Dear non-dancers; the definitely-not-athletes-of-God; those of you with more than one left foot; the bitter has-beens/ once-upon-a-time-I-was-a-prima; bigots & those who just don’t care,  Our dance industry is in perpetual recession.  We, the dancers, are not slaves to those stuck in 1970-something. Audiences resemble privileged hospices, money is disappearing, orchestras are owed, & we are tired of Swan F**** Lake! Here is our manifesto: #BALLETMUSTFALL & we demand change! This is a house of the revolution, so leave your white tendencies at the door & see dance as never before. This is NOT your average dance-play! Dansteater se moer! Dance is the silent art form. Whilst other forms of art have sculptures to tear down & vandalise, we have to be quiet whilst our elderly audiences cough and splutter, lucky if half even make it to act 2.  So many young people are in the arts, where are they? Why are they so bored? Meanwhile, we gather the few Rand in our pocket, fly overseas and audition with Russian anorexics on the right side of exchange rates with familiarity on their side. And we are just left with so many questions: Where they born like that? Do they even eat? Do they have real friends?  Back home, funding goes to classical Ballet, the dance of imperial Europe. Let’s face it, we just don’t have the body type for lily white tutus. Oh, and pointe shoes, they don’t come in brown, so even Misty Copeland probably has to dye all her shoes to match her skin tone. This is a taste of our rather ridiculous predicament as young dancers. We’ve degraded ourselves one too many times for some random commercial casting director who couldn’t even care & we definitely don’t want to “Giselle” again. So we invite all to join our cause and laugh at the comedy that is the life of the Athletes-of-God. We refuse to be silent anymore. We want justice & reform. Viva la Revolution.

Jared Musiker is not your average dance enthusiast, perhaps more the self proclaimed enfant terrible/ dance revolutionary. He graduated from the Cape Academy of Performing Arts in 2014 majoring in contemporary dance and drama (most definitely not musical theatre). After that, he spent some time travelling around auditioning & learning more about innovative aspects of contemporary dance, movement therapy and new choreographic processes. Jared Musiker is also a qualified hot yoga instructor. He is working towards a licentiate in classical piano, for what he calls a “serious hobby.”  Jared is also starting a new production company acting as an incubator focussed on creating a transformative space for new innovative edgy performances of international standard, in dance and physical theatre here in South Africa. The idea is to start new conversations in this area of the arts, and start drawing the interest back whilst creating more sustainable options for young performers looking into this career.

Asisipho Malunga is a 22 year old dancer, actress and singer who graduated from the  Cape Academy of Performing Arts in 2014. She has done some exciting work with the Yellow Glove Collective earlier in 2015, not only performing but involved in the creative process as well. Her talents allow her to be flexible in her career and apart from her work in #BalletMustFall, she is also currently acting in an international film shot here in Cape Town.

Media & Reviews

"It’s a hilarious and thought-provoking work with a few inside jokes that might fly over the heads of some audience members, but it will undoubtedly alter many people’s ideas about the reality of being a dancer."

Review of #BALLETMUSTFALL by Shirley-Anne Bezuidenhout

Jason Potgieter interviews the cast of #BALLETMUSTFALL

Audience Responses

An excellent performance, thoroughly professional . Really enjoyed it. More please.

Absolutely stunning performance! The creativity and thought that went into the writing and directing was incredibly apt for our current socio-political state in SA, and the acting/dancing was simply superb. So very enjoyable!

I myself am a student at a Theatre school, I've been experiencing the same struggle they portrayed. I am so moved and inspired that someone finally spoke up about this issue, it's very real and happening everywhere. We pay over priced tuition fees and don't receive the worth in education. That's why south African dancers will forever be employed. I was so moved by the play that I want to koin their movement and protest against thise who are doing us wrong.

Three gifted performers, I enjoyed very much the show!

Great show nice to showcase local talent with critique