 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Kariena Kolisko was born in
Rome, Italy, and lived in Australia as a child. She is married
to Tom Kolisko and has two children – Gina and Jeffery. She studied ballet at the UCT Ballet School. She has been a Royal Academy of Dancing ballet teacher in Northcliff, Johannesburg, for the last 24 years, teaching under the name Kariena Oliver School of Ballet (Tiny to Advanced pupils). She has worked with thousands of children entering numerous examinations, dance festivals and is the founder of the “Ballet Bugs Theatre Company”. |
||
|
BALLET BUGS BACKGROUND The BALLET BUGS THEATRE COMPANY was formed in 2001 to give children from all cultural backgrounds an opportunity to experience a live theatrical production. Our past productions include CINDERELLA (2001), SNOW WHITE AND THE 7 ELVES (2002), BEAUTY & THE WILDEBEEST (2004), THE SELFISH GIANT (2008) and THE XMAS ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER (2008) and THE HAPPY PRINCE (2009). THE FROG AND THE STAR AND THE BEAMING SMILE (2010). See current events link for more details. In the past we have worked with the likes of Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Edith Venter and Michael McGovern, and have raised funds for the Guide Dog Association of South Africa as well as the Theatre and Actors’ Benevolent fund and the Wits Paedriatric Fund and Baby Haven, a place that cares for abandoned babies in Northcliff, Johannesburg. We currently have around 70 members in our company, ranging from 7 to 18 years old. We also include some adults for some of the character roles. THEATRE BENEVOLENT FUND The Theatre Benevolent Fund commenced in the early 1960’s under the name of the Actors’ Benevolent Fund. It was instituted because of an actor named DAVID BEATTIE who had cancer and this fund was started to help him with his medical expenses. In the mid 1970’s the Ballet Benevolent Fund and the Actors’ Benevolent Fund merged to become the Theatre Benevolent Fund. This Fund is there to assist members of the theatre profession, i.e. actors, singers, dancers, stage technicians, etc. with medical and other expenses WITS PAEDIATRIC FUND This fund is the fundraising arm of the University of the Witwatersrand’s Medical School’s Department of Paediatrics, and aids sick children and their parents or families at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (formerly Jo’burg Gen.), Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and Rahima Moosa Mother & Child Hospital (formerly Coronation). With patient loads increasing and without a concomitant increase in staff, facilities and resources, this puts these hospitals under great financial strain. With this fund, the hope is that more children from the whole of Southern Africa (including Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi) can receive the specialist and often unique care that these hospitals provide. We will be having a raffle in aid of this fund at every performance, as well as staging two benefit performances to raise not only funds but also awareness. SCHOOL SHOWS – we have special performances for school block bookings at reduced rates.
See current events link
for more details. Kariena takes commissions from photographs either in pastel, charcoal, oil and acrylic. Kariena was one of 15 fine artists selected from approximately 300 applicants for the New Signatures 2010 art exhibition at the Alice Art Gallery, Ruimsig Johannesburg, for a 2 week exhibition from 22 July to 5 August 2010. see link for New Signatures Starry Night invite and map and link for Artists Starry Night profiles.
Kariena at Alice Art Gallery, New Signatures art exhibition opening. See my painting gallery and South African Artists Website to see more works. |
|||
