SIPHE NOVEMBER

BALLET DANCER | MOVEMENT MODEL | CHOREOGRAPHER | TESTIMONIAL

From dancing in the streets of his little town in South Africa, to become Principal Ballet Dancer in the National Ballet of Canada. Siphe’s story is so inspiring that has been made into a documentary-film: Beyond Moving. Courage, passion and perseverance together with joy, shine, a great charisma and good vibes. He is way beyond a ballet dancer: movement model, street dancer, choreographer and performer. He also plays piano and composes music, as some of his other passions.

As a professional dancer, his talent is clear not only with his buoyant jumps and really clean lines in ballet, but also with fresh, innovative and precise steps in street-dancing styles. He first came to dance through Kwaito, an African rhythm popular in the 1990s, mixed with ballet steps and some hip-hop in the streets of his hometown Zolani. There he caught the attention of a ballet teacher, Fiona, who invited him to her ballet classes. On year later a Canadian family also spotted him and recognised his amazing talents. They arranged for him an audition for Canada’s National Ballet School and sponsored his trip to Toronto. He was accepted at age 11. 10 years later, he is the Principal Ballet Dancer in the National Ballet of Canada.

He debuted as Principal in 2021 with a main role in the world premiere of Angels’ Atlas by Crystal Pite, who said: “Creating with him felt like having unlimited access to the work’s core content: the body as a location, a place where being is temporarily held and shaped. You don’t want his dancing to be ephemeral, you just want to have it, hold it, share it with everyone forever.”

He is also the youngest and the only black Principal Dancer in The National Ballet of Canada. This brought him to actively promote a bridge between Africa and developed countries to make it easier for African talents to get the same opportunity he had: “It does not have to be a miracle. We have to facilitate it because talent is everywhere but opportunities are not.“

In 2022, at the age of 23, he choreographed his first work for the National Ballet of Canada’s main stage, “On solid Ground”. It was a great success, bringing the large audience of the Canadian Opera Center in Toronto to their feet in standing ovations. Also in 2022 he got the BBPA Harry Jerome Award For Excellence In The Arts.

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