Celestial Bodies
- Wits University
Not ballet as you know it, but a cosmic story told through movement, visuals and live piano.
Known for transforming astrophysics into unforgettable live experiences through cinematic music, powerful storytelling, and striking visuals, Universe On Stage now brings its signature style into a bold collaboration with Joburg Ballet.
Wits alumni Dr Luca Pontiggia and Mr Yasheen Modi are the visionaries behind Universe on Stage. This physicist and composer present Celestial Bodies, choreographed by Joburg Ballet’s Naledi award-winner, Mario Gaglione.
Celestial Bodies is on at the Joburg Theatre for three performances only: Saturday, 4 October at 14h00 and at 19h00 and on Sunday, 5 October at 14h00. Book at web tickets.
This is no classical ballet. Instead, it’s a breathtaking fusion of science, and dance.
“What excites us about weaving dance into our work is that it becomes another language for storytelling—a language of rhythm, interaction, and connection,” says Pontiggia, a Wits alumnus with a PhD in Physics.
“Just as celestial bodies trace patterns through space, dance reveals how energy flows from the vastness of stars to the intimacy of life. Movement, in this sense, is one of the most profound ways to embody our story.”
Pontiggia and Modi believe the production of Celestial Bodies is truly the first of its kind—perhaps even in history—where narration, science, space, music, visuals, and dance converge seamlessly to tell a single story: the story of our shared connection to the cosmos.
Choreographer Gaglione says, “It’s the artistry of the dancers of Joburg Ballet that brings Yash’s astonishing score and Luca’s profound narrative into motion, carrying us through galaxies and black holes into the delicate structure of atoms and finally to the simple, universal breath of life.”
Celestial Bodies forms part of Joburg Ballet’s Spring Season of Dance.