A good week for Mthuthuzeli November
South African choreographer Mthuthuzeli November is getting good reviews for his ballet Rhapsodies at the Opéra Bastille in Paris. November, who grew up with four siblings and a single mother in Ashton in the Western Cape, is sharing a triple bill with George Balanchine and Christopher Wheeldon. “Seeing my name with those names — it’s a bit ‘pinch me, please’,” November, 32, told The New York Times. His Rhapsodies utilises the clicking sounds of his mother tongue, Xhosa. Cape Town ballet teacher Debbie Turner says his dance reflects both African rhythm and classical training.
A bad week for Debora Patta
South African TV reporter Debora Patta has been fired by CBS News amid layoffs that have affected about 100 people at the US network. Patta had been a CBS correspondent since 2013 and recently signed a new three-year contract. However, the network’s Joburg bureau, where she was based, has since closed down. Her sacking comes just months after her interview with Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel. Huckabee said the interview was heavily edited and misrepresented his views on the situation in Gaza. CBS’s owner, Paramount, was recently merged with Skydance Media in an $8bn deal.
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