“The sweetest honey is loathsome in his own deliciousness and in the taste confounds the appetite,” wrote William Shakespeare in his tragedy Romeo and Juliet.
It’s a timeless tale of two young lovers where passion, fate, death, honour and friendship are explored, in the only way Shakespeare knows how, through words and performance. But who says words are the only way to communicate? There’s another language we tend to ignore — that of the body.
Which is where the beauty and art of movement comes into play. And what better way to communicate this age-old tale than through ballet. After a seven-year hiatus Joburg Ballet is presenting Romeo and Juilet this winter season with eight performances at the Joburg Theatre.
“Dance is not just about learning steps; you’re playing a role without any words. Same as an actress, it’s all about your mannerisms, how you look at someone, how you touch someone,” said principal dancer Shannon Glover, who plays Juliet, during an interview with CNN Africa.
Glover’s journey in ballet began when she was just four years old. Captivated by the dance form, she sneaked into ballet classes.
“My mom took me to nursery school and there was an aftercare section that had a ballet teacher. They would offer classes for older kids and my mom would come back to fetch me — and she couldn’t find me.
“One afternoon, they found me in a corner at the back of the studio, pouncing around practising my ballet moves with all the older girls. And the next day my mom signed me into ballet,” she recalls.
In the 19 years she’s worked at the company, Glover has assumed lead roles in The Sleeping Beauty, La Traviata, Cinderella, Coppélia, Carmen, Le Corsaire, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, La Bayadère, The Nutcracker Re-Imagined, Swan Lake, Giselle and Romeo and Juliet, which she says is her favourite.
Chloé Blair and Ruan Galdino
“The day I walked into the ballet company at 18 years old, I saw that every single person was better than me. It gave me the drive to work hard and achieve what no one thought I could achieve. If you have a dream, a passion, and you work extremely hard, it’s in your reach,” Glover explains.
“I get this question often about how it feels when I’m on stage. It’s a remarkable feeling, it’s addictive, it keeps me alive and wakes me up in the morning. I have such fulfilment out of doing what I do. I touch people every day and just being able to do that, to take people into another world, there’s nothing like it,” the 37-year-old says.
Glover will be performing alongside Nicole Ferreira-Dill, Monike Cristina and Chloé Blair, who will take turns playing the role of Romeo.
If you haven’t experienced the power and beauty of this dance form, don’t miss out this winter.
Romeo and Juliet will be running from Friday, 30 June to Sunday, 9 July 2023. Tickets prices range from R110 to R525, with many discounts available. To purchase click here or for more information visit Joburg Theatre’s website www.joburg theatre.com.
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