Elizabeth Triegaardt facts for kids

Elizabeth Triegaardt (born 28 September 1946) is a famous South African ballet dancer who is now retired. She was a professor at the University of Cape Town School of Dance. She also served as an honorary executive director for the Cape Town City Ballet.

Early Life and Dance Training

Elizabeth Triegaardt was born in Pretoria, South Africa. She started dancing when she was very young. Later, she trained with top dance teachers in Johannesburg. She studied ballet with Ivy Conmee and Marjorie Sturman. She also learned Spanish dance from Mercedes Molina.

Elizabeth finished high school at Hyde Park High School. In 1966, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in pure mathematics from the University of Cape Town. In the same year, she received a special award called a Solo Seal. This award came from examiners at the Royal Academy of Dance, showing her high skill in ballet. Besides ballet, she was also active in Spanish dance and Greek dance.

Her Career as a Dancer

In 1967, Elizabeth Triegaardt joined CAPAB Ballet. This company was part of the Cape Performing Arts Board. She quickly became a principal dancer, which is a lead dancer in a ballet company. By 1971, she was also the ballet mistress, helping to train other dancers.

She traveled a lot with the company, performing in many big cities across South Africa and Namibia. She performed many different roles until she stopped dancing on stage in 1990. Some of her important roles included:

• 1967. Swan Lake, produced by David Poole, music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Role: Odette/Odile, partnered by Eduard Greyling.
• 1968. La Famille: The Intimate Recollections of an Elderly Aunt, choreography by Dulcie Howes, music by William Walton. Roles: Hortense and Waltz, partnered by Keith Mackintosh.
• 1968. The Two Pigeons, choreography by Frederick Ashton, music by André Messager. Role: The Young Girl.
• 1969. La Bayadère, produced by Gary Burne, music by Ludwig Minkus. Role: Nikiya, partnered by Eduard Greyling.
• 1970. The Sleeping Beauty, produced by David Poole, music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Role: Aurora, partnered by Eduard Greyling.
• 1971. Transfigured Night, choreography by Frank Staff, music by Arnold Schoenberg. Role: Elder Sister.
• 1971. Missa Flamenca, choreography by Marina Keet, music by Manuel Lillo Torregrosa. Role: The Gloria.
• 1972. Giselle, produced by David Poole, music by Adolphe Adam. Role: Myrtha, Queen of the Wilis.
• 1973. Pictures at an Exhibition, choreography by Audrey King, music by Modest Mussorgsky. Role: Baba Yaga.
• 1973. John the Baptist, choreography by Veronica Paeper, music by Ernest Bloch. Role: Herodias.
• 1973. The Rain Queen, conception by Frank Staff, choreography by David Poole, music by Graham Newcater. Role: Princess, partnered by Eduard Greyling and Keith Macintosh.
• 1974. The Firebird, choreography by David Poole, music by Igor Stravinsky. Role: The Firebird, partnered by Eduard Greyling and Keith Macintosh.
• 1975. Cinderella, choreography by Veronica Paeper, music by Sergei Prokofiev. Role: Fairy Godmother.
• 1977. Raymonda, choreography by Alfred Rodrigues, music by Alexander Glazunov. Role: Raymonda, partnered by John Simons.
• 1979. Concerto for Charlie, choreography by Veronica Paeper, music by Dmitri Shostakovich. Role: Charlie Girl.
• 1980. Drei Diere (Three Beasts), choreography by Veronica Paeper, music by Peter Klatzow. Role: Sphinx.
• 1982. Orpheus in the Underworld, choreography by Veronica Paeper, music by Jacques Offenbach. Role: Hera.
• 1983. Undine, choreography by Veronica Paeper, music by Claude Debussy. Role: Undine.
• 1984. Spartacus, choreography by Veronica Paeper, music by Aram Khatchaturian. Role: Aegina.

After Her Performing Career

In 1986, while still dancing, Elizabeth Triegaardt became the director of the University of Cape Town School of Dance. She made the classical ballet program stronger. She also added new dance styles like contemporary dance and African dance. This helped the school show the many different dance forms in South Africa. The degree program she created was the first of its kind in the country.

From 1997 to 2004, she was the executive chairman of the Cape Town City Ballet. In this role, she worked hard to keep classic ballets alive. She also encouraged new works by South African choreographers. In 2011, she retired from leading the university dance department. However, she continued to host a weekly radio show on Fine Music Radio called Invitation to the Dance. She was the honorary executive director of Cape Town City Ballet until 2018.

Awards and Recognition

Elizabeth Triegaardt has received several awards for her contributions to dance.

• In 1975, she won the Nederburg Prize for her work in ballet. They specifically mentioned her performance as the Lilac Fairy in David Poole's The Sleeping Beauty.
• In 2003, she received an award from the Western Cape premier, Ebrahim Rasool. This was for her excellent service to the arts in the province.
• She received a second award from the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport in 2009.
• Her third award from the same department came in 2017.
• In July 2019, she received a Fellowship Award for her lifetime services to classical dance. This award from the Royal Academy of Dance was given to her by Dame Darcy Bussell in London.