Ballerinas make seasons come to life on stage

GEORGE NEWS - The audience at the Seasons ballet production staged at the George Arts Theatre at the weekend walked away highly impressed with the performances of the students of Corlia Lewitton's Ballare School of Ballet.

Lewitton said all three performances of the production were sold out.

"This was made possible by the grace of our Lord, the love of ballet by the students who danced with utmost passion and precision, the support of family, friends and parents, and an amazing back stage crew.

|I cannot thank everyone involved enough for what they did during the year and the show. I am blown away by the support that made our production such a great success and am looking forward to working with everyone again during 2023 to take Ballare School of Ballet to greater heights. Again, my heartfelt thanks," said Lewitton.

Leanne Heystek, a former professional dancer, commented on the beautiful costumes that made each dancer feel the part, from the little forest mushrooms to the gorgeous tutus worn by the soloists.

"The senior dancers, all 13 of them en pointe, were a treat to see. Worth mentioning and a big surprise was the Cygnet variation danced by Karla van Niekerk and Abigail Lewitton. Having danced this at professional level I know that this is no easy feat. These two girls danced the original choreography en pointe and with precision," said Heystek.

Snowflake Elné Paulsen.

"It is always good to see young dancers being pushed beyond what they think they are capable of in terms of execution of steps and not always playing it safe with easy choreography. This is how a dancer grows.

"Some beautiful choreography and choice of music, including more contemporary pieces yet always showcasing the fundamental classical technique. Well done to you, Corlia and all your hard-working students."

Another impressed audience member, Carin Smit, said she was totally bowled over by the quality of the production.

"Everything was unbelievable - the theme, the wonderful and varied music, the choreography that suited each music piece and age group so well, the beautiful and detailed costumes, the props, how precise and rounded every dancer was - up to the youngest ones, and how professional everything went."

Forest Mushrooms with Mieke-Marié van Rooyen as lead.

Seven Autumn birds Emma Conradie, Simone Labuschagne, Elné Paulen, Danika de Klerk, Abigail Lewitton, Karla van Niekerk and Ishke Franck. Photos: Megan Norgarb of Photography by Megan