05a / Burlesque: Mzansi PR and RedStar launch the South African Burlesque Company

Johannesburg: Communication and lifestyle companies Mzansi PR and RedStar today launched South Africa’s first burlesque company, known as the South African Burlesque Company. The Company will focus on the production and performance of scalable shows while also actively promoting the development of burlesque. The South African Burlesque Dance Company has hosted its first auditions in March.

Joint venture director and dance and ballet entrepreneur, Dirk Badenhorst, believes that South Africa is ready for burlesque. “While there have been a couple of endeavours in the past," he says, "burlesque has never enjoyed much prominence here as an arts and entertainment discipline. I believe the market is ready to embrace it and fall in love with its naughty-but-nice on-stage demeanour.” He adds that the company plans to tour the country with both large and smaller productions.

“Shows will comprise both traditional and new-burlesque elements,” says Badenhorst, "combining the sultry with eccentricities reminiscent of Marlene Dietrich through to more modern interpretations that include satire, performance art, comedy and dance. Burlesque is fast becoming one of the world’s most celebrated variety entertainment acts. There is nothing quite like it and with the talent we have in South Africa, I believe that burlesque's moment has arrived.”

The South African Burlesque Company launches its first range of scalable experiences in June.

Performers interested in auditioning may contact:
Lindsay McDonald, email: or call

05b / Gemstones:

Having a sister who is an Historian is very useful.  In this edition she has recorded the history of the property where I built my ballet school, which like Topsy seems to keep on growing in all directions. I hope our readers will find it interesting and be stimulated to research their own properties.

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AS our new work was on gemstones we thought some background on the Diamond mining would also be of interest.

THE CREATION OF PRECIOUS GEMS
for DANCE CREW a classical contemporary ballet company

Choreography: Amy Gould
Music: Gordon Mackay
Costumes: Glendalene Benjamin
Photography: Anthony Koeslag

This is the same team that worked on Changing Seasons

Amy Gould

I am often asked where my ideas come from.  Ideas present themselves when I am least expecting them.  Random thoughts seem to connect to other random thoughts and voila –an idea is born.

In this case though, I do have a suspicion that the burglary that took place at my home where my precious jewellery was stolen might have been an irritant to my sub-conscious that caused me to think about precious stones more often than I would have normally.  Gifts from family to mark special occasions are not replaceable and one often feels bereft not only of the item but the memories that were associated with them.

But whatever the reason, my mind turned to precious gems, their chemical composition and the healing and magical properties they are perceived to have.  Diamonds are mined in South Africa (see article The Rush for Quick Riches in this edition) so they were top of my research list.  Fascinating information emerged in the process and that is when I decided that this production could serve as more than entertainment but could also be educational.  As we are using background projected images we decided to add snippets of information regarding each specific jewel in the form of a voice over between each gem change.

I researched each stone I wanted to use and then worked out their personalities and what they had to sound like to reflect my characterization of them.  This often changes as we start to work with the music but because Gordon is so adept at interpreting my imaginings it is often quite simple.  Having a composer write specific music for one’s work is wonderful and extends what we can do dramatically.  It helps that he is very easy going about his  ability and there is no drama when I make suggestions as to adding or subtracting bars of music, slowing or speeding it up and sometimes cutting chunks out where I don’t want them.  Both of us have a very workmanlike approach to our creative process.  If a dancer does not like or does not feel comfortable with a particular movement I simply change it till they are happy and it looks right.  For us it is about whether it looks and sounds right.

	With Pearls I decided to show them growing underwater and then proceed to the finished product of a string of pearls.  Whilst it might sound easy the real difficulties came in when I tried to follow my concept.   To get that string of human pearls to move the way I had visualized them moving proved very complicated.  At the end the string breaks and the pearls scatter.  Again the thought process was easier than the implementation.
	Amethyst a purple quartz, considered a very important gemstone in mythology and is used for its healing and beneficial properties, proved very simple to choreograph. It is technically very demanding with the dancer requiring great strength and control. The music is flowing and very seductive.
	Ruby from the start flaunted herself both in the music, which Gordon in his article describes so well with that Bass guitar demanding attention, and in the choreography which almost seems to ooze from the music and be imbibed by the dancers.  As the different dancers share the role it takes on a completely different character with each dancer.  Red the colour of love radiates warmth and a strong sense of vitality and passion.
	Opal from the moment I heard this music I loved its rolling continuous movement that represents the water as it washes over the shale in the sea and in the process forms opals after millions of years.  The Opal is the softest and has the most water content of any stone.   My inspiration for this ballet is a triple quartz opal, shot with peacock blue, red, yellow and orange with a black base all reflected as the light changes on the stone. The pattern is complex as I attempted to show the formation and the flashes of coloured light.
	Sapphire symbolises loyalty and is often used in engagement rings.  They are available in colours other than blue and the Ruby has a similar chemical makeup but because of the intense colour is much more valuable.  Each dancer moves in their own space creating their own angles sometimes as a group, sometimes one at a time or different numbers at different times.  These are young dancers and they have grown in maturity working this way as they each have to be totally committed within what they are doing and still remain part of the group and be very, very musically alert.
	Diamonds are the hardest stone known to man and only one diamond can cut another diamond.  Until the diamond is cut and polished it can look like a worthless piece of rock to the uninitiated.  In this ballet the music with the heavy drums which later on changes to the eerily and hauntingly beautiful melodic refrain are so symbolic of the struggle to mine diamonds and all the hardship that many have to suffer in the process.  And then that tiny piece of cut perfection is created that is the symbol, for many, of love and a promise of a future shared life. With the projected backdrop of crystals and the stark costuming it makes for riveting viewing.
	Jade for me will always represent the mystery of the East.  We used different levels for the dancers with this work to represent a Jade figurine. A gentle work that dissolves and moves from one pose to another with effortless ease as the dancers create a living moving figurine.

This season of performances start on the 25 April and continues to the end of May at our Theatre On-Main.  It will then travel to Tulbagh where it part of our outreach program in that rural town.

Would you like to find out about when to start a young child learning ballet?  Check out our bloggspot on www.theatreonmain.co.za

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Precious Gemstone Ballet

When Amy Gould approached me in early 2012 with the theme for her new work, I remember her saying “this one is going to be very different, and I’m not sure how we’re going to do it”. The theme was, or rather is, ‘Precious Gemstones’.

When Amy has a new idea, she does an enormous amount of research into the project. At one of our first discussions, we talked about how the stones are formed in the earth, their individual locality, the varying degree of their ‘preciousness’, etc. This in turn gave me an inkling as to the direction the music should take.

The first problem came when my studio equipment decided to call it a day. The sound modules developed an intermittent crackle and noise, the laptop crashed repeatedly – this was not an environment conducive to creativity, so I re-designed the studio, had to learn a brand new program, learnt how to work with ‘Virtual Instruments’ and discovered a brand new way of working and composing.

How the music came about is; for example, ‘The Diamond’ called for an African theme. Instead of going into Lion King mode or the typical African documentary music, I decided the work needed something dramatic and powerful. I could ‘see’ the miners drilling the rock, working under harsh conditions, excavating tunnels way beneath the surface of the earth.

I could ‘hear’ African flutes and African drums, but I didn’t have any! After a long time searching, I found the sounds I was looking for. As soon as I heard the flutes and drums, I knew which way the piece was going to go.

After the introduction and the buildup, the Piano is introduced with a very strident theme. This was to indicate the severity of the conditions that the miners work under. The piece builds throughout until I removed almost all the instruments, leaving the piano and drums. This was to indicate a change in the diamond’s formation.

 I left it like that for a few days, going back to it, listening again, and then I had the idea for the formed stone.

The result was a complete change of mood and style, with a soaring string line somewhat reminiscent of the ‘Bond’ theme, and then introducing the African drums again as a reminder from where the stones began.

The Opal took on a very orchestral theme with cellos laying the foundation for the entire work. The cello line came to me one evening when I was fixing something in the garage! One of my favourite instruments, the Oboe, became the main melody for this particular stone. The Bassoon (a close relative of the oboe) was introduced in the middle section giving a lighter feel to the work. For some reason ‘majestic’ came to mind and that’s how the piece developed. 

Jade evolved from my love of the East. This piece, I thought, has to emulate the Orient. I discovered instruments I’d never heard of: Ban Di, Luan, Pipa etc. There were also some interesting rhythms that I created with the percussion and the ‘new’ instruments I had learned to use, as a foundation for the work.

Amy told me she wanted the Ruby to be ‘Hot’!.. I was experimenting with all these new sounds I had, when I came across this amazing Bass guitar. I played around with it for a while and came up with the opening ‘riff’ for Ruby. The work developed from there, adding some interesting key changes to alter the mood. I listened to it the other day and muted (switched off) the Bass, and suddenly there’s no piece! Its’ strange how just one instrument can hold a piece together. It doesn’t happen all the time. Some pieces only work with an amalgamation of instruments.  

My passion is writing music. Amy’s interpretation of my music through her choreography is an inspiration that few will ever experience.

Gordon Mackay - March 2013

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The Rush for Quick Riches

Would you believe, given the diamond wealth that has been dug out of parts of the South African soil, that when a geologist was asked in 1866 to either confirm or deny that diamonds could be found in certain areas of the country, he is said to have stated categorically that that was not possible?  As is well known this would, very soon, be proven to be a huge understatement of fact.  The result?  A rush, a stampede, by human beings from various parts of the world to reach these shores.  The discovery of diamonds would, in 1871, be followed by the discovery of gold. 

These discoveries would create an atmosphere of hope for an upswing in local economies which would create work. Some of this did occur but feelings of greed rose resulting in a race to find instant wealth. Unfortunately what it also created, with far reaching damage, was the awakening of political awareness, of power, particularly by Britain of the economic importance of these discoveries.  At the time Britain held sway over the Cape and Natal Colonies. The Transvaal and Orange Free State where much of this wealth lay, were independent republics.

Having stated the above it must also be remembered that for some (mostly the white people) it created daily work. Banks went into overdrive to offer their services to clients.  Shops opened selling expensive and often imported clothing for men and women, various expensive trifles, imported luxury foods, wines, tobacco were available for people now able to afford such items.   The discoveries also stimulated trade along the way from the large or small towns to the diggings.  Further, many thousands of tribal South Africans were recruited to work in the mines often under very poor conditions.

A variety of art forms became important entertainments. People had money to spend and this was what they wanted to see and where they wanted to be seen.  Small theatres began to open in various parts of the country, opera houses opened in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg. Artists from overseas travelled here and this helped to create work for local people.  But what was particularly important was the need for a good transport system.  Before the railway system could reach the distant mines people and goods were moved by the horse and coach / cart system.   

As an example the Gibson brothers were one of these businesses who set up a transport and passenger service. One such route was from Wellington to Griqualand West. Interested parties or goods could travel from Cape Town to Wellington by train and then by coach/cart to Griqualand West.  Space was also kept for mail bags.  Horses and mules were well cared for and, as needed, ready at various stables along the route.

Mankind however, too often has fingers in other pies. In this instance Britain wanted political control of the two colonies as well as the two republics. Naturally enough the two republics were not that keen on losing what they perceived as their hard won independence from earlier British rule. Matters festered and on 11 October 1899 the Anglo Boer War (now known as the South African War) broke out between Britain and the Republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. It lasted until a peace truce was declared in 1902 and led, in 1910, to the formation of a united South Africa.

Despite the often disturbed history of the mining industry men and women still desire the precious ornaments made from gold and diamonds.

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Amy Gould Ballet School

The history of land is an interesting one.  It can engage one’s attention as to how an area developed, who the early owners were and draw attention to a very specific piece of property.  In this instance how a site, 1 Church Road, Tokai on Main became the
headquarters of the:

AMY GOULD  BALLET  SCHOOL
Theatre On-Main
DANCE CREW:  A classical contemporary ballet company and
IMAGINEMAG: a South African Arts and Culture emagazine

In the year 1800 there was a slow but very definite move by the authority of the first British Occupation, towards the awarding of land to newcomers settling at the small Cape Colony. At this time there existed, in what is today called the Tokai area of the south peninsula,  a large piece of ground  known as  Baas Harman’s Kraal. The area covered ranged approximately from the Dreyersdal farm, along the Main Road towards Retreat and Steenberg as well as in the direction of the present Blue Route shopping development and the immediate surrounding residential area.  Harman, it is thought, had been an employee of governor Simon van der Stel – he who had, from 1699 to his death in 1712, owned or had on loan the massive farm called Constantia, with further pastures as far as Zeekoe Vlei (sea cow lake - hippos) as well as in the direction of Muizenberg.  Harman took care of some of van der Stel’s stock moving them from place to place as grazing allowed. Harman’s life however, came to an end when it is supposed he fell into the Keyser River and drowned. A portion of this river is not far from the Ballet School.  If one looks today at some of the small streams quietly meandering down from the mountain side, across farm lands, in between residential or commercial areas to wherever their final stages are, it needs imagination to comprehend the raging torrents they could become when heavy winter rains created very strong currents with no barriers for stopping the waters. Harman was one such unfortunate of a fierce current of water.

As with other land Baas Harman’s Kraal would be sub-divided and sub-divided again and again.  In this way the name of a present day owner Amy Gould would become inextricably linked with the land’s past history.

But before this happened local history has to be more closely, if briefly, surveyed. 
As the government of the day - 1800  -  became more determined to produce sufficient food to feed the people, it was decided to bring to the country a specialist from Britain to improve the state of local agriculture.  The Wellesley carrying William Duckitt and a party of sixteen arrived in Simon’s Bay on 11 September 1800.  They landed on the 12th September and soon unloaded farm equipment, three Devon cattle, seeds, plants and fruit trees.

Duckitt would have ups and downs but by 1806 he had become a man of property owning the farm Witteboomen and Baas Harman’s Kraal reselling both in 1813. If anyone cares to walk around the Tokai/Constantia area street names will appear that are pointers to the changing layout and ownership of Baas Harman’s Kraal.    Surnames such as Duckitt, Fiford, Donough, van Reenen, Carr reflect previous owners.  Small holdings continued to exist at least until the 1970s, small stores had opened for business, roads improved, houses, schools, a hospital were built . Then in the early 1980s along came Amy Gould looking for land to build her ballet school.

Land for sale came to her attention, all the legal matters involved in buying land were completed she set about designing the building she required for her students; she costed to a fine degree the materials that would be needed; builders were interviewed, one signed a contract, the foundations were dug and a time capsule containing articles pertaining to the future life of the building were included. 

Shortly thereafter a far more competent, knowledgeable and hardworking gentleman (her brother Sam) took control of the building operation and soon it was time to raise a flag on the roof trusses.

Shortly thereafter the day arrived in 1982 for the opening of the Amy Gould Ballet School.  Guest of honour was Professor Richard van der Ross then the head of the University of the Western Cape and later the South African ambassador to Spain and Andorra. Years later both he and Amy would serve on the Cultural Commission of the Western Cape Legislature.  Also present were proud family members, friends as well as the now late Member of Parliament for Constantia Roger Hulley who with great grace officially opened the building. 

Today this successful place of education with its serene and welcoming atmosphere is widely known.  To add to its attraction it stands amidst a lovely garden.

An important occasion is announced: IMAGINEMAG will, with this the 21st edition, have reached its coming of age.  All who have read this ezine since it first began, will want to wish it a long and successful future.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY  IMAGINEMAG !!