DUTCH NATIONAL BALLET STARS ANNA OL AND JAN ŠPUNDA TO HEADLINE SANDT’s LEGACY OF DANCE GALA AT ARTSCAPE IN OCTOBER
In exciting news in the ballet world, Dutch National Ballet principal dancer Anna Ol and soloist Jan Špunda will headline The Legacy of Dance Gala at the Artscape Opera House on 24 and 25 October 2026, joining an unprecedented gathering of South African dance talent on one stage.
Ol and Špunda will perform the electrifying Black Swan pas de deux from Rudi van Danzig’s Swan Lake, in its entirety, as well as a neo-classical Embers work by the newly appointed Artistic Director Ernst Meisner. Their performances will be accompanied live by the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Brandon Phillips.
Anna Ol is an internationally acclaimed ballerina whose career bridges the great classical tradition of Russian ballet with the leading stages of European dance. Born in Siberia, she trained in Krasnoyarsk before dancing with major Russian companies and joining Dutch National Ballet as a principal dancer in 2015. Her repertoire encompasses the great classical roles, including Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadère, Don Quixote and Romeo and Juliet, alongside major works by choreographers such as George Balanchine, Kenneth MacMillan, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon and Hans van Manen. In 2025, she received the Alexandra Radius Prize, one of the Netherlands’ most prestigious dance honours, recognising her exceptional technical and artistic qualities and the increasing expressive depth of her performances.
“I am thrilled that Anna Ol and Jan Spunda will be representing Dutch National Ballet at the SANDT Legacy of Dance Gala with the Swan Lake pas de deux and Embers,” said Ernest Meisner. “I wish everyone involved as well as the audiences, wonderful and inspiring performances!”
Joining her is Czech-born Jan Špunda, a soloist with Dutch National Ballet whose career has taken him from English National Ballet School and Bayerisches Staatsballett to the international stage. An award winner from an early age, Špunda won third prize at the Tallinn International Ballet Competition and later received the Outstanding Artistry Award from Dance Europe at the Youth America Grand Prix in New York. His repertoire spans classical, neoclassical and contemporary ballet, and includes works by some of the world’s most influential choreographers, among them William Forsythe, Hans van Manen, John Neumeier, Alexei Ratmansky, David Dawson, Jiří Kylián, Wayne McGregor and Christopher Wheeldon.
Their appearance gives South African audiences the opportunity to experience two leading artists from one of Europe’s major ballet companies while also witnessing an extraordinary coming-together of the local dance community.
The Legacy of Dance Gala, presented by the South African National Dance Trust (SANDT), brings together eight South African dance entities — Cape Town City Ballet, Joburg Ballet, WGRUV Dance Company, Cape Ballet Africa, emerging artists from Jazzart Dance Theatre, Luitingh Alexander Musical Theatre Academy (LAMTA), the Waterfront Theatre School and a few of the top scoring medalists from the recent 13th South African International Ballet Competition including Jayden Josh Samuelsin what promises to be a landmark celebration of the country’s dynamic dance landscape.
At the heart of The Legacy of Dance Gala is this celebration of South African dance in all its diversity. Established companies, independent artists, emerging dancers and training institutions will share the programme, each bringing a distinctive work and perspective to the Artscape stage.
The Gala will also recognise South African dancers who have built careers internationally celebrating the contribution they have made and continue to make to the global dance community. To this end a short film clip will be shown at the start of the performance, in tribute to their enduring impact on the global dance community.
For SANDT, the event reflects its longstanding commitment to creating opportunities for artists and strengthening connections between South African dance and the international stage. It also celebrates the historic artistic links between South Africa and Dutch National Ballet, including the legacy of South African-born choreographer John Cranko and former CAPAB Ballet principal Eduard Greyling, who was, for a time, a soloist with Dutch National Ballet.
The Legacy of Dance Gala is ultimately a celebration of connection — between international and South African artists, between generations, and between the rich legacy of dance and its future.
The Legacy of Dance Gala is supported by Artscape, the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, the Joan St Leger Lindbergh Trust, the Lorenzo and Stella Chiappini Trust, The Dulcie Howes Ballet Trust and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, among others.
The Legacy of Dance Gala takes place at the Artscape Opera House, Cape Town on Saturday 24 October 2026 at 7:30pm and Sunday 25 October 2026 at 2:30pm. Tickets cost from R350–R550, with group discounts available for bookings of 10 or more and advance booking is highly recommended.
