Professor Elizabeth Triegaardt

Born in Pretoria, Prof Triegaardt matriculated from Hyde Park High School, Johannesburg. In 1966 she graduated with a BSc, majoring in pure Mathematics, from the University of Cape Town. In 1967 she joined CAPAB Ballet Company, working as a Principal Dancer and Principal Ballet Mistress until 1986, when she was appointed as Director of the University of Cape Town Ballet School. She remained a Guest Artist and Guest Repetiteur until 1990, when she retired from the stage.

She created many roles that included the Sphinx in DRIE DIERE (Paeper), Undine in UNDINE (Paeper), Aegina in SPARTACUS (Paeper), Fairy Godmother in CINDERELLA (Paeper), the  Ghost of Christmas-to-Come in A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Paeper), Charlie Girl in CONCERTO for CHARLIE (Paeper), Snow Queen in THE NUTCRACKER (Poole), Semiramis in RAYMONDA (Furber and Rodrigues), Tonya in ZHIVAGO (Prokovsky), Hera in ORPHEUS in the UNDERWORLD (Paeper) and the Muse in TALES of HOFFMAN (Paeper).

From1986 to 2007, she was the Director of the UCT School of Dance, formerly the UCT Ballet School, and introduced both contemporary and African dance majors into the curriculum, as well as having the first university degree programme in dance recognised in South Africa. She resigned as Head of the Department in 2007 but remains a lecturer at Associate Professor level.

In 1997 she was appointed Executive Chairman of the Cape Town City Ballet and spearheaded the transformation of the company into a section 21 not-for-profit organization, producing world-class ballets for performance throughout South Africa. She resigned her post as Chairman of the Board in February, 2004, but remains the Executive Director of the Company.

She received the Nederburg prize for her contribution to ballet in 1975 for her role as the Lilac Fairy in The SLEEPING BEAUTY and in 2003 received an award from the Western Cape Premier for Meritorious Service to the Arts in the Province.

In 2009 she was again honoured by the Premier of the Western Cape for her work in the UCT School of Dance and her achievement in having the first degree program in dance recognized by the Dept of Education.

She has broadcast on Fine Music Radio every Sunday evening since 1996 in her programme Invitation to the Dance.