Friends of the Ballet Committee:
Iain MacDonald; Mike Collison; Michele Dames; Yvonne Dijon
Who are Friends of the Ballet?
FOTB is made up of people like you, people who love ballet, want to learn more about ballet and, where possible, want to help grow and support this beautiful art form.
What do Friends of the Ballet do?
Our primary focus is summed up in our logo: “Growing Ballet Together”. We strive to build awareness and support for our very own Joburg Ballet and its talented dancers. As a non-profit organization, FOTB raise funds via Membership (which is critical); the Friends Merchandise Table; and last but not least, our annual fundraising event. The latter is playing an increasingly important role in terms of fundraising and growing our base of Friends and introducing new audiences to Joburg Ballet.
Driven by a love of ballet, we are always looking for opportunities to further educate ourselves and the public. In addition to our fundraising events and our Newsletter to Friends, we have been hosting Under 21 events, building a base of future dancers, audiences and Friends of the Ballet.
We organize informative talks about ballet, discussions with choreographers, dancers and musicians, allowing us all to experience the magic behind the scenes. We will be increasing the number of these events in future, creating a unique opportunity limited to Friends of the Ballet. Our amazing dancers are at the heart of all of our events and we use these opportunities to enthrall and to demonstrate the intricacies of performing, creating special occasions to enhance the magic that is ballet.
How are funds utilised?
Historically FOTB have played a pivotal role in funding specific projects for Joburg Ballet, among them;
• 2019 – Friends contibuted R517 000 to the company through various projects including new studio mats for both Joburg Ballet Studios
• 2018 – Friends contributed R434 000 on projects for Joburg Ballet including funding of the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra for Carmen the Ballet
• 2017 – Funding new costumes for Snow White the Ballet
• 2016 – Funding new stage sets for Romeo and Juliet
• 2015 – Assisting in financing Swan Lake
• 2014 – New stage sets for La Bayadère
• 2013 – Funding the purchase of ballet mats for Joburg Ballet’s studios
• Financing the visits of international guest artists
• Produced commercial DVDs of select Joburg Ballet productions (available for sale on our this website)
• Year end gifts to all members of Joburg Ballet
With your support we can only get better, play a larger role in growing Joburg Ballet and at the same time creating a platform for our dancers of tomorrow.
