Siphesihle November
Siphesihle November | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1998 or 1999 (age 25–26) Zolani, South Africa |
| Education | Canada's National Ballet School |
| Occupation | ballet dancer |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm)[1] |
| Career | |
| Current group | National Ballet of Canada |
Siphesihle November (born 1998 or 1999[2]) is a South African ballet dancer. He joined the National Ballet of Canada in 2017 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2021, at age 22.
Early life and training
[edit]November was born in Zolani, Western Cape.[3] He is the youngest of five children.[4] As a child, he danced kwaito, a form of street dance with his brothers. He was spotted by a dance teacher, who invited him to her ballet classes.[4][5] In 2009, he met a Canadian couple on sabbatical, who recognised November's talents. The following year, with the permission of his dance teacher and mother, the couple brought the eleven-year-old November to Toronto, where he studied at Canada's National Ballet School on scholarship.[3][4]
Career
[edit]In 2017, November was invited to join the National Ballet of Canada by artistic director Karen Kain, without completing an apprenticeship first. In his first year, he danced as Bluebird, a short but technically demanding role, in The Sleeping Beauty.[4] The following year, he was cast as Puck in Ashton's The Dream, sharing the role with three other colleagues, including two principal dancers.[4] He was included in Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" the same year.[1]
In 2019, he and colleague Jeannine Haller represented the National Ballet at the Erik Bruhn Prize by dancing a pas de deux from La Sylphide and Alysa Pires's new work The Other Side, with him winning the male category.[6] Later that year, he was promoted to second soloist.[7] He is also the subject of Vikram Dasgupta's 2019 documentary Beyond Moving. The production began in 2015, while November was still a student.[8] In 2020, he was promoted to first soloist.[9]
In 2021, November was named principal dancer.[2] At age 22, he tied Guillaume Côté's record of being the youngest principal dancers at the company. He is also the company's second black principal dancer, after Kevin Pugh.[10] His first appearance since his promotion was in Pite's Angels' Atlas, though his debut as Peter/The Prince in The Nutcracker was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10] He will also choreograph a new work for the company, which is scheduled to premiere in March 2022.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "These Are Our "25 to Watch" Picks for 2019". Dance Magazine. 10 December 2018.
- ^ a b Crabb, Michael (22 June 2021). "Karen Kain's 'Swan Lake' will finally take flight in the National Ballet's 70th anniversary season". Toronto Star.
- ^ a b Crabb, Michael (26 September 2018). "2018 Stars of the Corps: National Ballet of Canada's Siphesihle November". Pointe.
- ^ a b c d e Crabb, Michael (21 November 2018). "Meet the South African dancer who followed a Billy Elliot-like path to the National Ballet of Canada". Toronto Star.
- ^ Dechausay, Lucius (28 February 2018). "Siphe November never expected to have a life as a ballet dancer — now his grace will amaze you". CBC.
- ^ Lansky, Chava (25 March 2019). "Congrats to 2019 Erik Bruhn Prize Winners Siphesihle November and Catherine Hurlin". Pointe.
- ^ Lansky, Chava Pearl (30 July 2019). "These Dancers Are Climbing the Ranks at 7 Major Companies". Pointe.
- ^ Dion, Anne (9 April 2020). "From South Africa to Canada, to the Big Screen". The Dance Current.
- ^ Escoyne, Courtney (2 July 2020). "News of Note: What You Might Have Missed in May and June 2020". Dance Magazine.
- ^ a b c Smith, Kathleen (6 January 2022). "Siphesihle November, National Ballet of Canada's Charismatic New Principal, Has Captured Toronto's Heart". Pointe.