So today I thought I’d share with you a few fun family friendly events happening in Cape Town during March! Enjoy planning your calendar this March!
The Cape Town City Ballet Open Day – 14 March
The Cape Town City Ballet’s popular annual Open Day will be celebrating its 21st Birthday on Saturday 14 March 2015 at the UCT School of Dance in Rosebank, Cape Town. I took my dauther along last year and we both loved the experience of seeing ballerinas in costume up close and personal!
Starting at 10am in the morning, the action packed day is a major highlight on the ballet calendar in Cape Town. It provides excellent entertainment for the whole family and offers a rare behind the scenes glimpse into the daily life of a professional dancer. This year’s Open Day promises to be a bumper edition, showcasing the work of the Cape Town City Ballet, the UCT School of Dance, the Cape Junior Ballet (CJB) and ZAMA Dance School.
Visitors can begin their day by watching the professionals in Company Class taught by Tracy Li, or visit CJB dancers in a Pre-Professional Classical Ballet Class which includes repertoire and coaching, conducted by Daniela Di Lorenzo. The latter is suitable for all budding ballerinas to observe. Company Rehearsal will see Prof Elizabeth Triegaardt taking CTCB dancers through their paces for the forthcoming production of Carmen.
Young visitors are catered for and can participate in several activities which include face painting, stage make-up or experiencing a tactile moment with costumes and headdresses from CTCBs wardrobe department. An Introduction to Ballet class, open to all aged 9 – 90, will be conducted by Robin van Wyk. Patrons can partake, dressed as they are, in the fun of a beginners’ ballet class.
Other activities include CTCB’s outreach partner, ZAMA Dance School, directed by former company dancers Andrew Warth and Leanne Voysey. UCT School of Dance provides a look into the life of a student dancer, with a Contemporary Dance Class conducted by Janine Booysens, a Spanish Dance Class led by renowned Spanish dancer Mavis Becker and an African Dance Class taught by Jamie Lee Curtis.
The big highlight of the day will be the 21st Fundraising Performances presented by Keith Mackintosh, when dancers from CTCB, CJB & ZAMA perform a variety of spectacular short ballets and pas de deux.
No pre-booking is available for the Open Day. Admission is R40 for adults and R20 for children under 13, allowing entry to all the activities except the Fundraising Performances. Tickets for the Fundraising Performances at 12:30 or 13:30 are available on the day from the Friends of the Ballet table at R50. All proceeds from Open Day support Cape Town City Ballet’s Outreach Programme.
Hout Bay Sandcastle Competition – 21 March
Another fun family day takes place on 21 March and offers the chance to set your imagination wild at the 19th annual Sandcastle Competition hosted by Valley Pre-Primary School at Hout Bay beach on Saturday, March 21.
The goal is to build the most spectacular sculpture on the day using only a bucket, spade and the plentiful sand available, providing not only great fun for all ages, but also the chance to contribute towards helping young learners achieve their dreams. Entrants will be given their space to create their masterpieces and build a winning entry to impress celebrity judges and stand the chance to claim fantastic prizes. Be it grand castles, mermaids, pirates ships or sea monsters, the Sandcastle competition is great family fun and an opportunity to get children from all walks of life to experience the joy of turning sand into art.
All money raised in the Sandcastle competition, which has become a favourite fixture on the Cape Town beach calendar over almost two decades, will be used to provide educational bursaries to enable children from less privileged communities to attend Valley Pre-Primary School.
Funds will also be used for therapeutic interventions such as language enrichment, play therapy, occupational therapy or physiotherapy, when required, to assist with these youngsters learning and help to create a brighter future for them and their families. Members of the public that would like to contribute to the event but prefer not to compete, can buy raffle tickets, support the food and drink stalls and cheer the contestants on.
The date of March 21, 2015 has been chosen to coincide with low tide so there will be loads of space for builders and people watchers. Fantastic prizes are awarded to winners in each category as selected by celebrity judges.
You can register on the day, at the Chapmans Peak side of Hout Bay Beach from 08:30, for the chance to win some amazing prizes and have a fun-filled family day at the Beach. The competition starts at 09:00 and runs until 12:00.
Entry fees are R60 an adult and R30 a child. Corporate team entries cost R1500. Companies can also sponsor Sonwabile teams of children from local development projects in Hout Bay for R1500.
For more information visit www.houtbaysandcastle.co.za or phone Valley Pre-Primary School on 021 790 1540.
And last but not least….
TWD (That was different) – 21 March
Don’t be alarmed if you spot a group of people dressed in yellow and taking to the streets to do something crazy on Saturday 21 March. A number of different events will be taking place and all of them will be part of ‘That Was Different’, or ‘TWD’ for short, a campaign with a heart for making a difference by doing something different. In 2014 more than 1500 people participated in TWD and raised over R310 000. This year the aim is raise R1 million rand for education & employment issues in Cape Town.
This annual campaign, in its third year, involves people doing something quirky or out of the ordinary on Human Rights Day 21 March, and then getting their family, friends and colleagues to sponsor them for completing this task. All funds – every single cent – raised through TWD goes directly towards addressing education, employment and early childhood development (ECD) in Cape Town through programmes at Common Good, an NGO that is passionate about making a change.
Did you know that 65% of Grade Three learners can’t read at the appropriate level [Department of Education, 2012] and that 24.7% of South Africans are unemployed [Statistics SA, 2013]? In addition, thousands of kids born each year do not receive the necessary building blocks of love, nutrition, stimulation and security they need to set them of for success in life.
Common Good is serious about addressing and changing these huge issues in our country, which is why 100% of the money raised through TWD goes straight to those who need it most*.
For instance:
• NETwork: an initiative that seeks to equip people with the skills, confidence and opportunities to secure suitable employment in Cape Town. (www.network.org.za)
• Paradigm Shift: a programme where small business owners, who are using entrepreneurship as a way out of poverty, receive formal business training, mentoring and discipleship.
• Literacy Programmes: from Athlone to Constantia, hundreds of children are given additional support, enabling them to read and learn.
• ECD Programmes where hundreds of expecting moms are equipped with those crucial building blocks to set their children up to excel.
To get involved in TWD, follow these very simple steps:
1. Think of an activity that is different or unusual, like shopping in your PJs. Can’t think of an idea? You can join an existing group that is doing something different. There are plenty of options available via the TWD Website here. Some of which are listed below…
A 3 Hour Zumba Masterclass
SA Rock-athon Dance Party
Rock up and Run @ Tokai Forest
Kids Rock Pyjama Castles
One Thousand Fingerprints
2. Go to www.thatwasdifferent.net to register your activity or to select a group to join.
3. Get your friends, family and co-workers to sponsor you for doing your activity.
4. Complete your activity on 21 March 2015
If you cannot participate in an activity on 21 March, you can still get involved! How? Simply sponsor an activity or donate to TWD! Signing up and/ or sponsoring someone takes just a few minutes and is done through a safe and secure online platform. Go to www.thatwasdifferent.net for more info.
Website: www.thatwasdifferent.net
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ThatWasDifferent
Twitter: @helloTWD and #TWD2015
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