Cape Town will welcome 115 young ballet dancers from South Africa and abroad when the 13th South African International Ballet Competition (SAIBC) takes centre stage at Artscape from Tuesday, August 4, to Thursday, August 6.
The competition will bring together dancers aged nine to 22 to compete in the Scholar (9–12), Junior (13–16) and Senior (17–22) divisions.
Competitors will perform in Classical Ballet, Contemporary, Choreographic and Ensemble categories, with entrants travelling from countries including Russia, the United Kingdom and Cuba.
Among this year's competitors are SAIBC 2025 gold medallist Greisell Lastre Casuso, 18, from Cuba, Bolshoi Ballet Academy graduate Luna Helm, 20, and 16-year-old Johannesburg dancer Jayden Samuels.
International panel to judge competition
The competition will be judged by an international panel comprising Sergey Usanov, Callum Hastie, Kate Coyne, Lorelei Bair, Igor Kolb, Ariel Mejic and South Africa's Thoriso Magongwa.
Founded by Dirk Badenhorst, artistic director of Mzansi Ballet, the SAIBC aims to provide young dancers with performance experience, international exposure and career opportunities.
"The standard of entries continues to grow every year, and we are delighted to welcome such an outstanding group of young dancers to Cape Town," said Badenhorst.
"It is especially exciting to see so many talented South Africans performing alongside gifted dancers from around the world. The SAIBC is about inspiring one another, building friendships, celebrating excellence and creating opportunities for the next generation of ballet artists.
The SAIBC is a member of the International Federation of Ballet Competitions, recognising the standards of its competitors and adjudicators.
Ticket information
The competition concludes with a gala performance on Thursday, August 6, featuring the 2026 winners alongside professional dancers from South Africa and abroad.
Tickets for the elimination rounds on August 4 at 6pm, August 5 at 2pm and 6pm, and the finals on August 6 at 10am start at R150.
Concessions are available for pensioners, learners and group bookings of 10 or more. Gala tickets cost R285 and are available through Webtickets or the Artscape Box Office.