Cast and international guest artist announced for Cape Ballet Africa’s production of Maina Gielgud’s Giselle at The Baxter

Giselle is one of ballet’s most beloved romantic masterpieces, that shares a story of love and betrayal. It will be presented from 13 to 22 November at The Pam Golding Theatre at The Baxter.

This production is choreographed by internationally lauded choreographer Maina Gielgud and features a sumptuous new set and costumes by acclaimed designer Michael Mitchell. 

Set to a score by Adolphe Adam, all performances are to a recording by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.

 International guest artist Solomon Osazuva will guest with Cape Ballet Africa in the role of Albrecht for the season. He will partner Cape Ballet Africa’s Leanè Theunissen as Giselle.

“We are delighted to be welcoming Solomon Osazuva to South Africa to perform with Leanè in Giselle,” says Debbie Turner, founder and artistic director of Cape Ballet Africa.

“Experience the other captivating partnerships with our very own Mia Coomber dancing Giselle with partner Gabriel Ravenscroft as Albrecht, as well as the wonderful Paige McElligott and Joshua Williams performing these roles on other dates.”

Giselle is an innocent and beautiful peasant girl who loves to dance, and unsuspectingly falls in love with a philandering nobleman, Albrecht, who has disguised himself as a peasant while pursuing her affections.

When she discovers his deceit and finds out he is already betrothed, Giselle is inconsolable and dies of a broken heart. The story continues in the moonlit land of the Wilies, a mysterious landscape inhabited by the vengeful spirits of virgin brides who never reached their wedding day. The ghostly Wilies torment Albrecht as he appears in search of the spirit of Giselle.

The duality of the body and spirit, evocation of the supernatural, and the tale of undying love and devotion endears this quintessentially romantic ballet to a universal audience.

Maina Gielgud is an internationally acclaimed choreographer, director, dancer and teacher. She has danced with companies around the world, including Sadlers Wells Royal Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Australian Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, CAPAB, PACT, and the London Festival Ballet. She was also the director/associate director of the Australian Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, and Houston Ballet.

Giselle will be performed from 13 to 22 November at The Pam Golding Theatre at The Baxter.

Tickets cost from R200 – R495

Bookings can be made at Webtickets

Performance dates and cast list

13 Nov 19h30

Mia Coomber, Gabriel Ravenscroft, Jan Kotze, Leanè Theunissen

14 Nov 19h30

Leanè Theunissen, Solomon Osazuva (guest), Thomas Larché, Tayla De Bie

15 Nov 15h00

Mia Coomber, Gabriel Ravenscroft, Jan Kotze, Julia O’Keeffe

15 Nov 19h30

Paige McElligott, Joshua Williams, Nicolas Laubscher, Tayla De Bie

16 Nov 15h00

Leanè Theunissen, Solomon Osazuva (guest), Thomas Larché, Paige McElligott

18 Nov 19h30

Paige McElligott, Joshua Williams, Nicolas Laubscher, Mia Coomber

19 Nov 19h30

Leanè Theunissen, Solomon Osazuva (guest), Thomas Larché, Paige McElligott

20 Nov 11h30

(performance for Senior Citizens, with tickets priced at R200 / R250) Paige McElligott, Joshua Williams, Nicolas Laubscher, Julia O’Keeffe

20 Nov 19h30

Mia Coomber, Gabriel Ravenscroft, Jan Kotze,  Leanè Theunissen

 22 Nov 15h00

Mia Coomber, Gabriel Ravenscroft, Jan Kotze, Tayla De Bie

 22 Nov 19h30

Leanè Theunissen, Solomon Osazuva (guest), Thomas Larché, Mia Coomber

Cape Ballet Africa is honoured to be associated with Food Lover’s Market with their commitment to innovation and their values to….have faith, lead with love, be the miracle”.

Cape Ballet Africa is proud to be an Associated Company of Artscape.

Cape Ballet Africa is grateful for the philanthropic investment of Food Lover’s Market, the Sports Science Institute of South Africa (SSISA), the Embassy of Spain in Pretoria and the Spanish Consulate in Cape Town, The Fine Legacy, Theatre Dance Association, BASA, Southern Sun, Artscape, Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, CDIC (Cape Dance Injury Centre), Sports Science Massage Centre, Sports Science Physiotherapy Centre and Ballet World.

More about Cape Ballet Africa

Cape Ballet Africa celebrates cultural values imbued through dance, instilling the discipline of classical ballet while blending in the exciting heritage of South African culture. The Company identity strongly aligns with the global dance landscape while building a proudly African organisation.

Cape Ballet Africa seeks to reimagine how ballet can look in Africa, using the interplay of identity and culture, the diversity in all elements of the artform; the people and the repertory.

Cape Ballet Africa produces performances that are bold and strongly rooted in the classical ballet technique, with exceptional quality front-and-centre as an inherent part of the artistic identity. It is founded in discipline and self-expression, individuality in teamwork, with a distinctive elegance, refinement and audacious grace.

Established in 2024 by highly respected dance figure Debbie Turner, Cape Ballet Africa will, through performance excellence and ongoing professional development of artists, inspire new generations to appreciate an artform that demands much of the human spirit, gives much back to the human spirit and fosters a broad appreciation and following within the African diaspora. Innovation and collaboration are core focuses within the operation of the Company, with unique voices already a hallmark of its daily functioning, both within the cast and the creative minds.

Education and upskilling of young apprentice professional artists working with more experienced artists will also be a focus for the new company.

Cape Ballet Africa is honoured to include Dr Connie September, Diane Van Schoor and Thoriso Magongwa as the company’s Patrons.

Mthuthuzeli November’s Chapter 2, which was commissioned for Cape Ballet Africa’s inaugural season with the triple bill, SALT, won in two categories at the prestigious Benois de la Danse Awards 2025.

November won Best Choreography for Chapter 2, while dancer Joshua Williams won for his performance in Chapter 2. Williams shared the Best Male Dancer prize with Dmitry Smilevskiy, Principal Dancer at the Bolshoi Theatre.

Camille Bracher was also nominated for Best Female Dancer for her performance in chapter 2.

• SALT was nominated for Best Ensemble at the 2025 Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees Kanna Awards.
• Creation Wines’ short film, Celebrating the ‘culture’ in Agri-Culture was awarded a Silver Award at the International Tourism Film Festival Africa. The film was a collaboration between Creation Wines, Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, Cape Ballet Africa, fashion designer Kat van Duinen and composer Peter Johnson.

“Through our longstanding association with Debbie Turner and Cape Ballet Africa, we know dance has the power to inspire, uplift, and transform lives. Our support of Cape Ballet Africa is rooted in a shared passion for nurturing talent, creating opportunities, and building strong, vibrant communities. Seeing Cape Ballet Africa grow, celebrate its first birthday, and open this beautiful new studio at SSISA is a proud moment for all of us - it’s a home for young dancers to dream bigger and reach higher. We are so proud to be part of this journey and can’t wait to see the impact this will have on the next generation of dancers.”

• Shaneen Coppin, Food Lover's Market and Cape Ballet Africa Board Member.

“The Sports Science Institute of South Africa shares Cape Ballet Africa’s vision of creating a proudly African global reputation through performance excellence. We are excited that Cape Ballet Africa is starting a new journey with us that will positively impact even more lives and deeply enrich the human experience.”  - Dr Mandla Moyo, CEO of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa. DM

For further information, follow Cape Ballet Africa on Facebook, Instagram and Tik Tok, or visit their site Cape Ballet Africa.