The Academy of Russian Ballet will hold a gala event in South Africa for the first time since 2018. It will take place on 25 November.

The event will be a collaboration between the Russian Ballet Academy and DB Music School. The programme will include classical ballet choreography (dances), Russian character/ballet dances, contemporary and modern dances. All performed by students of the Russian Ballet Academy from as young as 3 to 19. Also students from DB Music school will be performing music pieces they have learnt during the year.

The Gala will be attended by guests from the Russian Embassy and The Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo)

“Studying Russian ballet (Vaganova) is the best way to lay strong foundations the right way. By doing so you are setting yourself up to be able to have a future, a career in the professional dance world, no matter if it is in ballet or any other style!” – said Chantelle de Jager, the head of Russian ballet Academy in South Africa.

Chantal de Jager is the first ballerina from South Africa to receive a Bachelor’s degree in choreography from a Russian university. She is a graduate of the Kazan State Institute of Culture, specialising in choreography and dance pedagogy.

After her return to her homeland in February 2023, Chantal de Jager reopened the Russian Ballet Academy of South Africa (RBASA) in Garsfontein, a suburb of Pretoria (it was closed in 2018).

The Academy has an agreement with the Kazan State Institute of Culture, allowing RBASA students to earn internationally recognised diplomas.

As part of the agreement, a programme is being developed to train and certify teachers in the Vaganova system. This will give South African ballet teachers and aspiring teachers the opportunity to learn the profession under the guidance of a Russian university.

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