History

2023

  • Kristine Elliott, Nathan Bartman, and Ciara Baldwin travel to South Africa in January 2023. Nathan and Ciara choreograph a piece that students at our partner schools Dancescape in Zolani township and First Step Ballet in McGregor performed together, accompanied by an original composition choral song performed live by the Zolani Youth Choir.

  • Kristine, Nathan, and Ciara teach and set choregoraphy at the MN Foundation in Ugie, Eastern Cape and Jazzart Dance Theatre in Cape Town.

  • GBP sponsors four trainees in Jazzart’s three-year training program: Chuma Mathiso, Milisa Mathiso, Phelo Ngxukuma, and Thimna Ndwe. Our support helps with their housing, groceries, transportation, and dance supplies. 

  • In May, GBP coordinates and pays for surgery to correct Endinako Dyan’s strabismus (crossed eyes). This success was a huge team effort to find a doctor in Cape Town and make the necessary appointments and arrangements, a testament to the strength of the dance community in South Africa.  

  • Aphiwe November is the recipient of a full scholarship from Houston Ballet to study in their Professional Program. While his scholarship from Houston Ballet covers his training, Gugulethu Ballet Project provides financial support for housing, groceries, shoes, clothing, transportation, medical expenses, international insurance, phone, fun with friends, and crucially, to apply for his visa and to fly to South Africa for the interview (necessarily done in his home country), and back.

2022

  • Kristine Elliott, Nathan Bartman, and Ciara Baldwin travel to South Africa in March 2022, the first trip in two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After the stagnation and isolation of the pandemic, Kristine, Nathan, and Ciara were able to inject new energy into the dance schools we support as well as renewing our relationships with dancers, parents, and local art communities.

  • Four dancers come to the US for summer programs with GBP’s support: Aphiwe November, Chuma Mathiso, Mahle Dlambulo, and Milisa Mathiso.

  • With financial and housing support from GBP, Thimna Ndwe completes her U.S. High School diploma through an online program while teaching ballet in Ugie, South Africa. Even more exciting, she is accepted with full financial support to a prestigious dance conservatory in Cape Town!

  • Aphiwe November comes to San Francisco for Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet’s intensive summer program, then spends three weeks in New York City studying with the Manhattan Youth Ballet, all supported financially by GBP.

  • Through GBP’s 2021 LINES DAY AFRICA, Milisa Mathiso is accepted to LINES Ballet’s summer intensive in San Francisco. As a direct result, Milisa is offered, and accepts, a spot at Jazzart Dance Theatre, a contemporary dance company in Cape Town.

2021

  • Sikhumbuzo Hlahleni joins Verb Ballet as a company member in Cincinnati, OH

  • Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, dance classes across the world continue to take place online. GBP provides data and internet access for students in South Africa to continue their training virtually.

  • Dancer Aphiwe November is the recipient of a dance mat from Harlequin Floors USA courtesy of Take the Floor 2020, an initiative by American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer James Whiteside.

  • Thimna Ndwe continues her ballet training on scholarship with Menlo Park Academy of Dance.

2020

  • Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, dance classes across the world transition online and GBP provides data and internet access for students in South Africa to continue their training virtually. Select South African students are accepted to study with American Ballet Theatre Summer Program and LINES Ballet Summer Program.

  • Partnership with LINES Ballet brings online dance classes to students in South Africa’s Zolani, Gugulethu, Ugie, and Johannesburg communities. LINES Ballet dancer Adji Cissoko hosts and teaches a series of weekly Zoom ballet classes.

  • Thimna Ndwe continues her ballet training on scholarship with Menlo Park Academy of Dance.

  • GBP supports South African dancers Nathan Bartman and Ciara Baldwin in London, England.

  • GBP supports talented young dancer Lukhanyo in his academic and artistic goals at Reddam House Atlantic Seaboard school in Cape Town.

  • GBP provides a grant to the newly formed MN Foundation created by teacher and community leader, Mbulelo Ndabeni, in Ugie, Eastern Cape South Africa.

2019

  • Dance For A Reason took place at the historic Herbst Theater at the San Francisco War Memorial & Performance Center on September 7, 2019. The evening featured works from top choreographers with international artists from companies representing the diverse Bay Area dance community. Proceeds from the evening benefitted Gugulethu Ballet Project and the International Rescue Committee.

  • Odwa Makanda joined Kristine at Dancescape in Zolani teaching and creating work and repertoire for the young dancers.

  • Kristine sets excerpts from Jiri Kylian’s Sinfonettia, with Mr Kylian’s blessing.

  • For the first time, Kristine teaches at Eisterivier Art school.

  • She is joined by Grant van Ster and Shaun Oelf from Figure of 8 Dance Collective in Cape Town, both of whom grew up in Eersterivier.

  • Kristine taught at Igugulethu Arts and Leadership school directed by Olwethu Katase in Gugulethu, and is reunited with Hope Nongqongqo from Dance For All in Athlone.

  • Thimna Ndwe arrives in America to begin her training at Menlo Park Academy of Dance where she performs in her first ever Nutcracker. She gets her wisdom teeth pulled thanks to GBP angel Dr Richard Leeds.

  • At the invitation of Dirk Badenhorst, Kristine travels to Brazil to teach his company, Mzansi, where they are on tour giving her the chance to see Sikhumbuzo Hlahleni dancing onstage again.

  • Coming from From Dancescape School in Zolani South Africa, Chuma Mathiso, Aphiwe November and their director Mitya Sargeant attended American Ballet Theatre's Bournonville workshop in New York City. They also took classes at the Ailey School and Dance Theatre of Harlem.

  • Sikhumbuzo Hlahleni receives full scholarship to study at the prestigious Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet Program in New York for three weeks. Works with American Ballet Theatre Director, Kevin McKenzie

  • GBP supports dancer Vuyo Mahashe as he joins Pina Bausch’s cast of Rite of Spring Africa.

2018

  • In March 2018 Kristine travels to South Africa with the aim to identify three girls to come to America for a Summer dance intensive in June. Working closely with key advisors in South Africa, scholarships are awarded to three dancers based on talent, need, and readiness.

  • Dancers Odwa Makanda and Lwando Dutyulwa, students from Dance For All and CAPA, studied on full scholarship at The New Ballet School in San José, CA.

2017

  • GBP receives non-profit status.

  • Kristine was accompanied on her annual research trip by Cathleen McCarthy who taught contemporary classes and repertoire across Cape Town.

  • In partnership with City Arts & Lectures, GBP organized a conversation between Misty Copeland and Laurene Powell Jobs at the historic Nourse Theater in San Francisco’s Performing Arts Center to benefit Gugulethu Ballet Project.  This conversation was broadcast on more than 130 public radio stations across the country.

  • Odwa Makanda and Lwando Dutyulwa, students from Dance For All and CAPA, studied at the Alonzo King Lines Ballet Summer Program on full scholarship. 

2016

  • Kristine Elliott travels to South Africa on annual GBP research trip reuniting with her friend and mentor,  Fiona Sutton at Dancescape. In Zolani, Kristine taught classes, set repertoire, observed the excellent talented dancers and enjoyed the home cooked traditional South African meal  umphokoqo plus homemade beer, umqombothi , made and served graciously by Lihle at his family’s home.

2015

  • Kristine Elliott travels to South Africa with St Mary’s College LEAP students Caroline Rocher, Mary Kate Sheehan, Lara Tant, Tammy Silva-Pessagno, Marina Benedict to teach at ZAMA Dance School and Dance For All. 

  • Aviwe November and Nathan Bartman, students from Dance For All and CAPA, studied at the  Alonzo King Lines Ballet Summer Program on full scholarship. 

2013

  • Kristine travels to South Africa with St. Mary’s College LEAP students Aaron Perlstein, Emily, Sarah Van Patten, Keelan Whitmore, Jean Michelle Sayeg, Emily Wagner. Noluyanda Mqulwana, a former Dance For All student at the time dancing with the Lion King Production in Hamburg, returned to teach at Kristine's invitation. 

2012

  • Kristine Elliott travels to South Africa with Tiffany Brand as Tiffany's coach for the International Ballet Competition. During this trip, Kristine teaches at Dance For All. 

2011

  • Kristine Elliott creates a Dance South Africa course for St. Mary’s College LEAP program, bringing six professional dancers to teach ballet at dance schools in the townships of Cape Town, South Africa. The dancers included Garen Scribner, Alejandro Piris-Niño, Lucy Van Cleef, Olivia Ramsay, David Tamaki, and Annie Colbeck.

  • Byron Klassen and Thembisa Selana, students from Dance For All, were brought to the U.S. with the aid of former LEAP students Alejandro Piris-Niño and Olivia Ramsay. Thembisa studied with Marin Ballet and a collection of private coaches, including Kristine Elliott. Byron Klassen attended an intensive workshop in NYC with Ohad Naharin, worked with private coaches, and studied gyrotonics.

2010

  • Nqaba Mafilika and Zandile Constable studied at the prestigious Alvin Ailey School in New York City for the spring term on full scholarship.

2009

  • With generous support from the Flora Family Foundation,  choreographer Darrell Grand Moultrie (an eminent black choreographer and Juilliard graduate from Harlem) traveled to South Africa with Kristine to create original choreography for the Dance For All Youth Company.

  • Kristine Elliott created a residency for four South African dancers at Stanford University with the goal of fostering cultural awareness and an exchange of ideas. The South African dancers taught a master class and danced in a performance called “A Sharing of Cultures through Dance,” accompanied by Stanford’s a capella group, Talisman, who sang in Xhosa for the event.

  • At the invitation of the Young Presidents’ Organization, Kristine Elliott directed and organized a performance in Vancouver, Canada for their “Diversity in the Arts” event. South African dancers Zandile Constable, Nqaba Mafilika, Xola Putya, and Bathembu Myira all participated.

2008

  • Stanford Art History and advanced ballet student, Emily Hite, joined Kristine on her trip to South Africa, where Emily assisted in setting choreography by Amy Seiwert for the Dance For All dancers.

2007

  • Xola Putya and Nqaba Mafilika, students from Dance For All, spent the summer studying ballet intensively at the Academy of Ballet with Richard Gibson in the San Francisco Bay Area and returned to South Africa with new repertory created especially for them for the Dance For All  program.

2006

  • Mbulelo Ndabeni and Bathembu Myira, students from Dance For All, spent the summer with an American host family and studied ballet intensively, on full scholarship, at the Academy of Ballet in San Francisco.

2004

  • In 2004, Kristine Elliott saw the documentary Gugulethu Ballet created by Kristin Pichaske, a film student at Stanford University where Kristine was teaching in the dance division. Inspired, Kristine wrote to the director of Dance For All in Gugulethu, asking how she could help.

  • Gugulethu became the first township that Kristine visited and taught in in South Africa, and she was struck by the history of the place. During Apartheid, people were forcibly relocated to the township. They decided to name it “Gugulethu,” which in isi Xhosa means “our pride.” Witnessing the spirit of people who could create a place to call their home out of nothing and call it “our pride“ deeply impacted Kristine.