Veronica Paeper
Veronica Paeper (1944-). Dancer and choreographer.
Contents
Biography and career
Trained at the University of Cape Town School of Ballet, and danced for the ballet companies of all the provincial Performing Arts Councils between 1960 and 1973, including a few years with PACOFS. Having choregographed her first original work (John) in 1972, followed by Theatre of Silence for The Space in 1974, she became resident choreographer for CAPAB in 1974, later becoming Artistic Director of the company (1991). Frank Staff was her partner for many years and he choreographed some of the the first (and still some of the most enthralling) South African ballet's – Mantis Moon (19**), The Rain Queen (19**) and Raka (19**, based on N.P. van Wyk Louw's dramatic poem) while with PACOFS. Paeper danced in the originals, and later restaged them with her own company.
Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance
She has been choreographer on numerous other South African works. Including A Midsummer Night's Dream, a ballet version of Romeo and Juliet, the dance production Theatre of Silence, A Christmas Carol and The King and I.
In her time as Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer of the CAPAB Ballet from 1990 to 2005 when she retired as the Artistic Director of the Cape Town City Ballet, Veronica Paeper wrote over 40 ballets, full-length and one-acters.
Her choreographic works include Orpheus in the Underworld, Don Quixote, Carmen, Camille and Cinderella. Her Drie Diere ("Three Animals"), to the music of South African composer, Peter Klatzow, is considered 'the definitive South African balletic creation'.
Awards, etc.
She was awarded the Molteno Medal in 2005 for her lifetime achievement in perfoming arts.
Sources
Various entries in the NELM catalogue.
Theatre Lives [1].
Cape Town City Ballet Official Website, https://capetowncityballet.org.za/about/
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