Aphiwe November at Houston Ballet Professional Program

By Kristine Elliott

Aphiwe in 2022, during his studies at Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet’s intensive summer program in San Francisco

I’m extremely proud to share that Aphiwe November is the recipient of a full scholarship from Houston Ballet to study in their Professional Program. He has been there for seven  months already, and benefited immensely from the quality of their training, the incredibly positive environment, and the wonderful support—physical therapy, housing, residential advisors, counselors—that the program provides. He has experienced the excitement of being thrown into performances last-minute, and learned the challenges of picking up new material in a time crunch. He has seamlessly integrated into the existing community of his peers, and even been able to share information about South Africa in a program moderated by Lauren Anderson—the first African American Principle dancer of a major ballet in the United States, Houston Ballet.

I have been working with this promising young dancer for five years now. I first met Aphiwe as a student at Dancescape School in Zolani, South Africa. With two accomplished cousins, Muthuthuzelli November, a member of Ballet Black and up-and-coming choreographer, and Siphe November, a principal at National Ballet of Canada, Aphiwe showed the same raw ability and drive I’ve experienced working with his family members and which made him stand out, even at a young age.

Since that initial meeting, Gugulethu Ballet Project has worked to nurture Aphiwe’s talent. In 2019, Gugulethu Ballet Project sponsored Aphiwe to attend American Ballet Theatre's Bournonville workshop in New York City, where he also took classes at the Ailey School and Dance Theatre of Harlem. In 2021, while the world was in lockdown and dancers taking class in their homes, Aphiwe was the recipient of a dance mat from Harlequin Floors USA courtesy of Take the Floor 2020, an initiative by American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer James Whiteside. In the summer of 2022, Gugulethu Ballet Project sponsored Aphiwe to attend Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet’s intensive summer program in San Francisco, then for three weeks of study in New York City with the Manhattan Youth Ballet.

Aphiwe is now at a critical moment in his ballet training. He is eighteen years old, a pivotal year for young dancers. This is the year that he needs to really train hard and get to the next level so that he can get a job. In a dancer’s life, this is the moment that he’s got to receive the incredible gift of time to devote himself to honing his skill and artistry. It’s nothing to be postponed.

While his scholarship from Houston Ballet covers his training, Gugulethu Ballet Project provides financial support for housing, groceries, shoes, clothing, transportation, medical expenses, international insurance, phone, fun with friends, and crucially, to apply for his visa and to fly to South Africa for the interview (necessarily done in his home country), and back. Aphiwe has five more months to train with Houston Ballet’s Professional Program. 

If you’re as inspired by Aphiwe as I am, I hope you’ll consider making a donation to support his studies.

With much love,

Kristine Elliott

Director, Gugulethu Ballet Project

Building Pride through Dance