Joburg Ballet’s Spring Season of Dance: Celestial Bodies
Joburg Ballet’s Spring Season of Dance, a tribute to the artists and visionaries shaping the future of ballet in South Africa and beyond, runs from 3 to 12 October 2025 at the Joburg Theatre.
Following the SANDT Spring Gala on 3 October, for three performances ONLY on Saturday 4 October at 2pm and 7pm and Sunday 5 October at 2pm, is the second programme of the season, Celestial Bodies.
A world premiere by Mario Gaglione, Joburg Ballet’s Naledi Award-winning choreographer in an unprecedented partnership with the visionary Universe on Stage duo, physicist Dr Luca Pontiggia and composer Yasheen Modi, Celestial Bodies will have audiences captivated. Celestial Bodies is a new creation born from Gaglione’s fascination with the Universe on Stage’s production of Hidden Giants.
“I remember walking up to Luca and Yasheen and saying that I longed to see their vision manifest through dance; that their world of music, science and art was already moving like choreography waiting to be embodied,” explains Gaglione. “Almost a year later, 
this dream has become reality.”
“This is a ballet that carries us into the essence of life itself. We are all part of an ever-expanding universe; reflections of the very stars we gaze upon. Every atom, every particle, whether vast or invisible, belongs to an infinite cosmic dance with the Universe our stage and we ourselves celestial bodies, orbiting in an endless poem of light.”
The dancers of Joburg Ballet are Gaglione’s greatest source of inspiration, “each one a spark of magic and stardust”, he says. “It’s their artistry that brings Yash’s astonishing score and Luca’s profound narrative into motion, carrying us through galaxies and black holes into the delicate structure of atoms and finally to the simple, universal breath of life.”
“Universe on Stage was founded on a simple philosophy: to give audiences the gift of wonder and curiosity,” says Pontiggia. “We’ve learned that the most powerful way to share this is not through explanation alone, but through experience—immersive, captivating, and unforgettable.
“What excites us about weaving dance into our work is that it becomes another language for storytelling—a language of rhythm, interaction, and connection. Just as celestial bodies trace patterns through space, dance reveals how energy flows from the vastness of stars to the intimacy of life. Movement, in this sense, is one of the most profound ways to embody our story.”
Pontiggia and Modi believe the production of Celestial Bodies is truly the first of its kind—perhaps even in history—where narration, science, space, music, visuals, and dance converge seamlessly to tell a single story: the story of our shared connection to the cosmos.
Celestial Bodies is a journey through wonder, a reminder that we are never apart from the cosmos but always moving within its dance.
Spring Season of Dance: three programmes: SANDT Spring Gala | Celestial Bodies | First Light
Programme 1: SANDT Spring Gala - one performance only
Friday 3 October at 6pm (R300, R400, R500, R600, R700)
Programme 2: Celestial Bodies - three performances only
Saturday 4 October at 2pm & 7pm; Sunday 5 October at 2pm (R200, R290, R350, R420, R510)
Programme 3: First Light: four performances
Thursday 9 October at 11am (all seats R130) | Friday 10 October at 7pm; Saturday 11 October at 2pm; Sunday 12 October at 2pm (R200, R290, R350, R420, R510)
Discounts (not applicable to SANDT Spring Gala): 50% Children; 35% Friends of the Ballet; 15% Pensioners; 10% 10+
Book on 0861 670 670 or online at:
SANDT Spring Gala - https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1572229542
Celestial Bodies - https://www.webtickets.co.za/event.aspx?itemid=1574592164
First Light - https://www.webtickets.co.za/event.aspx?itemid=1574593118