by FAB Admin | Nov 1, 2021
Celebration Gala Final Dress Rehearsal
SENIOR STARS SHINE IN A RANGE OF PAS DE DEUX
The final dress rehearsal for the Celebration Gala, featuring grand classical showpieces, thrilling contemporary excerpts, perennial favourites and more, will be on Wednesday 24 November, 7pm at Sydney Opera House.
The Australian Ballet’s Artistic Director, David Hallberg, has curated this exhilarating celebration of his dancers’ artistry and commitment to maintaining the highest standards over the past 18 months.
The Sydney program will feature excerpts from classical favourites such as Swan Lake, The Merry Widow, Anna Karenina and The Nutcracker; lovers of modern work will revel in contemporary pas de deux from revered 20th-century choreographer Kenneth MacMillan, British wunderkind Wayne McGregor and the company’s resident choreographer, Alice Topp.
The Celebration Gala program:
LA FAVORITA
Pas de deux from CONCERTO
CLAY (excerpt from LOGOS)
White Swan Pas de deux from SWAN LAKE
Black Swan Pas de deux from SWAN LAKE
Pas de deux from Act II of ANNA KARENINA
Pas de deux from CHROMA
Pas de deux from Act II of THE MERRY WIDOW
Pas de deux from AFTER THE RAIN©
Pas de deux from Act II of THE NUTCRACKER
Tickets for the final dress rehearsal of The Australian Ballet’s Celebration Gala, are on sale now!
BOOK
IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOVERNMENT RESTRICTIONS proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or valid medical exemption will be required for anyone over the age of sixteen to attend this dress rehearsal.
by FAB Admin | Mar 22, 2021
Counterpointe Dress Rehearsal
BALLET AS PRISTINE TRADITION AND CONTEMPORARY FORCE
The final dress rehearsal for Counterpointe, a double bill of the elegant 19th-century classic Raymonda with the vigour and attack of Artifact Suite by William Forsythe, who stretches classical forms into original modernity, will be on Monday 26 April, 7pm at Sydney Opera House. Audiences will also enjoy a performance of George Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux, a brief but thrilling divertissement.
Artifact Suite
The American choreographer William Forsythe revolutionised the European dance scene, reimagining classical technique and challenging his dancers with extended shapes. Devotees of his In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, shown most recently as part of The Austrlaian Ballet’s Vitesse program, will relish experiencing the ensemble work that defined his groundbreaking style: clarified speed, extensions of form and dynamically fast weight changes. Bach’s sublime Chaconne for solo violin is contrasted to the repetitive urgency of piano pieces by composer Eva Crossman-Hecht.
Raymonda (Act III)
The third act of Marius Petipa’s Raymonda depicts the wedding of the hero and heroine. As in his Sleeping Beauty and Paquita, Petipa uses the celebration to create a sparkling display of classical technique, with Hungarian-inflected dances culminating in one of ballet’s most famous solos for a leading ballerina. This staging, based on the traditional Petipa choreography, will be David Hallberg’s first for The Australian Ballet.
Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux
In 1953, a piece of music Tchaikovsky composed for Swan Lake, thought lost, was discovered in the archives of the Bolshoi Ballet. The Russian choreographer George Balanchine gained permission to use the rediscovered music for this piece. Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, with its lyrical duet and delicate female variation, its spectacular jumps and fishdives, is a tribute to the era of Russian ballet but it also has the speed and attack, the giddying lifts and plunges that gave Balanchine’s choreography an edge of risk and modernity.
Tickets on sale from Thursday 25 March
BOOK TICKETS NOW
by FAB Admin | Mar 3, 2021
New York Dialects
The final dress rehearsal for New York Dialects, The Australian Ballet’s return to the stage in 2021.
This triple bill is David Hallberg’s first program as Artistic Director and features two revered classics from George Balanchine, the great game-changer of ballet, with a brand-new creation from a 21st-century innovator.
Serenade
Balanchine’s deeply rooted knowledge of Russian classicism grounded his inspired deviations from it, which galvanised modern dance. Serenade, considered one of the greatest works of the 20th century, was the first work he made on American dancers. The poetry of women in long ice-blue tutus moving in unison to Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C has a simplicity and purity still breathtaking today.
The Four Temperaments
If Serenade is Balanchine at his most lyrical, The Four Temperaments is the epitome of his stark neo-classical style: dancers in black and white leotards and tights performing stripped-back ballet steps skewed in unexpected directions. The score, which Balanchine commissioned from Paul Hindemith, was inspired by the medieval notion that four ‘humours’ govern personality type; it is both sparse and luscious as it explores each of those temperaments.
Watermark
Pam Tanowitz, from a contemporary dance background, has created work for major ballet companies, including New York City Ballet and The Royal Ballet, as well as for the hallowed modern-dance companies of Martha Graham and Paul Taylor. She will bring her vision for ensemble choreography and her fresh approach to gender roles to a work using the male dancers of The Australian Ballet. The Pulitzer-prize winning composer Caroline Shaw will extend her concerto Watermark as a partner to Tanowitz’s exciting creative vision.
Tickets on sale from Thursday 4 March. For more information, please click here
BOOK TICKETS NOW
by FAB Admin | Feb 11, 2021 | Australian Ballet, Latest News, Upcoming Event News
Take your virtual seat at the Ballet
Can’t attend the next Ballet? In a different city? Ballet fans across the world can now get virtual front-row seats to the live-streamed performances by The Australian Ballet.
We are thrilled to share that The Australian Ballet has launched, Live on Ballet TV, an exciting new way to experience The Australian Ballet from anywhere around the world!
The first live-streamed performance to be hitting our screens is Summertime at the Ballet at MCA, Melbourne Park.
For the special price of $25, Summertime at the Ballet can be watched LIVE on Sunday 28 February at 11.45am AEDT or at your convenience over the following 48 hours.
This special virtual performance includes exclusive bonus commentary from our very own David Hallberg, plus live interviews and behind the scenes footage you can view via any device or cast to your smart TV.
Buy a ticket for yourself or gift a ticket to someone you know would enjoy the show! You’ll receive a link to watch Summertime at the Ballet on Live on Ballet TV.
Grab your popcorn, cast the performance to your Smart TV and settle in for an afternoon at the ballet from the comfort of your home.
The Australian Ballet’s joyful return to the stage!
The beauty and versatility of The Ballet’s dancers will shine in a selection of excerpts from ballet’s most celebrated classic, alongside the Company’s latest contemporary works and signature repertoire.
Summertime at the Ballet will honour The Australian Ballet’s history, while embracing the future and reveling in the pure love of dance.
David Hallberg’s insight
“In my first program as artistic director, I am showcasing the talent of the entire company. With fresh inspiration, the dancers step back on the stage in repertoire that exemplifies their versatility as both technicians and artists. These modern and classical ballets are their lifeblood and exactly why they live for the stage and the expression of performance.”
The Summertime at the Ballet program will include:
The Kingdom of the Shades from La Bayadère
Choreography Marius Petipa
Music Ludwig Minkus, arranged by John Lanchbery
Pas de deux from Molto Vivace
Choreography Stephen Baynes
Music George Frederic Handel
Act III Pas de deux from Don Quixote
Choreography Rudolf Nureyev
Music Ludwig Minkus
arranged by John Lanchbery
Excerpts from Act I of Spartacus
Choreography Lucas Jervies
Music Arum Khachaturian
Trio from Filigree and Shadow
Choreography Tim Harbour
Music 48nord
Largo from Xerxes
Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux
Choreography George Balanchine
©The George Balanchine Trust
Music Piotr Illyich Tchaikovsky, excerpt from Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act III
Waltz from The Merry Widow
Choreography Ronald Hynd
Music Franz Lehár, arranged by John Lanchbery
Pas de deux and finale from Theme and Variations
Choreography George Balanchine
©The George Balanchine Trust
Music Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, excerpt from Orchestral Suite No.3 in G, Op.55
by FAB Admin | Nov 16, 2020
2021 SEASON LAUNCH | A SPECIAL INVITATION FROM DAVID HALLBERG
To thank you for your incredible FAB support this year, we’re pleased to invite you to attend an exclusive live online event, as we celebrate the start of an exciting new era for ballet in Australia.
Be one of the first to hear about David Hallberg’s dazzling first season as Artistic Director. Join David is Executive Director Libby Christie and outgoing Artistic Director David McAllister with some very special guests for an in-depth briefing on The Australian Ballet’s 2021 Season.
6pm Tuesday 1 December
RSVP by Thursday 26 November
Event access details will be provided closer to the event.
