Spartacus of Africa will be choreographed by renowned South African choreographer, Veronica Paeper who created SANDT.

“Another grand scale Spartacus seemed an impossible dream in the beginning, but now that we have the funding my dream of staging Spartacus will begin to unfold. We aim to mount a grand-scale production including dancers from as many companies across the country as possible,” said Paeper. “The South African National Dance Trust aims to educate the general public nationally on the wonderful art forms of ballet and dance,” she added.

The legend of Spartacus is based on an uprising of Roman slaves and was first written as a ballet in 1956. Paeper’s original version was staged in Cape Town in 1984. It is the story of a man taken into slavery, humiliated and deprived of his dignity, for whom freedom is an ideal so precious that he is prepared to die for it.

“It is a story that we believe resonates here in South Africa and I have grounded the new production in Africa – the Spartacus of Africa," said Paeper.