Joburg Ballet welcomes the sweet return of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Ballet Production, which was conceived in partnership with the Roald Dahl Story Company and initially premiered at the Joburg Theatre in October 2024 to rave reviews and critical acclaim.
Joburg Ballet choreographer Mario Gaglione conceived the work in classical ballet style with an original music score composed by Mark Cheyne and Andrew Botha as design consultant. For Gaglione, bringing the show back after two years is again a dream come true, and his desire to share the magic is even stronger now, from the little dancers to the wonderful professionals of the company and, of course, all the children and grown-ups in the audience.
Having received the Outstanding Dance Production Award at the 2025 National Arts and Culture Awards (NACA) hosted by the South African Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, audiences can look forward to Monike Cristina and Revil Yon, Ivan Domiciano and Ryoko Yagyu, Bruno Miranda and the debuts of Chloé Blair, Miguel Franco-Green, and Gabriella Ghiaroni, each in the leading roles of Willy Wonka and Chocolate.
The role of Charlie will be danced again by Jayden Josh Samuels, with Matthew Jansen van Vuuren and Shane MacDonald debuting in the role.
Joining the company for the season are the young dancers of the Joburg Ballet Academy and Joburg Ballet School, returning character artists Albertus Dreyer and Christoper Montague, and also Nigel Hannah and Sue Kirkland.
Joburg Ballet extends its gratitude to Honorary Life Patron Annzie Hancock of the South African Ballet Theatre Trust for her generous contribution towards the costumes for this production.