LA TRAVIATA – UK première for 2005

20 July 2004

In February 2005, Northern Ballet Theatre introduces UK audiences to another acclaimed ballet from the world dance stage, La Traviata*; a sumptuous three act ballet created by Veronica Paeper, Artistic Director of Cape Town City Ballet and the most prominent classical ballet choreographer in South Africa. La Traviata opens at the Leeds Grand Theatre & Opera House, from Friday 11th – Saturday 19th February 2005, part of the spring/summer national tour, ending in June.

In 1994 Veronica gained international recognition for introducing Cape Ballet to London’s Sadler’s Wells, making it the first South African ballet company to tour abroad. The repertoire for the two-week season consisted entirely of works by South African choreographers and Veronica remembers it as “the scariest and most exciting undertaking this company has ever done.” Veronica arrives in England on Monday 26th July 2004, to spend a week with Northern Ballet Theatre dancers before announcing her chosen cast for the UK première of her work.

Giuseppe Verdi’s world-renowned opera La Traviata, was inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ romantic novel The Lady of the Camelias, which Dumas wrote following his own ill-fated love affair with a young courtesan Marie Duplessis, who died of tuberculosis. In Dumas’ novel the lovers were named Marguerite and Armand, in Verdi’s opera they became Violetta and Alfredo; despite these nominal differences each reinterpretation whether opera, play or ballet, has ensured the longevity and popularity of this heart-rending love story. In Veronica’s ballet Marguerite and Armand live out their bittersweet romance, which society propels towards an inevitable and tragic conclusion.

Costumes and sets for La Traviata will be recreated by the production’s original designer Peter Cazalet, one of Veronica Paeper’s long time collaborators. Peter was born in South Africa where he gained a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Cape Town. He also spent 13 years as a dancer with Festival Ballet, Western Theatre Ballet, Ballet Rambert and Scottish Ballet, where he was a principal dancer. He has since won numerous awards for his designs for Cape Town Opera House, Royal New Zealand Ballet, Staatstheater Munich, Hong Kong Ballet and Singapore Dance Theatre, to name just a few. The ballet is performed to Verdi’s opera music, specially arranged by Allen Stephenson and orchestrated for the Northern Ballet Theatre orchestra by John Longstaff.

Veronica is delighted to be working with Northern Ballet Theatre, where she will be reunited with two former Cape Town City Ballet dancers, Desiré Samaai and Jonathan Ollivier.

Note to Editors: Veronica Paeper will be in the Leeds for one week only from 26-30 July and will be available for interviews or photographs. Please arrange with the Media and PR office.

* La Traviata is known to Cape Town City Ballet audiences as Camille. For more information go to http://www.paeper.co.za

For more information/photography or to arrange interviews contact our Media and PR department via email: media@northernballettheatre.co.uk.