Nelson Mandela Bay’s leading young dancers are set to captivate audiences with Voilà, a multi-faceted dance showcase by the Walmer School of Dance at the Savoy Theatre on October 11 and 12.
The French exclamation of success or surprise, “voilà!”, meaning “there it is!”, inspired the annual showcase unveiling the successful results of a year of dedicated dance practice by the school’s pupils, from ages five to 21.
A quartet of strong and elegant junior contemporary dancers will open the show with Voilà, a contemporary dance set to the beautiful song of the same name.
“Voilà features the elegant beauty of both classical and modern ballet, the energy and sass of jazz, and the slick style of contemporary dance. The variety of dance styles and the different moods of the pieces – from cheeky fun with the younger dancers to the seniors exploring shades of dark and light – mean that there is something in the show to enchant all lovers of dance. The show is also a chance to see some future star dancers who have great things ahead of them,” said Walmer School of Dance principal, Troy Coffey.
Those future stars to watch include 13-year-old Alice Reekie, who will be dancing the challenging ballet solo Scorpion. Reekie won the junior ballet section in the regionals of the 2024 South African International Ballet Competition and reached the international semi-finals, competing against dancers from around the world, at Artscape in Cape Town. She also won the Pre-Junior Ballet championship and Most Promising Ballet Dancer trophy at the Friendly City Dance Festival and the Junior Ballet Championship at the Nelson Mandela Bay Dance Festival earlier this year.
Senior dancer, Tayla Kolbe, and guest artist, Vernon van der Merwe, will partner in the contemporary dance, The Quality of Mercy, a mo-ving love story told in dance, while the senior contemporary group embraces darkness in the unusual and dynamic movements of The Grotto. Latin American dancer, Van der Merwe, also features in the jazz group, Peaky Blinders, which won double gold and best modern group for the Walmer school at this year’s Friendly City Dance Festival.
The mood turns to fun in Wednesday Group, a modern dance piece inspired by the spooky-comedy TV series Wednesday, and then to classical elegance in ballet ensembles Snow and Cherry Lane contrasted with modern ballet style in Checkmate. The senior contemporary ensemble in The Tree of Life introduces a Japanese influence in a piece symbolising the enchanting beauty and enduring resilience of the Sakura (cherry blossom) tree and Mount Fuji.
The show is choreographed by Coffey, a ballet teacher for over 30 years, presenting classes in ballet and contemporary dance styles at the Walmer School of Dance.
See Voilà at the Savoy Theatre at 19.00 on Friday, October 11 and at 15:00 and 19:00 on Saturday, October 12. Tickets cost R130 and can be bought on Webtickets or request a Webtickets booking for “Voilà” at any Pick n Pay till.
