South African choreographer and dancer (born 1944)
Veronica Paeper (born 9 April 1944) is a South African choreographer and dancer.
Career
Paeper was born on 9 April 1944 in
Port Shepstone but trained with
Dulcie Howes at the University of Cape Town Ballet School after her family moved to
Cape Town.[1][2] Although noted as South Africa's most prolific choreographer,[3] Paeper was also a principal dancer with
CAPAB, the PACT Ballet and the Orange Free State Ballet.[1]
Paeper choreographed her first ballet, John the Baptist to music by
Ernest Bloch for CAPAB in 1972, leading to her appointment as the company's resident choreographer.[1] In 1991, she became the company director of CAPAB and led the company on the first international tour of a South African ballet company, in 1994.[1] She choreographed over 40 works for the company, including a number of full-length works such as Orpheus in the Underwold, A Christmas Carol, Hamlet and Sylvia in Hollywood. She retired from CAPAB (now
Cape Town City Ballet) in 2005.[1] She was awarded a Molteno Gold Medal in 2005 'in recognition of her lifetime achievements in the performing arts' by
The Cape Tercentenary Foundation.[4] In 2009 she founded the South African National Dance Trust with Robyn Taylor and Mike Bosazzo, a nonprofit organisation to promote dance through performance, education and job opportunities.[5]
Personal life
Paeper married fellow dancer and choreographer
Frank Staff in 1966.[6] She and Staff had a son together before his death in 1971. She is now married to Ken Kearns.[7]