Cape Town to host international ballet competition: 07-08-2007
Cape Town's image as the "cultural gateway to Africa" is likely to be boosted by the news that the first South African International Ballet Competition (SAIBC) is to be held in the city in January 2008.
The competition is also expected to boost tourism in the area, and indeed one of the factors which convinced organisers to hold it in the city was the support offered by Cape Town Tourism.
Contestants competing in the junior/amateur (for youngsters aged between 15 and 18) and senior/professional (open to those in the 19 to 28-years old age range) will be judged by an experienced international panel assembled by SAIBC CEO Dirk Badenhorst.
Specifically, expertise will be provided by - among others - Septime Webre, the artistic director of the Washington Ballet; Kenji Usui, the head of Japan's Ballet Association; and Charla Genn, former director of the Metropolitan Ballet in New York.
The competition starts at the Artscape Opera House on January 14th, and reaches its crescendo on finals day, which is to be held on January 18th.
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