A pirouette for ballet pupils

KNYSNA NEWS - Some 31 pupils took part in the American Academy of Ballet (AAB) Performance Awards, representing Sidwell Roman School of Ballet on 18 April at the Knysna Primary School hall, and performed exceptionally well.

The youngsters have been learning the AAB syllabus the entire first trimester of 2024 under the tuition of Sidwell Roman and Courtney-Drew Meyer.

The pupils, ranging from seven to 16 years old, presented Level 1 to Level 9. One of the children entered two levels of ballet.

The pupils hail from various schools in Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, including Fraaisig, Greenwood Bay College, Knysna Primary School, Oakhill, Montessori, Sunridge Primary and Riverwood Primary. Some of the dancers are home-schooled.

The young dancers were awarded 13 gold with distinction, eight gold, six silver with double distinctions, and five silver with distinction.

Nine pupils received scholarships to go to New York to attend the AAB for their summer ballet programme in 2025.

This was the sixth time that the Sidwell Roman School of Ballet entered the AAB Performance Awards.

It is a wonderful programme with emphasis on both ballet technique and artistry. AAB Performance Awards is an international phenomenon present in many countries including USA, Israel, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and South Africa.

All the choreographies were composed by Mignon Furman, the founder of AAB. Each AAB Performance Awards is adjudicated by an outside judge who is affiliated with AAB. Sidwell Roman has himself been one of them since 2018 and has judged all over South Africa and internationally in Israel.

This year the judge was Alice-Ann Cassell from Johannesburg.

Like most ballet teachers, Cassell started her dancing career at an early age, dancing her first Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) exam at the tender age of five. She was fortunate enough to be taught by the likes of Joyce Seaborne, Lorna Haupt and Mignon Furman, all doyennes of the Royal Academy of Dance in South Africa.

Cassell started teaching the American Academy of Ballet (AAB) Performance Award syllabus in 2000. Shortly after this, Mignon invited her to attend the AAB Summer School in New York where she was made an international judge for the academy.

In 2011, Cassell was honoured by the Royal Academy of Ballet in London when she was awarded life membership. Cassell is the Gauteng organiser for the AAB and has judged throughout South Africa and internationally in Israel.

The pupils of Sidwell Roman School of Ballet outperformed themselves again at this year's AAB Performance Awards.