Rising Star of Cape Town Ballet gets into top New York Academy

The future looks bright for Muizenberg teenager Sibusiso Cockburn, currently dancing in Cape Town City Ballet’s sold-out season of The Nutcracker, and accepted on a partial scholarship into the prestigious American Academy of Ballet (AAB) Summer School of Excellence in New York City next year.

The AAB is home to one of the largest intensive summer programmes in the US and has also seen several Cape Town City Ballet dancers participate in past summer schools, such as Gia Polson and Chanté Daniels.

The AAB Summer School of Excellence has an international faculty with teachers from prestigious ballet institutions including the Paris Opera Ballet School, the Royal Ballet School in Antwerp and the New York City Ballet. The programme brings in ballet students from across the world.

“I live for ballet and I am committed to being a professional dancer,” Sibusiso, 16, said. “I can’t wait for this incredible opportunity with the amazing AAB.”

Three years ago, Sibusiso began ballet classes with Natalie Lissack and since then has pliéd and pirouetted his way through a successful audition for the Cape Junior Ballet company where he has danced since November last year. Kim Day, the director of Cape Junior Ballet (CJB) said: “Sibusiso is an outstanding young man; he is dedicated and committed to training in classical ballet and has a warm and generous disposition.”

The faculty that he will be trained by next year at the AAB includes Gilbert Mayer, who has coached Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov; principal dancer with the Paris Opera Ballet, Karin Averty; Kevin Durwael, the artistic director of the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp; and several other internationally renowned choreographers and dancers.

Professor Elizabeth Triegaardt, former CEO of Cape Town City Ballet and a patron of Cape Junior Ballet said: “Sibusiso Cockburn is one of the most committed dance students I have ever had the pleasure of teaching.

He applies every correction and uses his many physical, mental and musical skills to bring the art of dance alive.”

To assist Sibusiso to get to New York next year, visit: backabuddy. co.za/campaign/help-sibu-jet-to-the-american-academy-of-ballet.

Cape Times