsey
Chairperson: Friends of the Cape Town Academy of Music
Director: Cape Town Academy of Music
Artistic Director and Manager:
Guitars for Africa International Festival 2011.
Dear Avril,
Thanks for the support and offer to do guitar concert! Please let us know how we can help with that – maybe a dancer or two with your fabulous music for one or two numbers!
We have flyers to distribute by the hundred – let me know if I can drop some off at your academy.
Regards,
Elizabeth
Just a short note to say a big thank you to Sue, the people at the Forge Web Creations and all the bloggers who have given of their precious time to do something constructive to save Cape Town City Ballet.
What ever the outcome of this donations campaign we will know that many people, normally outside the normal ballet circle, have been made aware as to what is going on and have responded significantly to the appeal.
This initiate requires additional exposure on social networking sites, e.g. Facebook and Twitter to increase exposure.
Hi Saberi,
You’re absolutely right, would you like to go ahead and start spreading the word on Facebook?
HI There
I am a Foundation Phase teacher and still a dancer for fun with Andrew and Mervin… I would love to help if I can! I saw that you have flyers… would it be possible for me to come and collect some to distrubute at work? My school is very close to campus and I believe there will be some families that would be able to help via their work connections.
Kindest Regards
Annette
I think it may be a nice idea on the front page of the website to have a running total of donations received to date? In the information age, people like to know stuff!
Hi Michelle, due to the limited amount of time available for this drive, we decided that having a “tally” would not be the best or ideal solution. Money is also coming in from various other avenues, so it’s not easy to track. The competition is over already and the winners are going to be announced very soon.
Please let me know if you have flyers and where I can collect them
Regards
Annette
I was a dancer with Cape Town city Ballet for almost 2 years. It was my first Professional Job and Holds a VERY dear spot in my heart.
Ever since I joined the company back in 2007 I have watched the company fight tooth and nail to keep afloat. Never accepting defeat even when it was immanent. If there was ever a company and artists that deserved to not live in constant fear of annihilation it is this one.
I wish I was financially able to help but I appeal to all those who are (and I know there are ALLOT in the Cape) Please help these wonderful artists survive. No one has ever deserved to flourish more.
On 8 September 2010, two of South Africa’s most spectacular entertainment companies will join forces to present a sensational dinner cirque spectacular combined with world class ballet – a show that is set to enchant, captivate and inspire the hearts and minds of all who behold it! Yes, the sold out 2010 Love Magic Tour at Madame Zingara’s Theatre of Dreams is extending it’s Cape Town season by one night only, to collaborate with Cape Town City Ballet in support of the company’s 75 year old legacy!
This dazzling once-off event will be hosted at Madame Zingara’s magnificent twenty five metre velvet big top with it’s ornate mirrored column’s, rich velvet drapes and beveled booths; all transporting one back to a by-gone era where cirque and magic ruled the world. With a full South African cast of performers, along with a troupe of international artists, the 2010 Love Magic Tour in collaboration with Cape Town City Ballet will offer a fantastic melting pot of dance, acrobatics, comedy, music, illusions and cirque.
Tickets are priced at R800 per person (Gold tickets) and R 1000 per person (Platinum tickets with on-stage seating) and include the full 2010 Love Magic Tour as well as breathtaking ballet performances which truly showcase the diversity and expertise of these incredible athletes – prepare to see multiple facets of this classical art form! Tickets also include a scrumptious 4 course meal and a bottle of bubbly on each table! From the superbly trained glitter-dusted waitrons to the incredible acrobatics, there are no boundaries to the night and that everything is possible.
Every world-class city deserves a world-class ballet company, where all members of the public can enjoy the beauty, the art, the physical prowess, and the grace of ballet – the ultimate sport! Lets stand together and look forward to another 75 years of excellence from Cape Town City Ballet. This is your last chance to see Madame Zingara’s Theatre of Dreams on Cape Town soil this year – and your only chance to experience this sensational circque spectacular with additional ballet performances!
To reserve your tickets, please contact the Madame Zingara box office on (t) 021 001 3366 or (e) boxoffice@madamezingara.com
Good morning
I heard the appeal for assistance on KFM this morning and since CTCB has given me and my family many hours of fabulous entertainment I would like to help.
We are game lodge operators with a number of very high end lodges in SA (in the Kuger Park area) and other countries. Would you be interested in a donation of 2 nights for 2 people to auction/raffle? Cost of staying at the lodges is R10 500 per person per night so the value is over R40 000.
please let me know.
thanks
Mark Witney COO
This is a very worth cause, and I support the Ballet as much as possible.
However, I am very disappointed by the “heard around the web” to the right of this page. Why must such an important cause be associated with such negative and borderline (or blatant, depending on how much benefit of the doubt you want to give the commenters) racist comments? Arts the world over are in trouble, this is not a uniquely South African problem. Also, there is a National Ballet based in Pretoria, just FYI.
Does anyone know exactly how much money the Cape Town City Ballet needs to keep going? I heard this on KFM this morning, but afer a bit of research it seems that the company has been in trouble for a while and was anticipating closing its doors in April of this year.
On behalf of the CAPE TOWN CITY BALLET, I would like to thank all at FORGE for taking this initiative and putting the word out that this 75 year-old performing arts company needs help in keeping the ultimate sport – classical ballet – alive. Our dancers, and those in our sister company in Johannesburg, the SOUTH AFRICAN BALLET THEATRE, are dedicated, talented people fighting for the recognition of funders that ours is a universally-appreciated art form worth preserving in the new South Africa!
Hi
As a child it has always been a dream to be a Ballerina…i think it is a beautiful art and something that should be taken more seriously. i had the opportunity to do ballet at the age of 11, but never continued. it is still a life long desire to dance. i could say that i am obssessed with it.
Cape Town City Ballet is a wonderful school and my wish is for it to grow and create more beautiful mature dancers as you have done thus far.
i am hoping to start adult ballet class in the new year, it could be a stepping stone for me.
Regards
Our ballet school located in Fish Hoek, run by RAD registered teachers Tracy Chaston and Leilani Beer, will be supporting the CTCB full tilt!
We are organising for our dancers and their parents, as well as friends and family to attend the up coming ballets.
A group of 32 of us went to see To the Pointe at the Masque last month and we are planning to see Poetry in Motion 2, Dance in the City, and all the other ballets that the CTCB put on or are involved in.
We will also feature a banner on our website, and write ongoing blog posts about the company and perhaps even feature CTCB dancer interviews from time to time…