Veronica Paeper (born 9 April 1944) is a South African choreographer and dancer.

Career

Paeper was born on 9 April 1944 in Port Shepstone but trained with Dulcie Howes at the University of Cape Town Ballet School after her family moved to Cape Town.[1][2] Although noted as South Africa's most prolific choreographer,[3] Paeper was also a principal dancer with CAPAB, the PACT Ballet and the Orange Free State Ballet.[1]

Paeper choreographed her first ballet, John the Baptist to music by Ernest Bloch for CAPAB in 1972, leading to her appointment as the company's resident choreographer.[1] In 1991, she became the company director of CAPAB and led the company on the first international tour of a South African ballet company, in 1994.[1] She choreographed over 40 works for the company, including a number of full-length works such as Orpheus in the Underwold, A Christmas Carol, Hamlet and Sylvia in Hollywood. She retired from CAPAB (now Cape Town City Ballet) in 2005.[1] She was awarded a Molteno Gold Medal in 2005 'in recognition of her lifetime achievements in the performing arts' by The Cape Tercentenary Foundation.[4] In 2009 she founded the South African National Dance Trust with Robyn Taylor and Mike Bosazzo, a nonprofit organisation to promote dance through performance, education and job opportunities.[5]

Personal life

Paeper married fellow dancer and choreographer Frank Staff in 1966.[6] She and Staff had a son together before his death in 1971. She is now married to Ken Kearns.[7]

Choreographed works

1970s

  • John the Baptist (music by Ernest Bloch) (1972)
  • Herrie-Hulle (music by Prokofiev) (1973)
  • Romeo and Juliet (music by Prokofiev) (1974)
  • Cinderella (music by Prokofiev) (1975)
  • Funtastique (music by Shostakovich) (1975)
  • Woman of Autumn (music by Saint Saëns) (1978)
  • Whodunnit? (music by Dohnanyi) (1978)
  • Concerto for Charlie (music by Shostakovich) (1979)
  • Don Quixote (music by Ludwig Minkus) (1979)

1980s

  • Drie Diere (Three Beasts) (music by Peter Klatzow) (1980)
  • Still-Life with Moonbeams (music by Peter Klatzow) (1981)
  • A Christmas Carol (various, arranged by David Tidboald) (1982)
  • Orpheus in the Underwold (music by Jacques Offenbach, arranged by Michael Tuffin) (1982)
  • The Return of the Soldier (music by David Earl) (1982)
  • Mix 'n Match (music by Tchaikovsky) (1983)
  • Undine (music by Debussy) (1983)
  • Spartacus (music by Aram Khachaturian) (1984)
  • Nell Gwynne (music by Rossini, arranged by Michael Tuffin) (1984)
  • Abelard and Heloise (music by David Earl) (1985)
  • The Tales of Hoffmann (music by Jacques Offenbach, arranged by Allan Stephenson) (1985)
  • Vespers (music by Peter Klatzow) (1985)
  • Sparante (music by Haydn (1986)
  • Carmen (music by Bizet, arranged by Michael Tuffin) (1987)
  • The Entertainer (music by Scott Joplin) (1987)
  • The Merry Widow (music by Lehar, arranged by John Lanchbery) (1988)
  • Elastokovitch (music by Shostakovich) (1989)
  • The Last Dance (music by Ravel) (1989)

1990s

  • Camille (music by Verdi, arranged by Allan Stephenson) (1990)
  • Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (music by Mozart) (1990)
  • The Nutcracker (music by Tchaikovsky) (1991)
  • Hamlet (music by Peter Klatzow]) (1992)
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream (music by Mendelssohn) (1993)
  • Sylvia in Hollywood (music by Allan Stephenson) (1993)
  • Walpurgisnacht (music by Gounod) (1993)
  • The Rain Queen (music by Gustav Mahler) (1995)
  • The Story of Manon Lescaut (music by Massenet) (1997)
  • Daphnis & Chloe (music by Ravel) (1998)
  • Work in Progress (music by Tchaikovsky) (1998)
  • Cleopatra (music by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder) (1999)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Veronica Paeper". The Oxford Dictionary of Dance. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  2. ↑ "Veronica Paeper". Theatre Lives. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  3. ↑ Women Marching Into the 21st Century. HSRC Press. 2000. p. 135. ISBN 9780796919663.
  4. ↑ "Alumni honoured". UCT News. 21 November 2005. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  5. ↑ Toffoli, Hilary Prendini (15 June 2015). "Heroic ballet of an African Spartacus". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  6. ↑ Melville, Nan (1998). International encyclopedia of dance : a project of Dance Perspectives Foundation, Inc (2005 ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195173697. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "You can't Russia a good dance". IOL. 8 November 2005. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
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