DURBAN--"We don't give
a hoot about your race. But we do believe that
the harder you sweat, the farther you get," says
Martin Schonberg, the Artistic Director and founder
of Ballet Theatre Afrikan of the dancers in his
company. A fitting motto to have when you are
asked to perform at the opening of the Plenary
of the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR).
Ballet Theatre Afrikan
is a youth company that is made up of teenagers who
live in townships.
Schonberg had a successful soloist career in Europe.
Ten years ago, when he returned to South Africa, he
decided to give back to the community. He went to the
townships around Johannesburg and started to train
youngster who had a passion for dancing. "They
basically auditioned me," he said when asked how
he chose his dancers. The company has an open policy.
The only prerequisite is that you have to love to dance.
It took ten years for Schonberg to train his first
few dancers. The actual company of Ballet Theatre
Afrikan was founded in 1996, when they started
performing. Their performances are not limited
to one kind of dance form. All the dancers have
a solid foundation in ballet. In addition to that,
they also take classes in jazz, Spanish, African,
funk and national dance.
The dancers range from 15 years to 19 years of
age. They are from the townships in and around
Johannesburg. Schonberg is located in a central
area in Johannesburg, which makes it easy for the
dancers to commute from their homes in the townships
to the dance studios.
The company has a variety of choreographers, many
of whom are leading talents in South Africa. The
dancers travel all over the country and have also
been to Austria and Austria for competitions. They
are scheduled to go to Holland in November.
Schonberg considers
it "an honor" to
be asked to perform at the opening of the Plenary
for the WCAR. Many dance companies were asked to
perform for the Department of Art and Culture so
they could choose. Ballet Theatre Afrikan made
the cut. Schonberg said they were received very
well even though it was a "challenge" for
them to perform at the venue. The stage was only
three meters and they are usually used to dancing
on bigger stages. They rehearsed for about six
week before the conference but only had two weeks
of intensive practice.
They hope to become a profession company when
they are able to get the sponsorship. Currently
they only perform for on a non-profit basis.
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