When art, ballet and old friends collide: a cause worth dancing for

RMB Latitudes Art Fair returns to Shepstone Gardens from 22 to 24 May 2026, and this year it brings with it a fundraising initiative sitting at the intersection of visual art, ballet and genuine generosity. For the CN&CO team, it also happens to touch on a few things that are very close to our hearts.

Hares en pointe

Artist Guy du Toit – beloved for his whimsical, highly collectible hare sculptures – has donated the first edition (1/16) of a brand new work called Cygnets to be won during the fair, with all proceeds going to Joburg Ballet’s Pointe Shoe Fund.

The sculpture was inspired by the iconic “Dance of the Cygnets” from Swan Lake, after Du Toit attended a Joburg Ballet performance at RMB Starlight Classics in September 2025 as a guest of RMB. Moved by what he saw, he began imagining his signature hares transformed into dancers en pointe – playful, elegant and full of movement. The result is Cygnets: a first edition worth R90 000, up for grabs through a donor competition open to just 300 people.

To enter, a minimum donation of R1 000 to Joburg Ballet is required, with one entry earned for every R1 000 donated. The remaining 15 editions of the sculpture will retail through Everard Read Gallery at the fair itself.

BOOK HERE FOR RMB LATITUDES ART FAIR 2026

For CN&CO founder Carel Nolte, the news was most welcome.

“I’ve been admiring Guy du Toit’s hares for years,” he says. “There’s something about them that just gets under your skin. They’re joyful and clever and completely irresistible. When I heard he’d reimagined them as ballet dancers inspired by Joburg Ballet, I thought: of course he did. It’s perfect.”

A long relationship with RMB

CN&CO and RMB go back a long way. We’ve had the privilege of working alongside the RMB team on various projects over the years, from PR campaigns to video projects – work we’re genuinely proud of. RMB has always understood the value of culture, creativity and community, which is exactly why an initiative like this feels so true to who they are.

As Carolynne Waterhouse of RMB Marketing notes, art and dance both rely on talent, discipline, tenacity, creativity and public support.

“This partnership celebrates the spirit of collaboration that keeps culture thriving,” she says.

Carel adds, “What RMB consistently gets right is that supporting culture isn’t charity; it’s investment… in people, in cities, in the kind of society we want to live in. We’ve seen that philosophy up close over the years, and it never gets old.”

A Joburg Ballet memory we’ll never forget

Our connection to Joburg Ballet is personal, too. Long before CN&CO existed in its current form – when many of us were still together at Hollard – Joburg Ballet came and performed for our team. It’s the kind of thing you don’t forget. There’s something extraordinary about watching world-class ballet up close, outside of a theatre, in the middle of a working day. It resets something in you.

“That performance at Hollard has stayed with me,” says Carel. “Ballet at that level takes everything – years of sacrifice, physical endurance, complete commitment. The least we can do is make sure the next generation of South African dancers isn’t held back by something as solvable as the cost of a pair of shoes.”

Knowing that the Pointe Shoe Fund supports young dancers who simply don’t have the means to buy the essential tools of their craft makes this initiative all the more meaningful. Pointe shoes are not a luxury; they are a working tool, and without them, a career stalls before it begins.

How to get involved

The donor competition is limited to 300 participants. Every R1,000 donated to Joburg Ballet earns you one entry into the draw to win Cygnets (1/16) – a first-edition sculpture worth R90,000, courtesy of Guy du Toit and Everard Read Gallery.

You can donate and enter at the Everard Read Gallery stand in the Chapel at Shepstone Gardens during RMB Latitudes (22–24 May 2026), or online right now at joburgballet.com/latitudes.html.

“This is what good looks like: artists, galleries, brands and ballet companies coming together around a shared belief that culture matters and that talent deserves support,” says Carel. “We’re proud to shine a light on it.”