masterpieces 2013 media kit
The Australian Ballet
The Australian Ballet 2013 season
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DON QUIXOTE A family favourite makes a welcome return to the stage. Don Quixote is a classic masterpiece full of infectious charm and lively performances. A benchmark for dancers, this ballet is a tonic, and a must for first-timers and kids. With its heady mix of Spanish dash and comedy, Don Quixote is the feel-good ballet hit of summer.
VANGUARD Experience three game-changing ballets that redefined ballet in their time. George Balanchine shook up classical ballet with his exploration of the Ancient Greek “humours” in The Four Temperaments. Jirˇí Kylián raised the bar for abstract ballet with Bella Figura. And Wayne McGregor’s Dyad 1929 is demanding to dance and amazing to watch.
graeme Murphy’s swan lake Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake was an instant smash hit when it premiered in 2002 and has become a calling card of the company at home and abroad. One of Murphy’s great strengths as a choreographer is retelling traditional stories with a twist – this is one Swan Lake you cannot miss.
DATES Melbourne (13 performances) 15 – 26 March Arts Centre Melbourne State Theatre with Orchestra Victoria
DATES Sydney (20 performances) 30 April – 18 May Sydney Opera House Opera Theatre with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra DATES Melbourne (12 performances) 6 – 17 June Arts Centre Melbourne State Theatre with Orchestra Victoria
DATES Melbourne (11 performances) 21 June – 1 July Arts Centre Melbourne State Theatre with Orchestra Victoria
BODYTORQUE.TECHNIQUE Bodytorque returns in 2013 to unleash a new crop of choreographers on Sydney audiences. Dancers from The Australian Ballet turn their hands to choreography trying out new ideas, discovering new skills and let loose to experiment – this year, with the theme of technique.
SYMMETRIES In celebration of the Centenary of Canberra, Garry Stewart will premiere Monument, a new work inspired by the 25th anniversary of Parliament House. The Australian Ballet will also perform Harald Lander’s Études, an exhilarating display of classical technique from basics to bravura heights.
STEPHEN BAYNES’ SWAN LAKE Following its world premiere in 2012, Stephen Baynes’ Swan Lake goes on tour to Brisbane and Adelaide. With its mythical storyline, delicate corps of swans and doomed love, Swan Lake is an ageless ballet that has enchanted audiences for over a century.
DATES Canberra (4 performances) 23 – 25 May Canberra Theatre Centre Canberra Theatre with Canberra Symphony Orchestra and electronic composition
in association with Queensland Performing Arts Centre
Sydney (21 performances) 5 – 24 April Sydney Opera House Opera Theatre with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
CINDERELLA Cinders is getting a brand-new dress! Hailed as the saviour of the traditional story ballet, Alexei Ratmansky is creating a new version of Cinderella on The Australian Ballet. Set to Prokofiev’s beguiling score and featuring Surrealisminspired sets and costumes by French designer Jérôme Kaplan, this new production will be eagerly awaited both here and abroad. DATES Melbourne (14 performances) 17 – 28 September Arts Centre Melbourne State Theatre with Orchestra Victoria Sydney (22 performances) 29 November – 18 December Sydney Opera House Opera Theatre with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
DATES Sydney (5 performances) 31 October – 3 November Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay
LA SYLPHIDE This otherworldly program brings you two ballets that epitomise the Romantic period of mid-19th century ballet. La Sylphide, a love story with fairies and Scottish kilts, was the first ballet to put women en pointe. Petipa’s glittering party piece Paquita allows our dancers to display the height of their technique and showmanship in this elaborate tutu-fest. DATES Melbourne (12 performances) 29 August – 7 September Arts Centre Melbourne State Theatre with Orchestra Victoria Sydney (20 performances) 7 – 25 November Sydney Opera House Opera Theatre with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
DATES Brisbane (8 performances) 22 February – 2 March Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Lyric Theatre with Queensland Symphony Orchestra Adelaide (6 performances) 5 July – 11 July Adelaide Festival Centre Festival Theatre with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
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The Australian Ballet 1962 – 2013
550 dancers Employed
$40M 250,000
7,201
worth of costumes & sets
pairs of pointe shoes
performances
7,000 metres of fabric netting used to make over 700 tutus
12 ballet babies born to couples within the company
12M
$5,000
tickets sold
526
value of Australia’s most expensive tutu for Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker
performances of swan lake
37 countries toured by the australian ballet Artists of The Australian Ballet Photography Lynette Wills
389 ballets in repertoire
237 new commissions
144 choreographers in repetoire
contents The Australian Ballet in 2013
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From the Artistic Director
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Don Quixote
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Vanguard 13 GRAEME MURPHY’S Swan Lake
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La Sylphide
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Cinderella 21 Bodytorque.Technique 23 STEPHEN BAYNES’ Swan Lake
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Symmetries 26 Telstra Outdoor
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The Dancers Company
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Music notes
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Education 35 Our Directors
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Artists of The Australian Ballet
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Performance calendar
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Business and government partners
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Contacts for media
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Ty King-Wall and Amy Harris Photography Georges Antoni
david on ... don quixote
cinderella
“This joyous ballet epitomises our company, and it’s a legacy our current dancers are more than capable of carrying on. They’ve grown up watching this production and it’s exciting that a new generation of dancers will have the opportunity to dance these roles. Kitri and Basilio both look like they’re having fun, but there’s a lot of technique and sweat going into making it look effortless.”
“One of the world’s most loved ballets, Cinderella will look entirely new when seen through the eyes of Alexei Ratmansky. I can’t wait for our dancers to inhabit the Surrealist world created by Ratmansky, one of the greatest narrative choreographers in the world today.”
vanguard “These beautifully abstract ballets invite audiences to add their own human experiences to the meaning of each work. They are almost meditations on life and character, told through exquisite dancing. Audiences will walk away with striking images and stimulating questions running through their minds.”
bodytorque “Every year Bodytorque punches above its weight and delivers some really energising works. Often the creation and rehearsal process is quite fast, so you have this fresh and exciting piece that comes to life on stage, and the choreographers really put themselves out there, which I find incredibly brave.”
swan lake, murphy
swan lake, baynes
“Graeme Murphy is a master story-teller and his modern-day take on Swan Lake is testament to his inventiveness. It has wowed audiences in Japan, France, China, the UK and the US so this will be a welcome return to the Australian stage, and is a masterpiece in the sense that each time you see it, you discover another new layer of emotion.”
“A new Stephen Baynes work is always highly anticipated in the studio. His traditional Swan Lake has created a real buzz, with dancers revelling in re-creating the world’s ultimate ballet. With his devotion to classical music and movement, reimagining the quintessential ballet has been a joyous reunion for Baynes and our company.”
la sylphide “This program is particularly fascinating, as it has an unbeatable mix of authentic ballet choreography – what I think is some of the purest and untouched in repertoire today. By pairing the first and last of the Romantic ballets, audiences will have a true sense of ballet history, interpreted in our fresh, modern way.”
“The company’s versatility is remarkable … the dancers relish each challenge.” The Age 2012
Ty King-Wall, Adam Bull and Amber Scott Photography Georges Antoni
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From the Artistic Director
Kicking off the year with a bang is Rudolf Nureyev’s bravura version of Don Quixote. With a whole new generation of dancers following the likes of Lucette Aldous and Nureyev himself in the title roles, the excitement is palpable. It’s no surprise that this production is in our top five most performed works, as it really does have everything you could want in a story ballet: a young couple in love, some jaw-droppingly fast footwork and a dose of Spanish scheming and fun! Don Quixote is the perfect family or firsttimer outing.
After the year of celebration that was our 50th anniversary, the party continues in 2013 with a program dedicated to the jewels of classical ballet – Masterpieces. I’ve always been curious as to what makes a ballet a masterpiece. Is it instantly one from its premiere, or does it evolve? Was a work with unfavourable reviews ahead of its time, and did it come into its own later? What’s the alchemy of creating a great work? Some ballets grab me like a hand around the heart; others I’ve watched numerous times and their emotional effect is more akin to a slow burn. I’ve spoken to thousands of audience members during my twelve-year tenure as artistic director and what one person will love, another will passionately oppose. Great art is a subjective beast, it would seem. But I hope most of you will agree with me on the definition of Masterpieces for our 2013 season. It includes a broad spectrum of works from our repertoire and the ballet canon; works that, like a fine red wine, only seem to get better with age. There are full-length ballets (including one world premiere by arguably the world’s most in-demand choreographer), a triple bill packed with thought-provoking works, scores that you’ll be humming for weeks afterwards and an abundance of tutus.
The return of La Sylphide, paired with Paquita, explores the magical world of Romantic ballet. In constant performance since its creation in 1836, August Bournonville’s most famous work is also the most authentic classical ballet still in existence. After dancing in the original production of La Sylphide with Marie Taglioni, the ballerina who developed the technique of dancing en pointe, Bournonville created his own version of the work, helping spark the great Romantic ballet craze. One of the last ballets from the Romantic period, Paquita shows just how far Ms Taglioni’s pointe technique developed. The choreographers of recent decades have also been inspired by ballet technique to unlock new and exciting worlds of movement. Vanguard brings together three masters – George Balanchine with The Four Temperaments, Jirˇí Kylián with Bella Figura and Wayne McGregor with Dyad 1929. Each choreographer is acclaimed for his innovation and intellect; each contributed dramatically to the evolution of the art form.
After a year’s break, Sydneysiders can jump for joy at the news that Bodytorque is back! It will be the experimental choreography forum’s ninth outing, and we’re going back to basics with the theme Bodytorque.Technique. To finish the year, one of the most exciting and fêted creators of today’s ballet world, Alexei Ratmansky, returns to The Australian Ballet to create a brand-new production of Cinderella. Inspired by Prokofiev’s glorious score, with sets and costumes by award-winning French designer Jérôme Kaplan, this Cinderella will be a glittering finish to an extraordinary year, and a fitting addition to the classical canon. I’m sure I’m not the only one who is looking forward to seeing how Mr. Ratmansky updates this fairytale for our modern world. We’ll also be presenting our annual free outdoor performance in Melbourne, made possible by our wonderful Principal Sponsor Telstra, and The Dancers Company will be visiting regional NSW, Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory with a brand-new program. I look forward to sharing this exciting year of ballet with you in 2013!
David McAllister AM Artistic Director
I’m thrilled to be taking the new traditional version of Swan Lake by Stephen Baynes to audiences in Brisbane and Adelaide in 2013. With the world premiere just weeks away at the time of print, there are swans fluttering all around the ballet studios, last-minute touches being applied to the costumes and final licks of paint to the sets and it’s already looking glorious. In a special Melbourne-only season, we’ll also be bringing Graeme Murphy’s contemporary version of Swan Lake back, after playing to much audience acclaim in New York in 2012. The Australian Ballet
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“Full of luminous energy, joy and fun that sparkles throughout” Sunday Herald Sun 2007
Lana Jones and Daniel Gaudiello in Don Quixote Photography Georges Antoni Make-up by Napoleon Perdis
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Don Quixote “A dead-cert crowd-pleaser” The Age 2007
AN AGING KNIGHT, TWO FIERY LOVERS, SOME GYPSIES AND A WHOLE LOT OF FUN A bravura classic with Spanish va-voom, spiced with Nureyev’s flair Who would ever have guessed that a ballet more than 140 years old, taken from a centuries-old Spanish novel, would have such a profound effect on the history of The Australian Ballet? That ballet of course is the legendary Don Quixote, and it makes a welcome return to the stage in the 2013 season. It’s a ballet full of infectious charm and lively performances. The feisty and flirty Kitri is on the run from an arranged marriage, accompanied by her handsome but penniless lover, the barber Basilio. They encounter the Don, who helps them in their escapades, set against a backdrop of sun-drenched rural Spain. Comic moments are off-set by some of ballet’s most invigorating variations, including the seatgrabbing boy-versus-girl coda of the third act Grand Pas, where Kitri whips off 32 fouettes and still looks like a dream. The original ballet version of Don Quixote was conceived by Marius Pepita in 1869 and was first performed at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre. It quickly became a mainstay of the European dance repertoire with its unbeatable combination of virtuoso dancing and cracking narrative pace. Australian audiences were given their very own Don Quixote in 1970, followed by a 1972 cinematic version, both produced by one of ballet’s great superstars: Rudolpf Nureyev. The seed was planted when Nureyev first danced with The Australian Ballet in 1964, partnering the equally luminous Margot Fonetyn in Giselle and Swan Lake. It was the first time they had danced a complete ballet with a company other than The Royal Ballet of London, and it began a long and rich association between Australia and the Russian dance icon. He returned six years later, armed with a revival
of Don Quixote that he had originally created for the Vienna Opera. The production opened in Adelaide in March 1970, and since then has been performed by the company 374 times, maintaining an unwavering popularity. The decision by Nureyev to embark on a film version of the ballet was one that put The Australian Ballet on the world stage. The film featured Robert Helpmann in the title role, Nureyev as Basilio and Lucette Aldous as Kitri, and remains one of the most successful dance films ever made. It brought ballet to a wider audience, and put the word out to the international dance community that The Australian Ballet was now a global dance player.
DID YOU KNOW?
With its heady mix of Spanish dash and comedy, Don Quixote is the feel-good ballet hit of summer.
DON QUIXOTE (1869) Choreography Rudolf Nureyev after Marius Petipa Music Ludwig Minkus orchestrated by John Lanchbery Costume design Barry Kay Set design Anne Fraser Lighting design Francis Croese
ABOUT RUDOLPF NUREYEV Nureyev’s dance legacy will never be forgotten; he was a rare artist who enraptured audiences around the world with his undeniable presence wherever he took to the stage. Although short-tempered and volatile, he possessed an effortless talent and could be endlessly kind. Born in Ufa in the Soviet Republic of Bashkir, he began his career with the Kirov Ballet and within his first year was dancing leading roles in Don Quixote and Giselle. His defection from Russia to Paris in 1961 made news throughout the world. As an international guest artist and choreographer he performed and staged works for many of the major ballet companies and remained in high demand for decades.
• In 1971, Maina Gielgud danced the role of Kitri in Nureyev’s production of Don Quixote for Marseille Opera Ballet. She went on to become artistic director of The Australian Ballet from 1983 to 1996 • T he special partnership between Nureyev and Fonetyn was remarkable; they danced for the final time together in 1988, when he was 50 and she was 69 •2 013 marks the 20th anniversary of Nureyev’s death on January 6 1993
DATES Melbourne (13 performances) 15 – 26 March Arts Centre Melbourne State Theatre with Orchestra Victoria Sydney (21 performances) 5 – 24 April Sydney Opera House Opera Theatre with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
His influence continued into the 80s with his appointment as dance director of Paris Opera Ballet, a position he held until 1989. It was only then that he was allowed by Soviet authorities to visit his homeland and reconnect with his family. The Australian Ballet 11
“It’s a total work of art in which every element is equally weighted and equally impressive” Herald Sun on Dyad 1929 2009
Daniel Gaudiello and Robyn Hendricks in Dyad 1929 Photography Jim McFarlane
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VANGUARD
“One of the masterworks OF THE 20th century” The Sunday Age on The Four Temperaments 2003
KEY WORKS FROM BALLET’S GAME-CHANGERS: BALANCHINE, KYLIÁN, McGREGOR As The Australian Ballet celebrates masterpieces, this triple bill showcases three works that changed the way people viewed ballet. George Balanchine stretched classical technique with his exploration of Ancient Greek “humours” in The Four Temperaments. Jirˇí Kylián raised the bar for abstract ballet with Bella Figura. And Wayne McGregor’s Dyad 1929 redefined ballet for the 21st century. The works The 20th-century innovator George Balanchine created The Four Temperaments for the Ballet Society, precursor to New York City Ballet. Hailing from the Ballets Russes, Balanchine was a driving force in introducing European ballet to American audiences and went on to develop his own hallmark neo-classical style. Balanchine commissioned the Theme with Four Variations score by Paul Hindemith in 1942, and the ballet followed four years later. The result was a study of the four temperaments of Ancient Greek medicine: melancholic, sanguine, phlegmatic and choleric. Often described as spiritual, The Four Temperaments delves into human psychology. Dancers appear detached from one another and the audience but at the same time convey an intimate portrait of the depths of the human experience. The choreography is angular, abstract and challenging to perform, a break from the ballet styles of its day. Almost 50 years later, Czech choreographer Jirˇí Kylián posed fresh directions for ballet with works such as Bella Figura. Appointed co-artistic director of Nederlands Dans Theater at the age of 28, Kylián has been at the forefront of dance innovation for four decades. He developed the NDT model to encompass all three stages of a dancer’s life, establishing NDT2, a company for young dancers to develop their skills, and NDT3, a company for older dancers. Following the direction of his early work, which made motion and emotion go hand in hand with the music, Kylián created Bella Figura in 1995 as a meditation on the subconscious. Aiming to create the feeling of standing on the edge of a dream, Kylián created a work that is abstract yet psychological. On a bare stage an ensemble appears like a dancing field of red poppies, with expansive, sweeping moves of controlled precision. Breaking from the uniformity,
pairs and trios form to build slow, intimate sequences. Dancers appear topless, wearing only skirts in swathes of vibrant, rich red silk. Baroque chamber-style music, combined with a space made malleable through clever use of curtains, create a haunting dream-like context for this work that Kylián called “a journey in time, light and space”. Completing the triple bill is Dyad 1929, a work that truly pushes the boundaries of ballet. In 2009, 100 years after the Ballets Russes formed, The Australian Ballet commissioned a new work by Wayne McGregor in celebration of the company that reset the course for modern ballet. English-born McGregor started his own company Random Dance at the age of 22 and is currently resident choreographer at The Royal Ballet. McGregor has established an international reputation as a daring dance maker. As the New York Times declared in 2008 “he’s doing some of the most exciting work in ballet on the planet”. McGregor created twin works in homage to the legacy of the Ballets Russes. The Australian Ballet’s Dyad 1929 sits alongside Dyad 1909, the work he created for Random Dance in the same year. The significance of the years 1909 and 1929 is that they were the year that Sergei Diaghilev formed the Ballets Russes and the year that he died. Embodying McGregor’s belief that choreography is beyond language, Dyad 1929 is a piece of headlong connections in a minimalist set. An ensemble of dancers fills the space with dynamic, super-human sequences. Under bright lights, against a clinical backdrop of black dots on stark white, the dancers move with whippetlike pace, snapping from one mind-bending formation to the next. The work is demanding to dance and amazing to watch. With three works that explore notions of human experience, identity, personality and emotion, Vanguard will linger in your mind long after the curtain falls.
DID YOU KNOW? •G eorge Balanchine married four of the ballerinas he worked with: Tamara Geva, Vera Zorina, Maria Tallchief and Tanaquil LeClercq • J irˇí Kylián travelled to Australia in the early 1980s to experience Indigenous Australian dance on Groote Island • T he Australian Ballet performed Dyad 1929 in New York in June 2012, receiving a standing ovation at the famed Lincoln Center THE FOUR TEMPERAMENTS (1946) Choreography George Balanchine Music Paul Hindemith The Four Temperaments Lighting design Ronald Bates The performance of The Four Temperaments, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style®and Balanchine Technique®Service Standards established and provided by the Trust.
BELLA FIGURA (1995) Choreography Jirˇí Kylián Music Lukas Foss Salomon Rossi Suite Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Stabat Mater Alessandro Marcello Oboe Concerto in D minor (Adagio) Antonio Vivaldi Concerto for Two Mandolins Giuseppe Torelli Concerto Grossi Op. 8, No. 6 Costume design Joke Visser (concept Jirˇí Kylián) Set design Jirˇí Kylián Lighting design Tom Bevoort (concept Jirˇí Kylián) DYAD 1929 (2009) Choreography Wayne McGregor Music Steve Reich Double Sextet Stage concept Wayne McGregor & Lucy Carter Costume design Moritz Junge Lighting design Lucy Carter DATES Sydney (20 performances) 30 April – 18 May Sydney Opera House Opera Theatre with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra DATES Melbourne (12 performances) 6 – 17 June Arts Centre Melbourne State Theatre with Orchestra Victoria
Sponsor
The Australian Ballet 13
“A dazzling and generous production … one of the first greats of the century” The Sunday Age 2008
Adam Bull and Amber Scott Photography Liz Ham
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swan lake graeme Murphy’s
“AN INTERNATIONAL CALLING CARD AND A HUGE AUDIENCE FAVOURITE” The Australian 2008
TWO WOMEN, ONE PRINCE AND PASSIONS DEEP AS THE STILL WATERS Murphy’s modern-day classic makes a triumphant return to the stage
Lucinda Dunn, Robert Curran and Amber Scott Photography Liz Ham
Swan Lake is the ballet by which companies around the world benchmark themselves. In 2001, newly minted Artistic Director David McAllister approached choreographer Graeme Murphy to create a Swan Lake to call our own. It was the very first ballet McAllister commissioned in his new role, and what an artistic coup it turned out to be. It became an instant smash hit and a calling card of the company at home and abroad. The production was created especially to mark the company’s 40th anniversary in 2002. Since then, it has been performed by the company 163 times with a domestic audience of 200,000 people. Swan Lake is undoubtedly one of the iconic ballet narratives. The creative team – Murphy, his wife and creative associate Janet Vernon, and long-time collaborator Kristian Fredrikson – sought to give relevance to the often implausible story while retaining an intrinsic magic. Murphy’s choreography dramatically communicates the passion and emotion of betrayal and unrequited love. The story follows the fortunes of Odette, betrothed to Prince Siegfried yet deeply apprehensive about his relationship with the Baroness von Rothbart. It’s not until after the wedding that the true nature of Siegfried and the Baroness’ relationship becomes clear, causing Odette such distress that by royal command she is committed to a sanatorium. There she finds comfort and escape amongst serene white swans in a frozen dream world. Critics worldwide have picked up on more than a hint of another world-famous royal ménage à trois, finding several parallels in this story of adultery, personality disorders and the betrayal of innocence. Helping Murphy realise his unique vision is the sumptuous costume design of Kristian Fredrikson. A designer of vivid imagination and scope, New Zealand-born Fredrikson (1940 – 2005) enjoyed a long career
at the forefront of Australian design. His awardwinning creations spanned ballet, opera, theatre, film and television. His collaboration with Murphy began in 1975. They went on to join forces on many productions for Sydney Dance Company, The Australian Ballet and Opera Australia. One of Murphy’s great strengths as a choreographer is retelling traditional stories with a twist – this is one Swan Lake you cannot miss. DID YOU KNOW · T his production took home four Helpmann and four Green Room Awards in 2003, as well as a Critics’ Circle Award UK in 2005 ·M urphy uses Tchaikovsky’s Black Swan music in the first act rather than the third; this is thought to be the order as it appeared in the original score
· The opening night cast in 2002 featured Steven Heathcote as Prince Seigfried and Simone Goldsmith as Odette graeme Murphy’s swan lake Choreography Graeme Murphy Creative associate Janet Vernon Music Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Concept Graeme Murphy, Janet Vernon and Kristian Fredrikson Set and costume design Kristian Fredrikson Lighting design Damien Cooper M.C. Escher’s Rippled Surface © 2008 The M.C. Escher Company – The Netherlands All rights reserved www.mcescher.com
DATES Melbourne only (11 performances) 21 June – 1 July Arts Centre Melbourne, State Theatre with Orchestra Victoria
The Australian Ballet 15
“A popular family treat” The Sun-Herald on La Sylphide 2007
Kevin Jackson and Madeleine Eastoe in La Sylphide Photography Georges Antoni Make-up by Napoleon Perdis
la sylphide “a strong, captivating ballet” Sunday Herald Sun on Paquita 2007
AN OTHERWORLDLY CREATURE, A MAN BEWITCHED The quintessence of romantic ballet paired with a Petipa showpiece
Lucinda Dunn in Paquita Photography Justin Smith
This sublime program brings you two heavenly ballets – La Sylphide and Paquita. The works bookend ballet’s Romantic period; La Sylphide kicked things off in 1836 and revolutionised the art form by putting women en pointe for the first time, while Paquita appeared at the end of this era in 1847 and demonstrates just how far ballet had come. The works La Sylphide is classic story ballet, awash with fairies in flowing white gauze and delicate wings, witches with bubbling cauldrons and curses, men in kilts, love squandered and ultimately lost. Scottish dreamer James is fascinated by a woodland sprite, and spurns his fiancée to follow her. Intent on capturing the ethereal beauty for his own, he accepts the help of the vengeful witch Madge, who leads him to his downfall. Despite the tale’s simplicity, there is a profound underlying moral – those who become obsessed with the unattainable lose everything real and good. It was a hugely influential work in its time, and prima ballerina Marie Taglioni perfectly embodied the ethereal spirit of the title role, aided by the soft, billowing costume which would become synonymous with the ballet blanc, or white ballets of the Romantic period. La Sylphide has constantly been in the repertoire of ballet companies since its inception. It has been revived and tweaked countless times, but the bones of August Bournonville’s choreography and intent remain, making it a must-see for lovers of classical ballet. This poignant two-act work will be paired with Marius Petipa’s glittering party piece Paquita, a chance for our dancers to flaunt their most elegant technique. This excerpt, the Grand Pas, is an exhilarating procession of fancy footwork and gravity-defying leaps and is a fitting showpiece for both our male and female dancers.
Petipa is widely considered the most influential ballet choreographer who ever lived. Among the 60 full-length ballets he produced in his time are Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. Petipa first staged Paquita in Russia in 1847, where he also debuted in the main male role. This work remains challenging for today’s dancers, more than a century-and-a-half later. The Guardian in 2010 said of the work, “never doubt that ballet is a competitive sport. In Paquita, the leading ballerina has to hold the stage against four rivals, each wearing a fabulous tutu, each with a killer solo to perform.” Let the dance-off begin!
LA SYLPHIDE (1836) Choreography Erik Bruhn after August Bournonville Music Herman Løvenskjold Costume and set design Anne Fraser Lighting design William Akers PAQUITA (1847) Choreography Marius Petipa Music Ludwig Minkus Costumes Hugh Colman DATES Melbourne (12 performances) 29 August – 7 September Arts Centre Melbourne State Theatre with Orchestra Victoria
DID YOU KNOW? • T he Australian Ballet has a direct line to the distinctive Danish style of La Sylphide; the piece was first staged for the company by Erik Bruhn, Danish ballet’s greatest star, in 1985
Sydney (20 performances) 7 – 25 November Sydney Opera House Opera Theatre with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
•A nne Fraser’s design for La Sylphide won her the 1985 Green Room award for Ballet Design •P aquita is widely thought to have been the first Petipa work to be staged in Russia The Australian Ballet 17
“A new choreographer has come to light – and the dance world is a better place ” The New York Post 2006
Leanne Stojmenov Photography Georges Antoni Make-up by Napoleon Perdis
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cinderella “21st-century ballet is receiving a most welcome injection of originality, sophistication and invention.” Dance Australia on Ratmansky 2009
THE WORLD PREMIERE OF A NEWLY IMAGINED FAIRYTALE The modern master of the story ballet works his magic on a beloved classic
Leanne Stojmenov Photography Georges Antoni Make-up by Napoleon Perdis
The Australian Ballet will add a new masterwork to its repertoire with the world premiere of a brand new Cinderella. One of the world’s most enduring fairytales, this enchanting tale will have a new sprinkling of magic dust from the wand of narrative ballet maestro Alexei Ratmansky. Think you know the story of Cinderella? Glass slippers, mice, pumpkins and Prince Charming? Ratmansky’s reimagining will bring new layers of intrigue and Surrealism to this classic tale of romance and redemption. Marking his return to The Australian Ballet (he made Scuola di ballo on the company in 2009), Ratmansky will recreate the story of Cinderella and Prince Charming with a modern-day take, setting the story in early 20th-century Russia. Russian-born Ratmansky has been hailed as the saviour of traditional ballet, injecting fresh life into classical technique and putting his stamp on iconic works such as The Nutcracker, Don Quixote and The Firebird. Formerly artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet and now resident choreographer of American Ballet Theatre, Ratmansky is in high demand internationally, particularly for the reinvention of classic story ballets. Although the story of Cinderella has origins in ancient Greek mythology, the most commonly known Western tale is taken from Cendrillon, written by French novelist Charles Perrault in 1697. Famous for his re-telling of folklore stories, Perrault penned modern versions of tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots and The Sleeping Beauty. Perrault’s Cinderella has been reimagined countless times over 300 years in the form of opera, ballet, film, novels, musical theatre and song. In this newest incarnation, Ratmansky will evoke a fantasy world that promises true enchantment. Set to Prokofiev’s fanciful, dreamlike score and featuring sets and costumes by award-winning French designer Jérôme Kaplan, Cinderella will transport audiences to 1930s Russia. Principal & Production Sponsor
Ratmansky’s penchant for Surrealism echoes that of his fellow Russian and the pioneer of modern ballet, Serge Diaghilev. In early 1920s Europe, a new art movement called Surrealism had emerged. By the mid-1920s it was reaching the masses through mainstream arts, driven by ballet in particular. In 1926 Diaghilev commissioned one of the earliest Surrealist artists, Giorgio de Chirico, to design sets for the Ballets Russes. Other Surrealist artists went on to design sets and costumes for the Ballets Russes and other ballet and opera companies in the years that followed. As The New York Times said of Ratmansky in 2008, “dancers in his ballets move as if they were ravenous for space”. In 2013 ballet lovers both in Australia and around the world will be ravenous for the highly anticipated world premiere of Ratmansky’s Cinderella.
CINDERELLA (2013) Choreography Alexei Ratmansky Music Sergei Prokofiev Costume and set design Jérôme Kaplan Lighting design Rachel Burke DATES Melbourne (14 performances) 17 – 28 September Arts Centre Melbourne State Theatre with Orchestra Victoria Sydney (22 performances) 29 November – 18 December Sydney Opera House Opera Theatre with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
Sponsor
The Australian Ballet 19
Amber Scott and Adam Bull Photography Georges Antoni
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The Australian Ballet 21
“Bodytorque.Muses was notable for the ways in which relatively (or entirely) inexperienced choreographers skilfully used scores and design as a fundamental part of the experience.” The Australian 2011
Karen Nanasca Photography Georges Antoni Make-up by Napoleon Perdis
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BODYTORQUE. TECHNIQUE “The Bodytorque program has long been instrumental in giving emerging choreographers the chance to perform boundary pushing works.” The Daily Telegraph 2011
FRESH INSPIRATIONS FROM TOMORROW’S CHOREOGRAPHERS Our choreographic workshop unleashes raw talent on emerging stars – with incendiary effects. Could this be your chance to see the next Murphy or McGregor? Our dancers try out new ideas, discover new skills and let loose to experiment – this year, with the theme of technique. Will it be classical forms bent to new extremes, strange disciplines brought to bear on dance, or something entirely unexpected? Be there as the next generation takes shape. After a break in 2012, Bodytorque is back. The program was originally designed to break the mould of classical ballet and experiment with new techniques that would keep pushing the art form further into the future, hence the program theme for 2013. Now in its ninth year, Bodytorque has become a powerful platform for emerging choreographers developing and honing their skills. But it’s also become a showpiece for The Australian Ballet’s talented corps and coryphée ranks, with The Sydney Morning Herald observing last year that “Bodytorque is an excellent opportunity to see some of The Australian Ballet’s younger dancers. The dancers in this year’s season were exquisite, powerful, technically proficient and, above all, highly expressive.” It’s a likely place to find the stars of tomorrow both on stage and behind the curtain, supported by innovative set, lighting and costume design, and a mix of music departing from the usual ballet orchestra. The program moves to a new timeslot in October 2013 for five shows only at Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay. Sydneysiders will get to see five new works by some of Australia’s
hottest up-and-coming dance talent. The Australian Ballet has long had an enviable reputation for fostering new dance talent and taking risks. A young Stephen Baynes was discovered through a choreographic competition in the 80s; he now resides as the company’s resident choreographer. He shares this role with Stanton Welch, former dancer and now artistic director of Houston Ballet; the young Welch burst onto the scene at 24 years of age with the critically acclaimed Divergence. In more recent years, the talents of Tim Harbour, Narelle Benjamin, BalletLab’s Phillip Adams, Lisa Wilson and the company’s own Alice Topp have all been unearthed. Topp was nominated for an Australian Dance Award in 2011 for her 2010 debut Trace, alongside well-established names like Graeme Murphy – not a bad effort for a first work. Bodytorque is unique, sexy and a sensational taste of ballet talent to come. DID YOU KNOW:
Brett Chynoweth Photography Georges Antoni Make-up by Napoleon Perdis
•S ince its inception, Bodytorque has premiered 39 new works by 23 new choreographers • 2011’s program was streamed live for the first time on BigPond, watched by over 20,000 people from Australia and around the world – an audience more than five times the size of Sydney Theatre • Bodytorque commissions end up in some interesting places; Alice Topp’s Trace was recreated in a Melbourne alley at night for the video project Sideshow Alley
Bodytorque.Technique Five new works to be announced! DATES Sydney (5 performances) 31 October – 3 November Sydney Theatre at Walsh Bay
Sponsor
The Australian Ballet 23
“Baynes is at his choreographic finest crafting delicate, unfolding movements and intricate partnering sequences” The Age 2011
Amber Scott Photography Georges Antoni
swan lake Stephen baynes’
“Baynes is a quiet achiever … for more than two decades, he has accumulated a treasure trove of works with a distinctly clean and restrained style” Herald Sun 2011
GOOD VERSUS EVIL IN THE ENCHANTED FOREST
Photography Lynette Wills
It was the first ballet ever danced by The Australian Ballet on 2 November 1962 at Her Majesty’s Theatre in Sydney; a graceful flurry of swans took to the stage to announce a new era in Australian dance. Fifty years later, The Australian Ballet added a new, traditional Swan Lake to its repertoire. Created in 2012 by Resident Choreographer Stephen Baynes, Swan Lake will tour Brisbane and Adelaide in 2013. A flawed prince, a beautiful woman under an otherworldly spell, an evil sorcerer and a seductive black swan are at the centre of this classical production. With its mythical storyline, delicate corps of swans and doomed love, Swan Lake is an ageless ballet that has enchanted audiences for over a century. Swan Lake made its debut in Moscow in 1877 and is one of the world’s most performed ballets. This is the fourth interpretation to enter The Australian Ballet’s repertoire. In its various incarnations, Swan Lake has been performed by the company an impressive 526 times. This is the 20th work that Baynes has created for The Australian Ballet, and his third fulllength ballet. He was praised by The Australian in 2011 as a choreographer who can “create complementary balletic architectures of poise,
articulation and fluidity”. His treatment of Swan Lake will be a reverential reimagining, with respect to the tradition and techniques of classical ballet. The story Princess Odette, transformed into a swan by the evil von Rothbart, is able to regain her human form only at night. This cruel spell can only be broken by a vow of eternal love and fidelity. Lonely and disconsolate Prince Siegfried encounters Odette by a lake and swears his love for her. The following evening a ball is held to celebrate Prince Siegfried’s coming of age. Von Rothbart appears with the beguiling Odile. Captivated, Siegfried is seduced by Odile, thereby breaking his vow and condemning Odette and her fellow maidens to remain swans for eternity. Siegfried flees to the lake to beg forgiveness from Odette but it is too late. As she transforms into a swan for the last time the Prince, bereft at the loss of his beautiful swan princess, drowns himself in the lake.
SWAN LAKE Choreography Stephen Baynes Music Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Costume and set design Hugh Colman Assistant to the Designer Lexi George* Lighting design Rachel Burke Projections designed and directed by Domenico Bartolo, 21 – 19 *This mentorship has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body
DATES Brisbane (8 performances) presented in association with Queensland Performing Arts Centre
22 February – 2 March Queensland Performing Arts Centre, Lyric Theatre with Queensland Symphony Orchestra Adelaide (6 performances) 5 July – 11 July Adelaide Festival Centre, Festival Theatre with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
Every ballet lover has a favourite Swan Lake memory; create a new one with The Australian Ballet’s magical reimagining.
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SYMMETRIES
“Garry Stewart is Australia’s Lord of the Dance.” The Daily Telegraph 2009
CELEBRATING CLASSICAL PURITY – IN TWO VERY DIFFERENT FORMS Artists of The Australian Ballet in Ètudes Photography Georges Antoni Make-up by Napoleon Perdis
In celebration of the Centenary of Canberra, The Australian Ballet will perform a new work by Garry Stewart alongside Harald Lander’s Études, an exhilarating display of classical technique from basics to bravura heights. Monument will have its world premiere in Canberra during the Centenary celebrations. Choreographer Garry Stewart will work in consultation with Parliament House architect Aldo Giurgola, using the design principles of the neoclassical building to shape balletic movement. With a unique style forged over eleven years at the helm of Australian Dance Theatre, Stewart melds dance forms in ways that surprise and exhilarate audiences. Having never danced in his youth, Stewart joined The Australian Ballet School at the mature age of 20 and went on to forge an illustrious career in the Australian dance community. Interested in the concept of identity and the human condition, Stewart’s works draw from a wide range of sources and often incorporate technology. Known for his ultraphysical style, Stewart trains his dancers in a variety of dance styles and physical disciplines, including breakdancing, martial arts and yoga. Monument adds to an impressive list of works Stewart has created for the Australian and international stage and screen. Mirroring the building process will be the classical showcase Études, which shows the growth of ballet
technique from basic barre exercises to the most exuberant of bravura displays. Harald Lander devised the classroom ballet Études in 1948 to refine classical technique amongst dancers and present audiences with the purest display of ballet practices. Director of the Royal Danish Ballet for almost 20 years, Lander is remembered for both his commitment to technique and the level of skill he fostered in his dancers. He found a fellow technique obsessive in composer Carl Czerny, who composed exercises for piano that formed the foundation of Études. The beauty of Czerny’s Études is enhanced by the arrangement of 26 of his works by Knudage Riisager, who formed them into a dramatic score, providing a canvas for the work to build from barre work to impressive solos. Excitement grows as Lander carries the audience from dancers’ bodies warming up through to a climactic display of their technical ability. This is sublime ballet at its purest. Both works return to basic principles to show the complexity in simplicity and will highlight the versatility and technique of the national ballet company in a fitting tribute to the Centenary of Canberra.
Did you know? • In the lead up to Études, the dancers will focus on strengthening the deep muscles in their feet, to improve speed and accuracy and make the steps look effortless •W orks choreographed by Garry Stewart have been performed on both the Australian and American versions of the TV series So You Think You Can Dance? MONUMENT (2013) Choreography Garry Stewart Music Huey Benjamin Costume and set design Mary Moore Lighting design TBC Creative collaborator Aldo Giurgola ÉTUDES (1948) Choreography Harald Lander Music Knudåge Riisager (after Carl Czerny) Costume and lighting design Lise Lander Lighting reproduced by Francis Croese Monument is a Centenary of Canberra project, proudly supported by the ACT Government and the Australian Government
DATES Canberra (4 performances) 23 May – 25 May Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra Theatre with Canberra Symphony Orchestra and electronic composition
Karen Nanasca and Brett Chynoweth Photography Georges Antoni Make-up by Napoleon Perdis
Telstra Ballet in the Bowl Ballet free to the public for one night only Photography Lynette Wills
Having staged free performances around the country for twelve years running, The Australian Ballet returns to its home town of Melbourne as Principal Sponsor Telstra presents a free outdoor performance under the stars at Sidney Myer Music Bowl. For one night only artists from all ranks of The Australian Ballet will perform a selection of divertissements from classic pas de deux to some of the company’s newest contemporary works. Staged on the Labour Day long weekend, Telstra Ballet in the Bowl is the perfect reason to plan a holiday at home.
One of the longest-running arts sponsorships in Australia, Telstra and The Australian Ballet have a commitment to bringing ballet to as broad an audience as possible. Since 2000, Telstra and The Australian Ballet have staged an annual free public outdoor performance. Past events have been held in Brisbane, Penrith, Darwin and Canberra. The 2013 Telstra Ballet in the Bowl promises to be a special event, with many dancers performing for their home crowd.
DID YOU KNOW? • T he Australian Ballet’s first outdoor ballet was presented at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in 1966, as part of the Moomba festival, to a crowd of 3,000 people, for an admission price of 20 cents! • T he first free performance by The Australian Ballet took place at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in 1974 •1 5,000 people turned up to see La Fille mal gardee at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in 1984 EVENT DETAILS Friday 8 March Arts Centre Melbourne, Sidney Myer Music Bowl with Orchestra Victoria
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Robyn Hendricks and Andrew Killian Photography Georges Antoni
“This is more than a graduate year showcase. What is really on display is an insight into how vibrant and excellent dance culture has been built up over decades by the Australian Ballet.” ARTSHUB 2010
Photography Jasmine Moseley
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the dancers company The Dancers Company, the regional touring arm of The Australian Ballet, is on the road again in 2013, reaching far and wide to perform a dazzling triple bill of ballet gems in rural Australia. During July and August the company will present 17 performances and travel 10,000 kilometres by bus, car, plane and truck to bring nights of mesmerising ballet to regional areas in New South Wales, Northen Territory, South Australia and Victoria.
SWAN LAKE (ACT 3) Photography Jasmine Moseley
Swan Lake is undoubtedly the most beloved ballet of all. This traditional version of ACT 3 from the heartbreaking love story between Princess Odette and Prince Siegfried matches Marius Petipa’s choreography with Tchaikovsky’s iconic score and includes the famous Black Swan pas des deux. The scene is a grand ballroom in which virtuosic dancing is complemented by exquisite costumes inspired by 19th century Europe. ABOUT THE DANCERS COMPANY
The Dancers Company comprises guest artists of The Australian Ballet and graduating students from The Australian Ballet School under the direction of The Australian Ballet’s Associate Artistic Director, Danilo Radojevic. In a diverse program designed to wow both ballet buffs and novices, audiences will be treated to a pair of much-loved favourites and a brand-new works, collectively demonstrating the breadth and beauty of classical ballet. PAQUITA This popular tutu spectacular makes a welcome return to The Dancers Company repertoire after an absence of 22 years. Paquita is a party piece that packs a punch with jawdroppingly impressive footwork demanding the utmost technical precision from its dancers. Choreographed by Marius Petipa, this work is one of the cornerstones of traditional classical ballet.
The Dancers Company was founded in 1980 by then-Artistic Director Marilyn Jones, who saw three primary purposes behind its inception. First and foremost, to take the great repertoire of The Australian Ballet, in specifically modified stagings, to regional centres that might otherwise never experience classical ballet of high calibre. Secondly, to give senior levels of The Australian Ballet School onstage experience as part of their training. And thirdly, to provide the artistic staff of The Australian Ballet with the best possible example of students of The Australian Ballet School, under the full rigour of performance, helping them to select the stars of tomorrow. Did you know? •O ver the past 33 years The Dancers Company has presented 697 performances in 65 locations throughout Australia •M ore than 385,000 people have seen a performance of The Dancers Company since it began
NEW WORK This brand-new work is to be created by Simon Dow, ex-principal artist of The Australian Ballet and former Artistic Director of West Australian Ballet. The piece will be choreographed in a classical style and feature the young male dancers of the company, showcasing their athleticism and emerging artistry. The Dancers Company has a long history of commissioning local talent to produce new choreography. Since 1980 a total of 20 pieces have been created by Australian choreographers such as Stephen Baynes, Tim Harbour, Natalie Weir and Stanton Welch.
• T he Dancers Company tours to regional areas for approximately six weeks of the year • The many celebrated dancers who began their professional careers with The Dancers Company include Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet David McAllister; ballet legend Steven Heathcote; and current principal artists Olivia Bell, Adam Bull, Madeleine Eastoe, Daniel Gaudiello, Kevin Jackson, Lana Jones, Andrew Killian and Amber Scott
DATES SOUTH AUSTRALIA Mount Gambier Wednesday 17 July and Thursday 18 July Renmark Tuesday 6 August Port Pirie Thursday 8 August Whyalla Saturday 10 August Tanunda Friday 23 August VICTORIA Geelong Sale Bendigo Mildura
Saturday 20 July Tuesday 23 July and Wednesday 24 July Friday 26 July and Saturday 27 July Friday 2 August and Saturday 3 August
NEW SOUTH WALES Broken Hill Wednesday 31 July NORTHERN TERRITORY Darwin Thursday 15 August Alice Springs Monday 19 August and Tuesday 20 August
Principal Sponsor
The Australian Ballet 31
music note
Nicolette Fraillon Photography Lisa Tomasetti
The 2013 program is breathtaking in its mixture of composers and musical stylings, fitting of a season curated under the banner Masterpieces. Twentieth-century modernists sit cheek by jowl with Baroque icons; the latest electronica with classics of the Russian repertoire. As is the case with other scores by Ludwig (Léon) Minkus (1826-1917), Don Quixote attests to his gift for creating short, melodically inventive episodes. As was common practice prior to Tchaikovsky, the score consists of a series of short, musically unrelated pieces joined by brief transitions. It was because of this that in 1966 Jack Lanchbery, in collaboration with Rudolph Nureyev, had no qualms about reworking what he called the ‘hotch-potch’ that had survived as Minkus’ score. At Nureyev’s urging, Lanchbery retouched what he and Nureyev judged worth saving from the surviving score and added a few new numbers.
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The triple bill Vanguard features three exceptional scores. Paul Hindemith’s The Four Temperaments (1940), an incisive exploration of the four humours, seems to mirror his life’s journey. One can well understand why, in 1940 and just months after fleeing Europe for the US, Hindemith might have wanted to explore what makes people tick. The Four Temperaments comprises five sections: a tripartite opening theme evoking dignity, enthusiasm and tenderness, respectively, and four Variations, which interpret these qualities according to the four personality types: ‘Melancholy’, ‘Sanguine’, ‘Phlegmatic’, and ‘Choleric’. Hindemith could have chosen no better choreographer than George Balanchine to breathe life into these most human of traits. Wayne McGregor’s Dyad 1929 is set to Steve Reich’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Double Sextet (2007). The insistent rhythmic drive one
associates with Reich’s particular type of minimalism comes very much to the fore in the work, which is scored for two sextets each featuring two flutes, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and vibraphone. The three-movement work lasts a little over twenty minutes, during which time gently shifting chords fan outwards from the piano and vibraphone in a series of waves. Some fifty years ago, composer Eric Salzman described minimalist music as a reaction to “information overload, to the buzzing, blooming confusion”. Much the same can be said today of contemporary works like Reich’s Sextet. According to Jirˇí Kylián, Bella Figura explores the twilight zone between art and artificiality. Kylián’s use of musical collage is highly appropriate to this theme, in the sense that each of the musical extracts retains the imprimatur of its creator, yet the manner in which they are combined creates an almost surreal montage. The eight extracts are framed
by an opening eleven bar string passage from the lento movement of Lukas Foss’ Salomon Rossi Suite (1975), which is followed at the beginning and end of Bella Figura by different arias from Pergolesi’s 1736 setting of the late-fifteenthcentury hymn Stabat mater. In between there appear a short andante for harp and timpani from Foss’ Suite, a virtuosic adagio passage from Marcello’s D minor oboe concerto (ca. 1717), Vivaldi’s Concerto for two mandolins and strings, and a vivace from Torelli’s Concerto Grosso No. 6 (1698). Bella Figura captures perfectly both the respect Kylián feels for the music in its original context, and the creative spark he derives from combining these pieces in fresh, unexpected ways. The Canberra double bill, Symmetries, is an intriguing proposition. Harald Lander’s Etudes is set to 26 piano etudes by Carl Czerny and orchestrated by Knudåge Riisager. Czerny (1791-1857) studied with Beethoven in his adopted Vienna, and was the first to champion his music. Having decided that he himself was ill-suited to the concert stage, Czerny instead concentrated on composition; although he has long been best remembered as the creator of a vast catalogue of graduated technical exercises that have alternately delighted and tortured piano students. As such his music is rarely heard outside of the practice room, and it is much to his credit that Riisager (1897-1974) was able to translate Czerny’s monochrome keyboard pyrotechnics into a dazzling mélange of orchestral colour. The other half of Symmetries is a new electronic score by Huey Benjamin for Garry Stewart’s new work Monument, commissioned by Robyn Archer for the Centenary of Canberra. Distant echoes of Spain emerge in Paquita, which premiered at the Paris Opèra in 1846 with choreography by Joseph Mazillier and music by Ernest Deldevez. Marius Petipa staged Paquita at St Petersburg’s Imperial Theatre in 1847, and then again in 1881, when he engaged Léon Minkus to provide new music to supplement Deldevez’s original, somewhat pedestrian score. Minkus enlivened the score by providing Petipa in the first act with a Pas de Trois (known today as the Minkus Pas de Trois or the Paquita Pas de Trois), and in the second act a Children’s
Polonaise & Mazurka, and a lively Grand Pas Classique. The music features the hallmarks of Minkus’ style: melodically rich, rhythmically uncomplicated, and above all dansante. Baron Herman Severin Løvenskjold (1815-1870) provided Bournonville with a replacement score for his 1836 production of La Sylphide after the ballet master was unable to afford the license fee for the for the score originally created by Jean Schneitzhöffer for Filippo Taglioni’s seminal 1832 Paris Opéra season. Løvenskjold employed what was the then relatively novel practice of musical episodes or numbers, interspersed with passages of mime. His wellcrafted overture offers a foretaste of the main features of the story – the Sylphide’s tragic death and the witch’s sorcery are somewhat predictably cast in a minor key, while the sylphs and the cheery Scots are given a bright and breezy major key setting. The Scottish flavour is further enhanced by Løvenskjold’s adaptation of Auld Lang Syne and a Scottish reel to accompany a gathering of Scots townsfolk. Graeme Murphy’s brilliant re-imagining of Swan Lake returns to the Melbourne stage. The score ranks as one of the milestones in the evolution of music for ballet, despite the mixed reception on its debut. One critic commented that “Tchaikovsky’s music contains many beautiful moments and, as music for a ballet, it is perhaps even too good”, while another complained that “it is impossible not to notice that the music of Swan Lake is pallid and monotonous in the extreme”. These conflicting views say a great deal about the way that Tchaikovsky balanced the music with the action on stage. His intention was that the music should serve two distinct dramatic functions: the symphonic music tells the story, while the less texturally dense, but more rhythmically active dance music affords moments of reflection that do not necessarily contribute to the plot.
Photography Lynette Wills
with twin evils that would have felled a lesser person: life under Stalin and then, as he was working on the piano short score of Act Two, the Nazi invasion of his homeland. What was begun in 1940 was finished finally in 1944, and premiered in Moscow by the Bolshoi Ballet in November 1945. The first thing that strikes the ear about the score of Cinderella is the sublime orchestration, which is a hallmark of Prokofiev’s genius. The lyrical, energetic and rhythmically varied score strikes a balance between escapist fantasy and a gritty realism that could convince you the story is true. Now where did I leave the keys to the crystal carriage … Dr Mark Carroll Professor at The Elder Conservatorium, University of Adelaide
Few ballet composers can hold a candle to Tchaikovsky, and among those who can is Serge Prokofiev, whose celebrated Cinderella rounds out the 2013 season. That Prokofiev was at all able to create a work of such artistry is nothing short of miraculous, given that he had to deal The Australian Ballet 33
Photography Teagan Glenane
Photography Fiona Howat
Photography Fiona Howat
Photography Lynette Wills
Photography Teagan Glenane
Photography Teagan Glenane
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Photography Lynette Wills
education In Schools. In Theatres. In Communities. The Australian Ballet’s Education program provides educational experiences of the highest artistic value through participation, engagement and observation of dance to a broad range of age groups. You can find us in schools, in theatres and in communities, presenting hundreds of education events throughout Australia in 2013.
IN THEATRES At special interactive days and in-theatre events you can see dancers of The Australian Ballet up close in practice and performance, learn more about our productions through Q&A sessions with creative teams, and participate in forums and talks.
IN SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES
Here’s a snapshot of just some of the education programs on offer in 2013:
In 2013, our Dance Education Ensemble will visit schools throughout Australia to present dance/movement workshops and dance demonstrations as part of the Out There – The Australian Ballet in schools program. From 2012 – 2014 The Australian Ballet will deliver specially-tailored professional learning programs for primary school teachers in three Victorian regional areas. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, over 390,000 people aged 5 to 14 years participate in ballet or dance lessons across the country, and dancing is the third most popular leisure activity ahead of AFL and netball. Over 22,000 people attended one of our education events in 2011. The Australian Ballet’s aim is to ensure future generations of Australians continue to value ballet and dance as a form of entertainment, artistic expression and recreational activity; and to enrich lives by creating opportunities for deeper, more complex engagement and enjoyment through our performances and education activities. All education programs designed and delivered by the Education Unit will enhance opportunities for students and teachers to access quality programs that have an affinity with the aims of the National Curriculum. Out There – The Australian Ballet in schools This incursion program affords primary school students and teachers in metropolitan and regional Australia an opportunity to engage in workshops that introduce dance concepts as a means of learning about anatomy, coordination and dance-making. The Dance Education Ensemble provide a link between the workshops to enable students to see and discuss ways in which dance, including classical ballet, is learnt and performed.
Informative Talks Our annual series of talks, curated by our Artistic Director David McAllister, puts the spotlight on our dancers, artistic staff and repertoire, delving deeper into the ballets scheduled in 2013 Q&A Sessions At the conclusion of selected evening performances audience members can ask Artistic Director David McAllister, Chief Conductor Nicolette Fraillon and leading dancers questions relating to the evening’s performance People’s Day This is the day that we throw our doors open to the public and encourage you to spend a morning with The Australian Ballet. In this unique behind-the-scenes event you’ll see the sweat, determination and skill of these dancers up close as they take their daily class Boys’ Day This popular program tailored for male dance students is designed to inspire and encourage interest in classical dance Chance to Dance Ever wondered what it would be like to take a ballet class? Participate in a beginners class to learn the basics and discover your hidden talents Classes and Workshops These practical sessions give ballet students the opportunity to reinforce their love of dance and develop a greater understanding of their chosen art form
Photography Fiona Howat
“Thank you for helping us to learn to use our bodies, to use space and to move in lots of ways. We are better at listening and working with our classmates” Love from the children and teachers at Darlington Primary School “The context of our community is rich in various cultures but almost devoid of dance as a performing art. The Australian Ballet has given 400 students experiences they could only dream of” Primary school principal, Adelaide
For further information Website australianballet.com.au/education
The Australian Ballet 35
our directors
David McAllister Artistic Director
Valerie Wilder Executive Director
Nicolette Fraillon Music Director & Chief Conductor
A graduate of The Australian Ballet School, Perth-born David McAllister joined The Australian Ballet in 1983. He was promoted to senior artist in 1986 and to principal artist in January 1989. His many principal roles with the company included those in Onegin, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Coppélia, Manon and La Sylphide.
Valerie Wilder came to The Australian Ballet in 2008 with an exceptional background of leading major ballet companies for over twenty years. A former dancer, artistic director and executive director in Canada and the US, she brings broad experience and great insight into the international dance and performing arts world.
Nicolette Fraillon began her music studies on violin and piano at an early age, and conducted her first concert with the Victorian Junior Symphony Orchestra at age 16. She graduated on viola from Melbourne University in 1982, gaining an equal first place in her year in performance, and then moved to Europe to further her studies.
In 1985 he won a Bronze Medal at the Fifth International Ballet Competition in Moscow, and was then invited to return to the USSR as a guest artist, where he made numerous appearances with the Bolshoi and Kirov Ballet. He has performed with The National Ballet of Canada, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Singapore Dance Theatre. McAllister has worked as a guest teacher with The Australian Ballet School, The Dancers Company, the Royal Academy of Dance, the Cecchetti Society, and the Australian Institute of Classical Dance. In November 2000, he completed a Graduate Diploma in Arts and Entertainment Management at Deakin University. McAllister danced for the final time in Giselle on 24 March 2001 at the Sydney Opera House and became artistic director of The Australian Ballet in July 2001. He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2004 Australia Day Honours List and was elected Vice President of the Royal Academy of Dance in 2005. In 2012 he celebrated his 11th year as artistic director of The Australian Ballet.
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Valerie trained at The Royal Ballet School and the National Ballet School in Canada before joining the National Ballet of Canada. Over ten years she performed extensively both nationally and internationally with the company. After her retirement from the stage, Valerie joined the National Ballet of Canada’s management team, where she held key leadership roles, including artistic director and associate director, before becoming executive director between 1996 and 2002. Between 2002 and 2008, Valerie was executive director of Boston Ballet and the Boston Ballet Center for Dance Education, the fourth-largest ballet company and largest dance school in North America. Valerie has served on many non-profit boards and is a regular panellist and speaker at conferences and seminars. She has lectured at Yale School of Drama, MIT’s Sloan School of Management, Boston University and many others. She holds a Master’s degree in management from McGill University in Montreal and completed a program in non-profit management at Harvard Business School.
In 1990 Fraillon moved to the Netherlands, where she became assistant musical director for the 1991 – 1992 season of Les Misérables in Amsterdam and The Hague. In 1992 she was a finalist in the prestigious Netherlands Broadcasting Association’s International Conductors’ Masterclass, resulting in a performance with the Dutch Radio Symphony Orchestra in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. This led to an invitation to conduct for the Nederlands Dans Theater. She was then invited to become Music Director and Chief Conductor of the National Ballet of the Netherlands, working with renowned choreographers such as Hans van Manen, Toer van Schayk, Rudi van Dantzig and Krzysztof Pastor, conducting numerous world premieres. She also worked with a variety of orchestras and companies throughout Europe. In 1998 she returned to Australia to become Director at the School of Music at the Australian National University in Canberra, and continued to work with leading orchestras and companies in Australia and Europe. She was appointed to the position of Music Director and Chief Conductor at The Australian Ballet in January 2003. Since joining the company, Fraillon has also been a guest conductor for the San Francisco Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and New York City Ballet.
artists of the australian ballet
Principal Artists Olivia Bell Adam Bull Lucinda Dunn Madeleine Eastoe Daniel Gaudiello Kevin Jackson Lana Jones Andrew Killian Yosvani Ramos Rachel Rawlins Amber Scott Leanne Stojmenov
Senior Artists Juliet Burnett Amy Harris Rudy Hawkes Reiko Hombo Ty King-Wall Miwako Kubota
Lana Jones’ principal artist position is generously supported by The Dorothy Hicks Fund
Soloists Ben Davis Matthew Donnelly Chengwu Guo Robyn Hendricks Brett Simon Jacob Sofer Laura Tong Vivienne Wong Andrew Wright
Coryphées Kismet Bourne Brett Chynoweth Natalie Fincher Halaina Hills John-Paul Idaszak Ako Kondo Natasha Kusen Brooke Lockett Jarryd Madden Heidi Martin Karen Nanasca Sharni Spencer Dana Stephensen Garry Stocks
The Australian Ballet is a full-time ensemble company employing dancers whose talents are showcased in both classical and contemporary repertoire. The principal artists’ exceptional qualities are well-known and loved, and they proudly lead a company that has an abundance of talent throughout its ranks.
Corps de Ballet Dimity Azoury Benedicte Bemet Joseph Chapman Imogen Chapman Jasmin Durham Eloise Fryer Rohan Furnell Jessica Fyfe Ingrid Gow Noah Gumbert Calvin Hannaford
Timothy Harford Jack Hersee Richard House Cameron Hunter Brodie James Jake Mangakahia Luke Marchant Rina Nemoto Jill Ogai Mitchell Rayner Christopher Rodgers-Wilson
Benjamin StuartCarberry Valerie Tereshchenko Charles Thompson Sarah Thompson Alice Topp Jade Wood
The Australian Ballet 37
The Australian Ballet 2013
Bookings australianballet.com.au or 1300 369 741 Melbourne State Theatre Arts Centre Melbourne, State Theatre The Australian Ballet Box Office 1300 369 741 australianballet.com.au
Sydney Opera Theatre Sydney Opera House The Australian Ballet Box Office 1300 369 741 australianballet.com.au
Adelaide Festival Theatre Adelaide Festival Centre Box Office 131 246 bass.net.au
Brisbane Lyric Theatre Queensland Performing Arts Centre Box Office 136 246 qpac.com.au
Jan
FEB
Mar
APR
The Australian Ballet returns to the studio
Baynes’ Swan Lake Brisbane
Don Quixote Melbourne Telstra Outdoor Melbourne
Don Quixote Sydney Vanguard Sydney
MAY
JUN
JUl
aug
Symmetries Canberra
Vanguard Melbourne Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake Melbourne
Baynes’ Swan Lake Adelaide The Dancers Company NSW, SA, VIC
La Sylphide Melbourne The Dancers Company NT, SA
sep
oct
nov
dec
Cinderella Melbourne
Bodytorque.Technique Sydney
La Sylphide Sydney Cinderella Sydney
Cinderella Sydney
All information correct at the time of printing. The management reserves the right to alter such details of this season as may become necessary. Robyn Hendricks Photography Georges Antoni
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with thanks
PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
Telstra, supporting The Australian Ballet for more than a quarter of a century
SPONSOR
Official legal sponsor of The Australian Ballet
Méthode Tasmanoise®: Official sparkling wine sponsor
Official piano sponsor of The Australian Ballet
The Australian Ballet is supported by the NSW Government through Arts NSW
The Australian Ballet is supported by the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria
Official beauty sponsor of The Australian Ballet
Official airline of The Australian Ballet
A unique Australian expression of world-class luxury in the Whitsundays
PRODUCT SPONSOR
GOVERNMENT
The Australian Ballet is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body
Industry Partner
Matching Grant Partner
Publicity Department For all media enquiries, including interviews or images, please contact: Nicole Lovelock Media Relations Manager 03 9669 2778 | 0428 135 546
[email protected] Eli Wallis Publicist 03 9669 2771 | 0409 359 174
[email protected] Bradley Grimshaw Publicist 03 9669 2789 | 0419 375 751
[email protected] The Australian Ballet social media directory Behind Ballet blog behindballet.com Facebook facebook.com/theaustralianballet Twitter twitter.com/theausballet YouTube youtube.com/theaustralianballet Timeline ausballetstory.com.au
Cover image: Adam Bull and Amber Scott Photography Georges Antoni
