- Muizenberg teenager Sibusiso Cockburn, a talented 16-year-old ballet dancer, has earned a partial scholarship to the Summer School of Excellence at the American Academy of Ballet in New York.
- Sibusiso trains six days a week and has grown tremendously in skill and confidence since starting ballet three years ago.
- To attend the six-week programme next year, he needs to raise R130 000 and is appealing for community support.
A teenager is wowing locals with his talent in ballet which has clinched him a spot at the Summer School of Excellence hosted at the American Academy of Ballet in New York.
Sibusiso Cockburn, a 16-year-old ballet dancer from Muizenberg, lives and breathes ballet.
His mother, Paula, describes how his passion and talent grew in the space of three and a half years.
“Sibusiso started ballet in a tiny studio in Muizenberg, one hour a week,” she recalls.
“It wasn’t serious or graded but he expressed such an interest in pursuing ballet that I started looking around for a ballet school in the area.”
The teenager was later enrolled at the Natalie Lissack School of Ballet which was instrumental in his journey.
“He just loves ballet and it is just so amazing for someone to find their passion so early in life,” says Paula.
After he auditioned for the Cape Junior Ballet company he was accepted in November last year.
“The whole year Sibusiso danced with them and he now does ballet six days a week,” shares Paula. “He is so much more confident and outgoing, the whole experience has done so much for his self-esteem and Sibusiso lives and breathes for ballet…he is always moving, dancing and leaping at home.”
The teenager has performed in the Cape Junior Ballet Company’s production of Bloom and is performing in the Cape Town City Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker at Artscape.
His first dance teacher Lissack describes Sibusiso as amazingly talented.
“Sibusiso began dancing at my school only a few years ago. He had not yet developed enough technique for his age but worked so incredibly hard and has progressed in leaps and bounds,” she noted. “He was a lead in our school production last November and received a distinction for his intermediate foundation exam. This experience will certainly help him to reach his dreams of becoming a professional dancer.”
The faculty that he will be trained by in New York includes Gilbert Mayer, principal dancer with the Paris Opera ballet, Karin Averty, Kevin Durwael, the Artistic Director of the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp and several other internationally renowned choreographers and dancers.
Director of Cape Junior Ballet Kim Day described Sibusiso as dedicated and committed to his craft.
“Sibusiso is an outstanding young man. He is dedicated and committed to training in classical ballet and has a warm and generous disposition.”
The teenager’s passion and talents have him half way to New York, with a partial sponsorship, which means he needs to raise enough funds to follow his dream.
“It is a six-week summer school next year and the fees are $8 700 (US dollars) of which he received a 50% scholarship,” his mom concludes. “The rest of the funds need to be raised, which altogether is roughly R130 000.”
For more information and to assist go to https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/help-sibu-jet-to-the-american-academy-of-ballet
