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But this is a gala event with a difference. After the performance, guests are invited to join the company and have dinner with Edur and Oaks in Artscape's Chandelier Foyer. Cape Town City Ballet's CEO Elizabeth Triegaardt says this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Capetonians to meet the award-winning husband-and-wife team: "Thomas and Agnes are in such demand because they're known throughout the world for their consistent excellence as well as their strong and well-schooled technique," she says.
First staged in 1975 by David Poole after Marius Petipa, The Sleeping Beauty has remained one of the most popular ballets in the classical repertoire and many versions are performed worldwide. It enthralls youngsters with divertissements such as Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots and the Blue Bird pas de deux in Act 3, but also thrills the discerning ballet lover with the breathtaking Rose Adage from Act 1 and the famous Grand Pas in Act 3.
Of the guest artistes' prior interpretations of the famously challenging principal roles, London critics say: "Ms. Oaks tackles the notoriously difficult role of Princess Aurora with a confidence matched by a perfect technique," and, "As the Prince, Thomas Edur is a premier danseur noble in the greatest traditions of that rare, rare breed."
Cape Town City Ballet is South Africa's longest-standing ballet company, and this black-tie gala event will mark the launch of its 75th anniversary appeal, to be celebrated in the year 2009.
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