The extraordinary life of Sir Geoffrey Neiman will be honoured by the dance community with SOBREMESA, a once-off performance curated to celebrate his far-reaching contribution to Spanish dance and the arts.
 
SOBREMESA will be performed on Tuesday 27 October at 19h30 in the Artscape Opera House.
All proceeds from this unique event will go to the Theatre Benevolent Fund.
Bookings can be made at Webtickets
 
Presented by Artscape and Cape Ballet Africa, the evening brings together dancers from various companies, artists and friends to pay tribute to Sir Geoffrey, an iconic dancer, choreographer and teacher, who passed away in June.
 
His illustrious career included a 20-year dance partnership under the stage name Enrique Segovia with Mercedes Molina, which saw him performing with leading Spanish dance companies.  His enduring cultural legacy also included helping to establish the Spanish Dance Society, going on to play a key role in devising the Society’s male syllabus. This syllabus has assisted to preserve, promote and maintain standards for Spanish dance across five continents. In 1999, he was honoured with the “Cruz de Oficial de la Orden de Isabel la Catolica” by King Juan Carlos of Spain for his outstanding contribution to Spanish culture and dance education. More recently, Sir Geoffrey was acknowledged as Honorary Life President of the Society. 

Marlene le Roux, CEO of Artscape says, “We have bid farewell to a giant of the arts. This is also a personal loss to me because as a young person in this industry, he was a mentor to me. Sir Geoffrey Neiman was far more than a celebrated figure in dance. He was a guiding light, a mentor, an advocate, and an unwavering champion of the arts.”
 
“His influence stretched far beyond the stage, touching the lives of countless dancers, performers, teachers, and arts practitioners across South Africa and around the globe. Through his vision, passion, and generosity of spirit, he inspired excellence while reminding us of the transformative power of creativity. The arts community has lost one of its great custodians, but his legacy will continue to live on in every artist he encouraged, every career he helped shape, and every audience member moved by the beauty he brought into the world.”

Spanish dance was Sir Geoffrey’s creative lifeblood. SOBREMESA’s celebratory programme encapsulates all the elements of the creative industry he loved featuring Spanish dance in all its glory.
Joining the line-up will be guest artist, South African born Ramón Fernández, who has travelled from Spain especially for the performance.
Ramon has studied Flamenco with great artists such as Pedro Córdoba, Domingo Ortega, El Oruco, Alejandro Granados, Alfonso Losa, Inmaculada Ortega, Belén López, Daniel Navarro, Miguel Cañas, David Paniagua and El Choro, among others.
 
In 2020 he began his professional career as a Flamenco dancer with Pedro Cordoba in Amor De Dios. He shared the stage with great artists such as Choro Molina, Pedro Cordoba, Ángel Gabarre, Juañares Carrasco and Yerai Cortés.
 
He is now performing in some of the most prestigious international tablaos in Madrid, Sevilla, Granada, Málaga, Valencia and Barcelona and has shared the stage with legendary Flamenco artists such as Pedro Córdoba, Karime Amaya, Jesús Carmona, Concha Jareño, Nino de los Reyes. Ramon formed a part in the Ángel Rojas Company in his latest flamenco show and recently took part in a movie ( La Bola Negra) that has been officially selected to represent Spain  in the Oscars 2027.
Cape Ballet Africa will perform Nacho Duato’s Remanso, which the Company first presented as part of its triple bill BREATHWORDS, having had the rare opportunity to work directly with the choreographer to stage this ballet. Remanso was known to be one of Sir Geoffrey’s favourite works, so is a fitting inclusion in the programme.
Cape Ballet Africa will also perform Michelle Reid’s Duende, which she dedicated to his memory at its premiere at The Baxter this month.
Many members of the Spanish dance community will also come together to celebrate Sir Geoffrey.
“Sir Geoffrey was a remarkable patron, a passionate advocate for the arts, and devoted supporter of ballet whose enthusiasm for artistic excellence enriched countless lives,” says Debbie Turner, artistic director and founder of Cape Ballet Africa.
“As we reflect on his contribution to the cultural landscape of South Africa, we celebrate a life devoted to beauty, creativity and the transformative power of the arts. His legacy lives proudly on.”
SOBREMESA will be presented at Artscape Opera House on Tuesday, 28 October at 19h30.
 
Age Restriction: No under 5’s at evening performances.
Duration: 100 minutes including an interval of 30-minutes
 
Tickets cost R200 – R295
 
Bookings can be made at Webtickets