Ballerina's lifelong affair

Elizabeth Triegaardt remembers the time, 48 years ago, when she was dancing in a University of Cape Town Ballet School production of Swan Lake in East London, Eastern Cape.

"I was playing the black swan. I blacked my teeth out and smiled as I turned to face the dancers before going off stage - they were in stitches." She laughs: "We nearly got fired on that occasion."

Triegaardt is one of the longest-serving members of what is now the Cape Town City Ballet, which celebrates its 80th birthday this year.

Now honorary executive director of the Cape Town company, Triegaardt said that, despite problems, the company was thriving.

"You can't call yourself an international capital without offering a performing arts company of note. It is a great source of pride to our city. We can still hold our heads very high."

She credited the company's longevity to the passion of those involved.

"Those who dance, those who organise, those who teach. There are people who work 20 hours a day to make it work."

In the past few decades the company's audience has widened immensely and is now a mixing pot of cultures, ages and language groups. The challenge now, said Triegaardt, is to stay current and appealing to a modern audience, while still catering to the preference of the core patrons for the classics.

"We found that anything new doesn't satisfy our audience as much as a full-length classic, and so our box office sales declined. It's been our plan to show them that they might well enjoy both the classics and modern productions."

In September, the company will stage three productions choreographed by the renowned John Neumeier, of the Hamburg Ballet, Germany.

Started in 1934 by Dulcie Howes, the ballet company has produced world-famous dancers such as David Poole, who taught Triegaardt and Phyllis Spira.

From the start, entry into the company was open to all South Africans.

The 1960s were the company's golden era because full government funding allowed it to stage extravagant productions in all major cities.

But since 1997, when state funding dried up, the company has struggled and now relies on box office income.