Most ballet audiences see the finished production. A forthcoming performance at Roodepoort Theatre will instead reveal some of the work that happens before the costumes, characters and storytelling take centre stage.

The Parkhurst-based Russian School of Ballet will present its Vaganova Showcase on Saturday, 7 November 2026.

Students from Level 1 through to Professional 1 will perform in sequence, allowing audiences to see how movement, strength, control, artistry and stage presence develop as training becomes progressively more demanding. 

A different kind of ballet performance

The showcase is not a traditional story ballet. Instead, students will perform technical classroom exercises and training combinations on stage.

Each level builds on the last, giving the audience a practical look at how dancers move from basic positions and movements to more advanced classical technique.

The programme follows the school's Vaganova method. This training system places dancers into structured levels, with each stage developing the strength and technical understanding needed for the next.

Russian School of Ballet founder and director Yana Auger said the performance would let audiences see the method in action rather than just hear it explained.

The school was founded in 2009 and operates studios in Parkhurst and Illovo. It also founded the Youth Russian Ballet Company, through which students can gain experience in full theatrical productions.

Who may enjoy the showcase?

The format should appeal particularly to:

• Ballet enthusiasts interested in the training behind a performance.
• Young dancers considering more advanced study.
• Parents wanting to understand how formal ballet training progresses.
• Audiences curious about the discipline required before a dancer reaches the professional stage.

Because students perform in order of training level, viewers can compare the early foundations with the control and complexity expected of advanced dancers.

The Bottom Line

The Vaganova Showcase offers something different from an ordinary ballet production: the chance to see how dancers are built through carefully structured training.

For young dancers and their families, it could provide a particularly useful view of what long-term ballet development actually involves.