Bio
Adele Blank is a South African choreographer and dance instructor. She has trained, performed, choreographed and taught extensively in classical ballet and contemporary dance both locally and abroad.
Her first professional piece was entitled Cacophony, which was also performed on tour in Israel (1979) and was the first dance piece comprising black and white dancers performing on the same stage in South Africa and abroad. The group was named "8 + 1".
She has created at least 50 pieces including commissioned works for other companies and for the corporate productions.
In 1984 she was appointed as the Principal of the Dance Department at the Performing Arts Workshop and Artistic Director of the Dance Theatre Company, which was affiliated to the school and was created to inspire the dancers who attended the academy.
In 1987 she formed the Free Flight Dance Company, which she has directed since its inception, with associate Christopher Kindo. When Chris returned to Cape Town, Natalie Fisher replaced him and she and Russell Cummings shared the position.
Under her direction the company performed in Germany three times, once by invitation from the late James Saunders who was the director of the Tanzprojekt in Cologne and who hosted the company under the auspices of the German Chamber of Commerce after seeing the company perform his work at Dance Umbrella.
She was invited to perform at the national theatre in Heilbron and also at the Dusburgh Dance Festival.
An extended performing and teaching programme to the Indian Ocean Islands of Reunion, Mauritius and Madagascar was embarked on as well as an invitation to perform at the highly prestigious Basel Dance Festival from the director Peter Marshall in Switzerland.
At present she is based in Cape Town where there is an offshoot of Free Flight. She also works with the Cape Town City Ballet, Dance for All, Jikeleza and various other dance communities and projects and has continuous involvement in corporate productions and with the Cape Town Opera and Zip Zap Circus.
The piece Syzygy, which Adele created as a commissioned piece for the 10 year Democracy Celebration and the 70th Anniversary of the Cape Town City Ballet, was requested for the international fashion week taking place at the CTICC in August 2004.
She has choreographed and assisted with direction in numerous productions in recent years, including Dido and Aneas, Magic Flute, Hansel and Gretel, La Traviata, Pearl Fishers, Alcina, Bartered Bride, Aqua Opera and various concert performances.
Adele's choreographic credits include musicals like Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Leader of the Pack, King Afrika, Ipi 'n tombi, Grease, Rage in a Cage, Kismet, Little Shop of Horrors, Sex, Tango and everything else, various compilation musicals, pantomimes with Janice Honeyman, Ian von Memerty and much work with Black musical groups and jazz exponents.
She recently choreographed City of Angels at On Broadway using the Free Flight dance Company, followed by Free to Be at Theatre on the Bay.
Adele is one of the judges of the South African version of the reality dance competition So You Think You Can Dance, which airs on SABC1 from 9 August, 2008.