Veronica Paeper

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]

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]

• John the Baptist (music by Ernest Bloch) (1972)
• Herrie-Hulle (music by Prokofiev) (1973)
• Romeo and Juliet (music by Prokofiev) (1974)
• Cinderella (music by Prokofiev) (1975)
• Funtastique (music by Shostakovich) (1975)
• Woman of Autumn (music by Saint Saëns) (1978)
• Whodunnit? (music by Dohnanyi) (1978)
• Concerto for Charlie (music by Shostakovich) (1979)
• Don Quixote (music by Ludwig Minkus) (1979)

• Drie Diere (Three Beasts) (music by Peter Klatzow) (1980)
• Still-Life with Moonbeams (music by Peter Klatzow) (1981)
• A Christmas Carol (various, arranged by David Tidboald) (1982)
• Orpheus in the Underwold (music by Jacques Offenbach, arranged by Michael Tuffin) (1982)
• The Return of the Soldier (music by David Earl) (1982)
• Mix 'n Match (music by Tchaikovsky) (1983)
• Undine (music by Debussy) (1983)
• Spartacus (music by Aram Khachaturian) (1984)
• Nell Gwynne (music by Rossini, arranged by Michael Tuffin) (1984)
• Abelard and Heloise (music by David Earl) (1985)
• The Tales of Hoffmann (music by Jacques Offenbach, arranged by Allan Stephenson) (1985)
• Vespers (music by Peter Klatzow) (1985)
• Sparante (music by Haydn (1986)
• Carmen (music by Bizet, arranged by Michael Tuffin) (1987)
• The Entertainer (music by Scott Joplin) (1987)
• The Merry Widow (music by Lehar, arranged by John Lanchbery) (1988)
• Elastokovitch (music by Shostakovich) (1989)
• The Last Dance (music by Ravel) (1989)

• Camille (music by Verdi, arranged by Allan Stephenson) (1990)
• Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (music by Mozart) (1990)
• The Nutcracker (music by Tchaikovsky) (1991)
• Hamlet (music by Peter Klatzow]) (1992)
• A Midsummer Night's Dream (music by Mendelssohn) (1993)
• Sylvia in Hollywood (music by Allan Stephenson) (1993)
• Walpurgisnacht (music by Gounod) (1993)
• The Rain Queen (music by Gustav Mahler) (1995)
• The Story of Manon Lescaut (music by Massenet) (1997)
• Daphnis & Chloe (music by Ravel) (1998)
• Work in Progress (music by Tchaikovsky) (1998)
• Cleopatra (music by Charl-Johan Lingenfelder) (1999)