Dancing Under the Southern Skies

Dancing Under the Southern Skies

Friends of The Australian Ballet are thrilled to able to share Valerie Lawson’s magnificent book, Dancing Under the Southern Skies – The History of Ballet in Australia with our members.

With its vivid narrative, Valerie Lawson’s Dancing Under the Southern Skies goes far beyond what audiences see on stage to reveal what has been behind the red velvet curtain. The lives of the dancers who toured to Australia, among them Anna Pavlova and Margot Fonteyn, and of those who stayed and of those who created companies in Australia are presented in a fascinating mosaic of interviews, letters and personal stories from dancers, directors, producers, impresarios and critics.

She also paints portraits of those who influenced Australian culture over nine decades, among them Laurence Olivier, Edouard Borovansky, Peggy van Praagh, Paul Keating and Graeme Murphy, and tells how the nation escaped from cultural dependence on Britain, fell in love with ballet troupes from the Soviet Union, and then watched the birth of the Australian Ballet, the Sydney Dance Company, Bangarra Dance Theatre and many other dance companies.

Each book sold through The Friends, will result in $20 towards our fundraising efforts supporting The Australian Ballet.

Click here to grab your copy now!

Aurum wins Best Ballet

Aurum wins Best Ballet

A massive congratulations to Alice Topp, The Australian Ballet and everyone involved in Aurum, as it won Best Ballet at the 2019 Helpmann Awards on Monday night.

 

Aurum completely captivated us all here at FAB and we are thrilled to see Alice and The Australian Ballet receive such wonderful recognition for all their hard work.

 

Photo by Daniel Boud

Ticket Giveaway – The White Crow

Thanks to our friends at Universal Pictures, we have 10 double passes to The White Crow to give away!

Opening in cinemas July 18, The White Crow tells the incredible story of Rudolf Nureyev and his defection to the West. Directed by Ralph Fiennes and starring Ukrainian ballet dancer Oleg Ivenko as Nureyev, it is an engrossing and compelling biopic.

To enter the draw to win a pass, simply email your answer to the following question before Sunday 14 July to admin@fab.org.au

Winners will be notified by email on Monday 15 July.

Question: who was Nureyev’s long standing dance partner?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Meet the New Dancers 2019

The Friends celebrated the beginning of the Sydney ballet season with our annual event Meet the New Dancers on 2 April at The Royal Automobile Club of Australia, to introduce the future stars of The Australian Ballet Company.

Together with Steven Heathcote, our Members were entertained and introduced to the new young dancers, including Sara Andrlon, Jocob de Groot, Thomas McClintock, Annaliese McDonald and Tyson Powell.

FAB Life Member Alan Jackson hosted the event and fellow FAB Councilors Jeremy Moller and Tanya Barrington presented a cheque of $3,500 to The Australian Ballet Pointe Shoe Fund.

We thank our long term sponsors Mr Rebbell Barnes, Showface Make-Up, and Bloch for their continued support at this event.

 

Five reasons to see Sylvia

Five reasons to see Sylvia

SYLVIA 

THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET ARE BRINGING STANTON WELCH’S SYLVIA TO SYDNEY THIS NOVEMBER.
HERE ARE FIVE REASONS WHY YOU’LL WANT TO MEET SYLVIA

1. FEMALES FRONT CENTRE AND CENTRE
Ballet is full of heroines, but in traditional works they’re often tragic figures with messy fates.  Sylvia has three strong main characters:  the fierce hunter goddess Artemis; Sylvia, an adventurous nymph; and the mischievous, curious Psych.  The story follows their loves, sorrows and triumphs to a rapturous conclusion.
2. STANTON WELCH
Our resident choreographer is also artistic director of Houston Ballet, and in his long career as a dancemaker, has honed a style that combines high-energy balletic movement, thrilling pas de deux and rich storytelling – perfect for updating the classics.  Our audiences have adored several of Stanton’s pieces in recent years, including Madam Butterfly, La Bayadere and Romeo and Juliet.  
3. THE MUSIC
When Tchaikovsky saw Sylvia in 1877, he was enchanted by Delibes’ score.  “What charm and elegance, what riches in the melody, the rhythm, the harmony,” he raved.  “I was ashamed.  If I had known this music before, I would not have written Swan Lake”. Frederick Ashton claimed that he made his version of Sylvia, the most successful of the modern age, after Delibes came to him in a dream and begged him, with a hiss to save his ballet from oblivion.  Choreographers George Balanchine and John Neumeier have also been unable to resist the lure of this lilting score with its stirring hunting horns.
4. BALLET, WEAPONISED
In 2018, our male dancers got the chance to combine dance with combat in the brutal gladiatorial scenes of Spartacus.  In 2019, our female dancers will be learning sword fighting and archery to portray Sylvia and the other nymphs in Artemis’ band of armoured hunters.
5. A WHOLE LOT OF LOVE
Three headstrong women, three profound relationships that transcend the line between mortal and immortal.  It all adds up to a blaze of chemistry and a plethora of opportunities for Welch to unleash the power of his pas de deux.
SYLVIA DRESS REHEARSAL
THURSDAY 7 NOVEMBER 2019  7.00pm Sydney Opera House
On Sale Monday 26 August