Revil Yon – Cinderella’s dashing young prince
Ahead of the opening night of Cinderella, staged by the Christian Dance Academy, I caught up with Cape Town City Ballet senior artist Revil Yon and got to take a few photographs of the dress rehearsal.
I have to say, I have nothing but admiration for 23-year-old Revil who, despite the odds, has gone on to achieve enormous success as a ballet dancer. Up until the age of 14, Revil had nothing to do with dance of any genre and instead was a keen soccer player. That is until he went to watch his very first ballet performance – Robin Hood – and fell in love. Dance classes followed under the guidance of Gwen-Mary Wells at the Toynbee School of Dance in Port Elizabeth, training which then allowed him to head to the Western Cape to follow his dreams.
After only four years of dancing and at the age of 18, Revil joined the Cape Town City Ballet as a graduate and, just a year later, as a company member. From that point forward he has had the enormous privilege of performing with the company all over South Africa.
Revil’s ballet roles have been numerous and include productions such as Peter Pan & The Lost Boys, Thumbelina, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. The latter production by Joanna Wright saw Revil star as the Prince and also marked his debut season in East London.
In addition to travelling the country and starring in such ballets, Revil was also awarded the 2nd Keith Mackintosh Prague Scholarship award and in August this year had the wonderful opportunity to travel to Europe and attend the annual Prague Ballet Master Classes. Whilst there he trained with international ballet superstars such as Daria Kilmentova (a former Prima Ballerina with the English National Ballet) and Vadim Muntagirov (a Principal dancer with the Royal Ballet).
I’m sure you’ll agree that these are outstanding achievements for somebody who, in his own words, was “a late starter”. And indeed, a testimony that proves nothing is impossible.
Revil’s role as the Prince in Cinderella marks his second season in East London and is one that he is hugely excited about. He shares how getting to perform on stage is always a highlight and something that never gets old for him. And his belief that the only way to dance is from the heart is so evident in his performances, whether at dress rehearsals or opening nights; Revil really does dance from deep inside and gives each and every performance his absolute best.
I, for one, am looking forward to seeing this production of Cinderella and encourage you to get your tickets as soon as possible to avoid disappointment! The opening performance at The Guild Theatre is tonight, Thursday 13th October at 6.30pm and there are also shows on Friday at 3.30pm and 7pm and Saturday at 2.30pm and 7pm.
See you there!
Photos by Karen Herman