BALLET EXTRAVAGANZA AT NATIONAL THEATRE

BALLET AND ACROBATICS COMBINE AT NATIONAL THEATRE

By Margaretta wa Gacheru (posted DN 11.march 2021)

Promising a ‘Dance Extravaganza’, this coming Saturday, March 13^th at noon, dancers from both the Ballet Kenya Studio and the Sarakasi Trust will combine ballet and acrobatics at Kenya National Theatre.

Like all performing artists worldwide, Kenyan dance companies have also been hit hard, says BKS artistic director and founder, Charmaine Smith.

“Before COVID, we were working with 60 young dancers. Now we will have just 18 performing in ballet numbers that I have choreographed,” the former ballerina adds.

Sarakasi’s choreographers, Oscar Mwalo and Aggie the Dance Queen have only been working with nine agile acrobatic dancers since their numbers have also been affected by the pandemic. Nonetheless, the nine have been working hard and look forward to Saturday’s combined performance.

The idea of combining ballet and acrobats is one proposed to Ms. Smith by Sarakasi’s managing director Marion. Smith who has kept a relatively low profile since she came to Kenya from South Africa in 2010 and opened her ballet studio in 2011, saw the suggestion as a good challenge for her young dancers.

All COVID-19 health protocols will be followed, says Ms. Smith whose studio also teaches contemporary jazz as well as classical ballet.

“I teach from the Royal Academy of Dance syllabus in UK, and as soon as COVID restrictions are lifted, the Academy will be sending an Examiner to Kenya to examine our students,” she says. “I trust they will all pass.”