Joburg Ballet, UJ Arts and Culture to stage African adaptation of The Bacchae

The production forms part of Joburg Ballet’s 25th anniversary season and is a reimagining of the Greek tragedy The Bacchae by Euripides through an African performance lens.

Directed by Jay Pather, the production combines ballet, indigenous African movement, choral performance and live orchestral music. The creative team also includes composer Neo Muyanga and choreographer Mthuthuzeli November, with performances by the UJ Choir and a live chamber orchestra.

According to the organisers, the adaptation explores themes including power, spirituality, belonging and social division within a contemporary South African context.

“The Bacchae is a tussle between passion, excess, the irrational, and allowing the irrational to run free, as opposed to order, moderation and restraint,” Pather said.

“That dynamic sets itself very well at this time in our history, where societies across the world are feeling that tension and that pull.”

Muyanga’s score incorporates choral elements performed by the UJ Choir alongside orchestral arrangements intended to support the emotional and narrative structure of the production.

The production also involves participation from students in the Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture’s Theatre 101 programme, led by Jade Bowers. The initiative allows second-year students to contribute to aspects of the production’s visual and conceptual design.

The Theatre 101 programme was launched in 2017 by Federico Freschi and is intended to provide practical industry experience for students working alongside professional creatives.

Head of UJ Arts & Culture Pieter Jacobs said the collaboration reflected a commitment to interdisciplinary artistic work and youth participation within the creative industries.

“This collaboration between UJ Arts & Culture and Joburg Ballet reflects our commitment to fostering bold, interdisciplinary work that is both locally grounded and globally resonant,” Jacobs said.

He added that the production created opportunities for emerging creatives to contribute to a large-scale professional project while engaging with contemporary social themes through performance.

The full-length ballet follows the story of Dionysus, who arrives in the city of Thebes promising liberation and spiritual awakening, while Pentheus, the city’s ruler, attempts to suppress the growing movement.

Elroy Fillis-Bell, chief executive officer of Joburg Ballet, described the project as a multidisciplinary collaboration combining dance, theatre, music and visual design.

“With the collaboration of UJ Arts & Culture and the expertise of the creative team, ballet, choral music, theatre and visual design have been woven into a tapestry that transcends artistic boundaries to create a truly immersive, multi-disciplinary experience,” Fillis-Bell said.