HRH The Duchess of Cornwall has been approved by HM The Queen to become the Royal Academy of Dance’s Vice-Patron. The announcement was made in a special video call by The Duchess with Dame Darcey Bussell DBE and Silver Swan Ambassador Angela Rippon CBE.
The Duchess was joined by Dame Darcey and Angela Rippon to discuss the Royal Academy of Dance’s initiative to keep older learners moving to the music at home through free, online Silver Swans ballet tutorials. They discussed how beneficial dance is for maintaining mental and physical wellbeing, at any age, with The Duchess explaining how taking part in RAD’s Silver Swans classes has positively impacted her personally. Dame Darcey also had the opportunity to discuss the Academy’s mission to inspire the world to dance through excellence in teaching, even under lockdown conditions.
When the Royal Academy of Dance’s Gene Awards (now known as The Dame Margot Fonteyn Awards) were taken offshore by its CEO Luke Rittner for the first time in over 70 years, Sydney won the international bid to host the Competition – despite near rioting in London. The Sydney Competition turned out to be a huge success and every year the Competition travels to a new city.
The Friends supported this first Sydney Competition and has maintained great relations with the Royal Academy of Dance and the London team headed by the wonderful Luke Rittner, who visits Sydney annually.
The smash hit Cinderella is our next treat to you as part of The Australian Ballet’s digital season on ‘Ballet TV.
Master choreographer Alexei Ratmansky’s Cinderella is now live and free to stream for the next two weeks. Created especially for The Australian Ballet in 2013, this Cinderella is full of surprises. Witty, vibrant, glamorous and romantic, Ratmansky’s acclaimed production will sweep you off your feet.
Starring Lana Jones and Daniel Gaudiello, this production was filmed in 2016 at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
With all the elements of the fairy tale we know and love – a feisty heroine, a dashing prince, a kindly godmother and a deliciously wicked stepmother – there’s no better way to escape to another world. A heart-fluttering romance that’s the perfect fit for a cosy night in.
A Dance with the Stepsisters: Jacqueline Clark, Tyson Powell, Corey Herbert, Cameron Holmes and Artists of The Australian Ballet. Photo Jeff Busby.
The Australian Ballet recently launched Ballet TV, including free streaming of cinematic-quality recorded performances of past seasons*.
While theatres are closed, the newly launched At Home with Ballet TV brings the joy and wonderment of dance to our audiences in the comfort of their own home, delivering some much-needed ballet magic.
This five-month digital season of quality production recordings, danced by The Australian Ballet, draws from a carefully curated selection of treasured works, including all-time classics and ballet’s finest romantic productions.
David McAllister’s The Sleeping Beauty was the first production to launch and streamed for two weeks from Sunday 5 April. The second and third productions to launch on At Home with Ballet TV are Alexei Ratmansky’s Cinderella (17 April to 1 May), followed by Graeme Murphy’s Romeo & Juliet (1 May to 15 May).
Artists of The Australian Ballet, courtesy of The Australian Ballet
To follow, Coppélia, Manon, Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake and more will keep home dwellers entertained.
We’re all at home – but we’re all together. And together, we’ll dance our way through.
Looking for something a little different to while away the hours? Try your hand at a digital jigsaw. Simply click and slide the pieces around the screen until they fit and click into place.
Created using images taken by photographer Lexie Potts at last year’s Brunch with the Ballet, there are a number of different puzzles to choose from. Each puzzle is available in a range of difficulty levels.
Principal Artists, Amber Scott and Ty King-Wall from The Australian Ballet recently invited ABC Breakfast television into their home to show us how they are remaining ballet fit and focused.
Introducing a new way to connect with ballet from the comfort of your own home. The Australian Ballet gives you the opportunity to join adult classes.
The Australian Ballet Centre is currently closed and face-to-face Studio classes are temporarily postponed, but there is a new way to embrace ballet. ‘At Home With Studios‘ gives you the opportunity to learn ballet for free.
Enjoy free adult ballet classes at home with three levels available:
* Beginner – for those who want to learn the ballet basics
* Intermediate – with a focus on technique
* Advanced – for loyal and devoted ballet lovers
New classes will be released by The Australian Ballet each Thursday for the next three weeks …
Taught by a former dancer of The Australian Ballet, Justine Miles, the pre-recorded classes are designed for participants to follow along at home. Each class is 30 to 40 minutes in duration, with most of the lesson spent at the barre (your kitchen bench, dining room table or perhaps that favourite chair in the lounge room is ideal).
Courtesy of the Australian Ballet
Classes will remain available once they go live, so new audiences can repeat the class as often as they like, or watch the previous versions to build on newly found balletic skill.
Everyone is welcome, so no matter if you have two left feet or feel at home at the barre, we’ll have you on your way to performing the perfect pirouette in no time.
