PRESS: Tracy Li appointed as Artistic Director of Cape Town City Ballet

Allison Foat

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Cape Town City Ballet (CTCB) is delighted to announce the appointment of Tracy Li as Artistic Director of the company. A celebrated dancer, coach and artistic leader, Li has been at the heart of Cape Town City Ballet for more than three decades.

Photo by Lindsey Appolis.

Born and trained in Hong Kong, she joined Hong Kong Ballet as a professional dancer at age 16 before moving to South Africa, where she danced with NAPAC Dance Company before joining CAPAB Ballet in 1993. As a Senior Principal, she became one of the company’s most acclaimed dancers, performing leading roles in productions including Giselle, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen, La Bayadère, The Nutcracker and Coppélia. She was awarded the Nederburg Award for Best Ballet Dancer of the Year in 1997, among numerous other accolades. Following her retirement from the stage in 2007, Li joined the company’s management as Principal Coach, working closely with generations of dancers and contributing to the rehearsal and production of CTCB’s repertoire. She also served as Acting Executive Director in 2018, overseeing major productions including Marc Goldberg's Mozart & Salieri and Veronia Paeper's Cinderella.

Passionate about the future of ballet, Li is committed to developing dancers to the highest artistic standards while placing equal importance on their emotional, mental and physical wellbeing. “I have spent my entire adulthood with this beautiful company and my career here has been nothing short of magical. Now, I am deeply honoured to be taking on the role of Artistic Director of Cape Town City Ballet and I look forward with great excitement to what we can build together," she said.

Cape Town City Ballet Board Chair Africa Melane added, "We can only draw benefit from Tracy Li’s long and rich history with the company. I have always admired her demonstrable nurturing of the CTCB dancers. With the centenary of Cape Town City Ballet being only a few years away, the board and I are looking forward to seeing the company soar to new heights with her in this new role."

Li has led CTCB’s artistic team since 2024, first working alongside David Nixon CBE to develop and realise an ambitious artistic vision for the company. Her appointment as Artistic Director marks the next chapter in a remarkable relationship with Cape Town City Ballet.

Tracy Li’s appointment comes at an exciting time for Cape Town City Ballet, with four productions ahead: Coppélia youth production at the Joseph Stone, Velvet Feathers at Norval Foundation, David Nixon's Dracula and Veronica Paeper's The Nutcracker at the Artscape Theatre Centre, the cherished home of CTCB.

Founded in 1934, Cape Town City Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the most established in the world- vibrant, innovative and inclusive, with a dynamic classical, neo-classical and contemporary repertoire.