Minutes of meeting held Tuesday 25 February 2015, 2nd floor Joburg Theatre at the Brickhill conference room
Follow up to 2014 meeting
Attendees name listed below Dirk Badenhorst CEO of Joburg Ballet welcomed all attendees to the meeting at 09:00am
S U M M E R Y O F I D E A S P U T F O R W A R D A N D G O A L S T O BE A T T A I N E D
- DB outlined the reasons for the Teaching VS. Training Meetings – children and parents do not understand the value of ballet in South Africa, why it needs to be fostered and why ballet can actually be an enriching career. Joburg Ballet suffers due to this mind set. DB believes however on a positive note that ballet is on the “up and up”. Essentially these meeting are to clean up the “Ballet house”, in a matter of speaking and thus why it is essential that all ballet teachers need to be present at these meetings.
- DB asked before we commence the meetings, that everyone introduces themselves. Each person had the opportunity to do so.
- DB sees transformation in the MEC of the Arts and culture for Gauteng. In the November national profile discussions, ballet was brought up, for the first time, the relevance of ballet and how it can be used to educate and keep our children off the streets.
- DB believes there is a greater following in Cape Town than there is in Joburg. The question was put forward to those present “How does Joburg Ballet cultivate a collective interest in ballet in Gauteng?”
- DB explained the 40 schools in Gauteng initiative (taking Ballet to Primary schools) in 2014 and explained that we will be carrying out the same initiative in 2015. DB believes that there are thousands of black children who are now interested in ballet, or at least know what ballet is, because of this initiative.
- DB says we need to instil a purpose in the Government and why they should allow ballet to grow and what it means for society to have ballet. International Ballet companies coming to S.A which does help spark interest in the art form, however, Joburg Ballet suffers as we lose audiences to these international based ballet companies.One way to ignite the current situation is to build connections, between Joburg Ballet and studios teaching ballet, parents and children.
- DWH feels that Black children want ballet, they want to be involved.
- DB agrees, but feels that because 10 years ago there were no black children doing ballet, they now have the need to “catch up”. DB jokes that in fact black ballet mothers are more “hectic” than their white counterparts.
- DWH feels that there is a need for theatre rules and etiquette should be taught.
- DB encourages teachers to allow their children to come and watch more studio/stage runs of ballets and dress rehearsals. After these rehearsals, DB feels it would be a good time to add the talk on theatre etiquette and how one should behave in a theatre setting.
- DB implores all teachers to have patience when it comes to good ideas that are discussed in these meetings. There is strategic talk a foot in high places and if we persevere, we will eventually get our way. Also, a stronger grouping of people who talk amongst themselves to help bring about change.
- DB says that studios need to become a part of the Joburg Ballet pirouette challenge.
- DWH says that we should cast the net wider to involve drama pupils from schools.
- DWH says that the biggest hurdle is the children’s academic schools themselves. Any invitations that are sent out need to be official.
- DB wants teachers and Joburg Ballet to work together to make this happen. Teachers need to give Joburg Ballet the e mail addresses of the principals. Any invites sent out, the ballet teacher of that school will be carbon copied (Bcc’d) on these e mails. This will avoid Principals saying that they never received the e mails and invitations.
- MB feels battered. The more she tries to get schools to cooperate, the less she gets the “right response”.
- DB feels that we need to replicate the idea or motive that allowed such male dancers such as MR, CB, KC and TM to ballet in the first place. DB feels that we essentially are not speaking the “right language” to these aspiring dancers. DB feels that the Joburg Ballet fan club is starting to break into this idea.
- JW feels that technology has made ballet “too hard” in the eyes of young aspiring dancers. Children do not know what it means to work at and perfecting such a difficult art form as ballet as the world around them is so easily accessible at their fingertips. JW also finds that children are too busy at school and everything seems to be compulsory now days.
- DB explained that we are breaking ground with the Department of education and that finally they are understanding the importance of ballet as a supplement.
- MB feels that ballet is not taken seriously. In schools, sport achievement is pushed, dancing is recreational.
- DWH agrees and states that private schools are harder to penetrate and changing the mind-set is difficult.
- LL says that studios should encourage pupils to go together after school as opposed to during school hours.
- DB implores all teachers to pick up the phone and organize attending a rehearsal of Joburg Ballet at any time.
- LL feels that we need to learn how to package an invite, to parents and to principals of schools.
- BA feels that the only way to have ballet in schools is not to be loyal to either Cecchetti or RAD or in the method the teacher in question was instructed in.
- DWH acknowledges that a dancer can now receive colours in dance, but there is no actual achievement ballet. Schools do not regard ballet as a skill and if children are not getting credit for something they drop it, which is why sports prevails in schools.
- AW says that schools dictate to parents and children. AW feels that parents and children should have the right to choose. Essentially, the department of education has forgotten how to educate children and instead overload them.
- BA feels emotionally blackmailed by the schools. The schools look down on teachers teaching Ballet and the uplifting element that teaching Ballet does for children. It was once said to BA that “Ballet is not appropriate” in schools.AW feels that ballet should not be classed as a sport, but as an art form instead. AW is aware though that this is what leads to the derogatory term of Ballet being labelled as “airy-fairy” but this is another mind-set that we should work on.
- DB suggests an honours page in Joburg Ballet’s programmes. That “this” child, so-and-so, got a distinction in “this” Ballet studio. This will help not only get the studios name in question out there, but also that the child feels like a real accomplishment was made, and this may increase the chances of so-and-so continuing with their ballet career.
- BA finds that children from about Grade 8, drop ballet as it hurts their chances of becoming prefects.
- FB says that the Development and Cuban school programmes fulfil 2/3rds of the requirements for Arts and Culture development in children and feels that we are getting the message of ballet across, however due to the lack of education in ballet, we are getting the wrong teachers in to teach (an example was set out as to how a Geography teacher who did ballet until the age of 11 years, is now teaching ballet in schools).DB realises that there are not enough teachers out there who can infiltrate under-privileged schools. Teachers are welcome to partner with Joburg Ballet, discuss syllabus taught and take part in classes.
- DWH enquired as to whether or not we have tried partnering with SABC to air our ballet productions.
- DB said that we nearly performed a live performance of Don Quixote, but SABC pulled out at the last minute. A way around this is to get parents of ballet children involved who has some political or social clout (involved in Government, media, C.E.O’S and Directors of influential companies for sponsorships. This will allow entities like SABC to justify spending money, and it is no longer seen as a gamble working with Joburg Ballet.
- OL feels that communication in the ballet world is awful, and it is apparent by the turnout of the Teaching vs. Training meeting being held.
- JS shares with the team that Facebook, Instagram and Twitter has been a major success for Jozi dance theatre and Joburg Ballet and studios can benefit from this form of media.
- OL says that there is a major shortage of teachers (roughly 450). Schools allowing Ballet in their curriculum are now even looking for student teachers to help fill the void.
DB discusses the minutes from the 2014 Teaching vs. Training meeting:
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- Ballet is a predominantly white art form. Joburg Ballet is changing this perception by accepting more and more black children into Joburg Ballet’s school programmes and by implementing, with success, the 40 schools initiative.
- Coalition of ballet teachers in Gauteng and hoping for a National coalition one day.This still needs to happen, but judging from the turn out of the meeting compared to the previous meeting, DB feels that this will be a difficult task.National examination of ballet children.DB implores teachers to not hold talented children back for the sake of the studios name and reputation. Teaching ballet should be a shared effort and not jealously guarded. Sharing skills and teaching methods amongst teachers and National team assembled to compete internationally ties in with this.
- Art schools becoming specialists in a dance form. This will allow children who are proficient in a certain form of dance to hone in on their skills. Of course they will receive training in other dance forms, but their speciality will be allowed to go from strength to strength by focusing on one form of dance, at least for 80% to 90% of the time.
- Art schools becoming specialists in a dance form. This will allow children who are proficient in a certain form of dance to hone in on their skills. Of course they will receive training in other dance forms, but their speciality will be allowed to go from strength to strength by focusing on one form of dance, at least for 80% to 90% of the time.
| Attendees | ||||
| Dirk Badenhorst | CEO of Joburg Ballet | DB | ||
| Iain MacDonald | Artistic Director of Joburg Ballet | IM | ||
| Chase Bosch | Company Manager of Joburg Ballet, Soloist and teacher for Joburg Ballet | CB (Scribe) | ||
| Lauren Dixon-Seager | Ballet Mistress of Joburg Ballet | LDS | ||
| Michael Revie | Ballet Master of Joburg Ballet | MR | ||
| Burnise Silvius | Prima Ballerina of Joburg Ballet and teacher for Joburg Ballet | BS | ||
| Lindsay McDonald | Publications and PR of Joburg Ballet (previous) | LM | ||
| Bruce Dennill | Publications and PR of Joburg Ballet (newly appointed) | BD | ||
| Keke Chele | Cuban school administrator and teacher | KC | ||
| Fiona Brown | Cuban/Development school coordinator and teacher | FB | ||
| Angela Revie | Cuban school administrator and teacher | AR | ||
| Joanne Petersen | Development school teacher | JP | ||
| Tshego Masoabi | Development school teacher | TsM | ||
| Thabang Mabaso | Cuban school teacher | TM | ||
| SeunTsunke | Development school teacher | ST | ||
| Beverly Acquisto | Ballet teacher | BA | ||
| Leigh Levick | Ballet teacher | LL | ||
| Olivia Lume | National Director of RAD South Africa | OL | ||
| Jacqui Wells | Ballet teacher | JW | ||
| Lesley Angove | Ballet teacher | LA | ||
| Jayd Swart | Ballet teacher | JS | ||
| June Melville | Ballet Teacher | JM | ||
| Diana Ward Hull | Ballet teacher | DWH | ||
| Kerry Vida | Ballet teacher | KV | ||
| Michelle Braam | Ballet teacher | MB | ||
| Penny Molfessis | Ballet teacher | PM | ||
| Laura de Vries | Ballet teacher | LdV | ||
| Annabelle Wahl | Ballet teacher | AW | ||