Sometimes it pays to go to an opening night of a show a few hours early (just to avoid the traffic) and actually get to see the process behind a production.

The final run through

 Instead of walking aimlessly around Montecasino I slipped unnoticed into the back seats of the Pieter Toerien Theatre for the final run through of the refreshed and restaged version of ‘Private Presley – the Ballet”, choreographed by Sean Bovin and directed by Dirk Badenhorst from @MzanziBallet.

Sean and Dirk alternated between sitting upfront to the technical section at the back of the theatre, giving instructions on the visual aesthetics such as matching up the costumes and finalising the timing of each number.

“Don’t dance near the white curtains at the back, you look like a dog who has had six puppies,” was one of Dirk’s more memorable lines.

Principal dancer and artistic manager Angela Revie, in typical dancer pose with hands on hips and feet turned out, gave her own input on what was manageable for the dancers.

When it came to final sound checks, Logan James who was playing Elvis tried a higher vocal pitch on some of the songs. His own voice bears a wonderful resemblance to Elvis’s deep vibrating baritone. Patience Mahema, looking sumptuous in black sequins with a flower behind her ear, has a beautiful powerful voice which married well with his.

Flawless performance

When the show began those last-minute directions translated into a flawless performance. Mzanzi Ballet is a tight knit company that has produced some hit shows with popular appeal to contemporary audiences such as the Abba and Carmen shows, but this show stole my heart.

Elvis is God

For some Elvis is a legend with an enduring impact on popular culture (think of Jimmy Rabbitt’s dad in The Commitments: “Elvis is God”) so it was a challenge to produce an Elvis show where the performers are on pointe.

Ballet dancers’ bodies are automatically graceful and sinuous, a far cry from Elvis and his famous pelvic thrusts.

Art is always evolving and metamorphosing into other forms and this performance was a wonderful fusion of ballet with rock ‘n roll which was so beautifully choreographed.

I loved the mixture of the lyrical and dance numbers and the contrast between the grace of the female and the raw masculinity of the male dancers, especially Jailhouse Rock and A Little Less Conversation using pool cues as props.

Gorgeous sensuality

Visiting Mexican dancer Jorge Wade brought a gorgeous sensuality to his role and has contributed significantly to the company’s Latin section, Dirk told me.

Both Mexico and Cuba have contributed a great deal of cross pollination and cultural exchanges to this tight knit South African ballet company.

Authentic performance

I loved the combination of the singers with the dancers and the music always sounded authentic as though Elvis were right in the room.

After the medley of Elvis favourites I found myself humming all the way home.

You can’t get enough Elvis!

@Mzanziballet #DirkBadenhorst @montecasino #Elvis #Ballet #arts #Mexico