National Ballet Centre set for re-opening

Standard People
By Tinashe Sibanda Upcoming and established dancers that use the National Ballet Centre got a reprieve when the dance venue, which collapsed in October last year, went through renovations to prepare for the resumption of shows and classes.

By Tinashe Sibanda Upcoming and established dancers that use the National Ballet Centre got a reprieve when the dance venue, which collapsed in October last year, went through renovations to prepare for the resumption of shows and classes. The roof of the centre collapsed, leaving it unsafe and unusable. The structural fault that caused the collapse was only discovered when experts in the roofing field examined the building and recommended for renovations that cost US$250 000.

  The centre will next month host  a Roof Wetting Party where people will view the progress that has been made so far to fix the place.

  “The dancing fraternity is determined to get the centre up and running again as several fundraising projects have been staged and the income raised from these, plus generous donations from various companies, organisations and individuals have enabled the reconstruction exercise to begin,” said Dance Trust of Zimbabwe  administrator, Eve Stranix.

  She said so far the centre had a new burgundy tiled roof, a fire-rate ceiling, new lights both inside and outside the building and new windows and mirrors in the studios.

  Stranix however said a new sprung floor that was suitable for dancing had to be installed and a partition between the studios needed to be erected in order for two classes to be held simultaneously.

  “The Roof Wetting Party is open to everyone who is interested in viewing the progress that has been made so far, have fun and contribute towards the work that still needs to be done,” she said.

  Stranix said September would provide lots of entertainment including  the staging of an annual show  titled Food For Thought at the M & M dance factory in Borrowdale and A Night in Opera to be staged by Margo Dennis featuring the Marden Singersand guests at the British Ambassador’s residence in Greendale.

  She said the proceeds of the performances would be divided by three and go towards funding the Marden Singers’ 50th Anniversary concert 2013, the restoration of the Harare city library and the DTZ to assist with the reconstruction of the Ballet Centre.

  At the end of the month, well-loved outdoor production, Starlight Dancing, will be mounted in the Ballet Centre garden where senior dancers from Harare-based dancing studios will perform various types of dances and provide entertainment for all ages.