Meet ballet’s young starlet

Committed to the art of dance, in its most extreme form, a young ballerina takes the world of ballet more seriously than anything else in the pursuit of her career.

Kelly Roberts, 18 years old and fresh out of high school, began her love affair with ballet at the tender age of four and hasn’t looked back.

Having practiced the art form after school at a studio in Dunkheld, the young aspiring ballerina honed her skills in the hope of one day performing on a large scale – but first, she had to complete high school. “I matriculated at the end of last year and started [working with the Joburg Ballet] at the beginning of this year,” she began.

“It’s been amazing. The experience I’ve had is nothing like anything else that you get at this age.”

Gaining insight and knowledge of her skill, in addition to learning about herself is one of the most important parts of performing. “I’m definitely inspired by the older dancers here. Of course, it’s tough, but it teaches you a lot about discipline and yourself,” she said.

Practising from 10am to 6pm each day in an attempt to perfectly execute her moves definitely can be tough, but this smart arts lover stays grounded. “It’s difficult because it’s just you and your career. It’s really a selfish thing. That’s why you need your friends and family to ground you or you will just lose it,” she commented on the cutthroat perception of ballet depicted in the critically-acclaimed film, Black Swan.

Roberts further explained that while she does try to maintain a social life, she does what she does for the love of the arts and it’s for that reason that ballet comes first.

Now, fulfilling her lifelong dream by working with the legendary dance company, Roberts is taking part in the 175-year celebration of the play, Giselle, as one of the core dancers at Joburg Ballet.

Don’t miss Giselle at The Joburg Theatre from 8 April.

Details: www.joburgballet.com