Australian Ballet Company
Encyclopedia
The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet
company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson
Theatres Ltd. and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust
in 1962, with the English ballerina Dame Peggy van Praagh
as founding artistic director. Today, it is recognised as one of the world's major international ballet companies.
dancer Edouard Borovansky
. Borovansky had been a dancer in the touring ballet company of the famous Russia
n ballerina Anna Pavlova and, after visiting Australia on tour with the Covent Garden Russian Ballet, he decided to remain in Australia, establishing a ballet school in Melbourne
in 1939, out of which he developed a performance group which became the Borovansky Ballet. The company was supported and funded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd from 1944. Following Borovansky's death in 1959, the English dancer and administrator Dame Peggy van Praagh
was invited to become artistic director of the company. J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd decided to disband the Borovansky Ballet in 1961.
In 1961, J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust
received federal subsidies towards the establishment of a national ballet company. These organisations established the Australian Ballet Foundation to assist with the establishment of a new company, which in 1962 became the Australian Ballet. Peggy van Praagh, who had been kept on a retainer by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd through the intervening year between the disbanding of the Borovansky Ballet and the establishment of the Australian Ballet, was invited to become the founding artistic director of the company. The majority of the dancers employed by the fledgling company were drawn from former members of the Borovansky Ballet. The first performance by the Australian Ballet was staged at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney
. The principal dancers in the Australian Ballet's first season were Kathleen Gorham
, Marilyn Jones
and Garth Welch
. Van Praagh also invited the Royal Ballet's Ray Powell to temporarily became the company's first Ballet Master, with Leon Kellaway (brother of Cecil Kellaway
), a former dancer with the Covent Garden Russian Ballet, as the company's first ballet teacher. In 1967 van Praagh established the Australian Ballet School
, which was formed specially to train dancers for the company and remains the company's associate school to this day.
and regularly tours to all the major cities within Australia, with lengthy seasons in Melbourne at the State Theatre
(accompanied by Orchestra Victoria
) and in Sydney
at the Sydney Opera House
. For one week in alternate years, the Australian Ballet performs at the Lyric Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre
in Brisbane
, and one week each year, at the Adelaide Festival Centre in Adelaide
. The company also occasionally tours internationally, and performs annually in an intimate outdoor setting on Hamilton Island.
The Australian Ballet works in close cooperation with the Australian Ballet School
, of which many of the company's dancers are graduates. Giving approximately 200 performances a year, the Australian Ballet is the busiest ballet company in the world. With a vast repertoire which includes the major classical and heritage works as well as contemporary productions, it follows its artistic vision of "Caring for Tradition, Daring to be Different". Each year, the company also presents an extensive national education programme, run by Colin Peasley a former Principal Dancer with the company, to further inspire and educate its audiences.
Box office sales, derived from its strong and loyal audience base, are the foundation of the company's income stream. The Australian Ballet also receives funding from the Australian
, Victorian and New South Wales
governments, corporate sponsors, private donors and bequests.
The company's current Artistic Director is David McAllister AM, who was a Principal Dancer until 2001. The company's previous Artistic Directors were: Ross Stretton
(1996–2001); Maina Gielgud
(1983–96); Marilyn Jones
(1979–82); Anne Woolliams (1976–77); Sir Robert Helpmann
(1965–76) and the founding Artistic Director, Dame Peggy van Praagh (1962–74; 1978).
The most recent appointment to the position of Executive Director is Valerie Wilder, succeeding Richard Evans.
with music by Ludwig Minkus
, starring Rudolf Nureyev
as Basilio, Lucette Aldous
as Kitri and Sir Robert Helpmann
in the title role, along with artists of the Australian Ballet. Set and costumes were designed by Barry Kay
. Future artistic director Ross Stretton
staged the stage production during his artistic directorship of the Royal Ballet.
, with music from Franz Lehár
's operetta of the same name
, was created by Sir Robert Helpmann and choreographed by Ronald Hynd
especially for the Australian Ballet. The designer was Desmond Healey. The adaptation from operetta score to ballet score was done by John Lanchbery
(then musical director of the Australian Ballet) and his colleague Alan Abbot. The ballet premiered on 13 November 1975 at the Palais Theatre
, Melbourne.
In 1976, Dame Margot Fonteyn
, who was guesting with the Australian Ballet, danced the leading role of Hanna Glawari.
The ballet was revived by the company in 2011, in Melbourne from 23 June to 4 July, the final performance being principal artist Kirsty Martin's farewell performance, and in Sydney from 10 to 28 November.
For the first time since the inauguration of the awards, the judging panel was unable to separate two dancers for the main award in 2010 and each received $20,000. The winners were Ty King-Wall and Dana Stephensen. Amy Harris
won the People's Choice Award for the second time (she also won it in 2008).
Classical ballet
Classical Ballet is the most formal of the ballet styles, it adheres to traditional ballet technique. There are variations relating to area of origin, such as Russian ballet, French ballet, British ballet and Italian ballet...
company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson
J. C. Williamson
James Cassius Williamson was an American actor and later Australia's foremost theatrical manager, founding J. C. Williamson Ltd....
Theatres Ltd. and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust
Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust
The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust was set up in September 1954 under the guidance of H. C. ‘Nugget’ Coombs, Governor of the Commonwealth Bank, Sir Charles Moses General Manager, Australian Broadcasting Commission and John Douglas Pringle, Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald. It aimed to...
in 1962, with the English ballerina Dame Peggy van Praagh
Peggy van Praagh
Dame Margaret "Peggy" van Praagh, DBE had a long and distinguished career in ballet as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, producer, advocate and director.-Dancing:...
as founding artistic director. Today, it is recognised as one of the world's major international ballet companies.
History
The roots of the Australian Ballet can be found in the Borovansky Ballet, a company founded in 1940 by the CzechCzech people
Czechs, or Czech people are a western Slavic people of Central Europe, living predominantly in the Czech Republic. Small populations of Czechs also live in Slovakia, Austria, the United States, the United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Russia and other countries...
dancer Edouard Borovansky
Edouard Borovansky
Edouard Borovansky was a Czech- born Australian ballet dancer, choreographer and director. After touring with Anna Pavlova's company, he and his wife settled in Australia where they established the Borovansky Ballet company...
. Borovansky had been a dancer in the touring ballet company of the famous Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n ballerina Anna Pavlova and, after visiting Australia on tour with the Covent Garden Russian Ballet, he decided to remain in Australia, establishing a ballet school in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1939, out of which he developed a performance group which became the Borovansky Ballet. The company was supported and funded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd from 1944. Following Borovansky's death in 1959, the English dancer and administrator Dame Peggy van Praagh
Peggy van Praagh
Dame Margaret "Peggy" van Praagh, DBE had a long and distinguished career in ballet as a dancer, choreographer, teacher, producer, advocate and director.-Dancing:...
was invited to become artistic director of the company. J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd decided to disband the Borovansky Ballet in 1961.
In 1961, J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust
Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust
The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust was set up in September 1954 under the guidance of H. C. ‘Nugget’ Coombs, Governor of the Commonwealth Bank, Sir Charles Moses General Manager, Australian Broadcasting Commission and John Douglas Pringle, Editor of The Sydney Morning Herald. It aimed to...
received federal subsidies towards the establishment of a national ballet company. These organisations established the Australian Ballet Foundation to assist with the establishment of a new company, which in 1962 became the Australian Ballet. Peggy van Praagh, who had been kept on a retainer by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd through the intervening year between the disbanding of the Borovansky Ballet and the establishment of the Australian Ballet, was invited to become the founding artistic director of the company. The majority of the dancers employed by the fledgling company were drawn from former members of the Borovansky Ballet. The first performance by the Australian Ballet was staged at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney
Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney
Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, Australia, refers to three theatres of the same name:One was a theatre which opened on 10 September 1887 and closed on 10 June 1933.It was located on the corner of Pitt and Market Street, Sydney, where Centrepoint stands today....
. The principal dancers in the Australian Ballet's first season were Kathleen Gorham
Kathleen Gorham
Kathleen Gorham OBE was an Australian ballerina.Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, she lived much of her life in Melbourne...
, Marilyn Jones
Marilyn Jones
Marilyn Jones OBE is an Australian dancer and teacher of dance. She has been described as "the greatest classical dancer Australia has produced"...
and Garth Welch
Garth Welch
Garth Welch is an Australian dancer and choreographer.- Early life and training :Welch grew up in Brisbane, Queensland. His initial dance training took place under the guidance of the respected teacher Phyllis Danaher....
. Van Praagh also invited the Royal Ballet's Ray Powell to temporarily became the company's first Ballet Master, with Leon Kellaway (brother of Cecil Kellaway
Cecil Kellaway
Cecil Lauriston Kellaway was a South African-born character actor.Cecil Kellaway spent many years as an actor, author, and director in the Australian film industry until he tried his luck in Hollywood in the 1930s. Finding he could get only gangster bit parts, he got discouraged and returned to...
), a former dancer with the Covent Garden Russian Ballet, as the company's first ballet teacher. In 1967 van Praagh established the Australian Ballet School
Australian Ballet School
The Australian Ballet School was founded in 1964 as the primary training facility for The Australian Ballet by Dame Margaret Scott. It is part of the Australian Ballet Centre, which is located in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, Southbank in Melbourne, Victoria...
, which was formed specially to train dancers for the company and remains the company's associate school to this day.
Present
Today the company is based in MelbourneMelbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and regularly tours to all the major cities within Australia, with lengthy seasons in Melbourne at the State Theatre
The Arts Centre (Melbourne)
The Victorian Arts Centre is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the inner Melbourne suburb of Southbank in Victoria, Australia....
(accompanied by Orchestra Victoria
Orchestra Victoria
Orchestra Victoria is an orchestra based in Victoria, Australia. In addition to its own concert and education events, it is the performance partner of the following major performing arts companies: The Australian Ballet, Opera Australia and Victorian Opera...
) and in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
at the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. For one week in alternate years, the Australian Ballet performs at the Lyric Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre
Queensland Performing Arts Centre
The Queensland Performing Arts Centre is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank precinct....
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, and one week each year, at the Adelaide Festival Centre in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
. The company also occasionally tours internationally, and performs annually in an intimate outdoor setting on Hamilton Island.
The Australian Ballet works in close cooperation with the Australian Ballet School
Australian Ballet School
The Australian Ballet School was founded in 1964 as the primary training facility for The Australian Ballet by Dame Margaret Scott. It is part of the Australian Ballet Centre, which is located in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, Southbank in Melbourne, Victoria...
, of which many of the company's dancers are graduates. Giving approximately 200 performances a year, the Australian Ballet is the busiest ballet company in the world. With a vast repertoire which includes the major classical and heritage works as well as contemporary productions, it follows its artistic vision of "Caring for Tradition, Daring to be Different". Each year, the company also presents an extensive national education programme, run by Colin Peasley a former Principal Dancer with the company, to further inspire and educate its audiences.
Box office sales, derived from its strong and loyal audience base, are the foundation of the company's income stream. The Australian Ballet also receives funding from the Australian
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
, Victorian and New South Wales
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
governments, corporate sponsors, private donors and bequests.
The company's current Artistic Director is David McAllister AM, who was a Principal Dancer until 2001. The company's previous Artistic Directors were: Ross Stretton
Ross Stretton
Ross Stretton was an Australian ballet dancer and artistic director. As a dancer, he performed with the Australian Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre...
(1996–2001); Maina Gielgud
Maina Gielgud
Maina Gielgud is a former British ballet dancer and a veteran ballet administrator. She was artistic director of the Australian Ballet from 1983 to 1996 and is that company's longest serving director to date. She had a twenty year career as a dancer in Europe and the United Kingdom. Gielgud...
(1983–96); Marilyn Jones
Marilyn Jones
Marilyn Jones OBE is an Australian dancer and teacher of dance. She has been described as "the greatest classical dancer Australia has produced"...
(1979–82); Anne Woolliams (1976–77); Sir Robert Helpmann
Robert Helpmann
Sir Robert Helpmann CBE was an Australian dancer, actor, theatre director and choreographer.-Early years:He was born Robert Murray Helpman in Mount Gambier, South Australia and also boarded at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. From childhood, Helpman had a strong desire to be a dancer...
(1965–76) and the founding Artistic Director, Dame Peggy van Praagh (1962–74; 1978).
The most recent appointment to the position of Executive Director is Valerie Wilder, succeeding Richard Evans.
Don Quixote
In 1973 the Australian Ballet released a film version of the ballet Don QuixoteDon Quixote (ballet)
Don Quixote is a ballet originally staged in four acts and eight scenes, based on an episode taken from the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. It was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus and was first presented by the Ballet of the...
with music by Ludwig Minkus
Ludwig Minkus
Ludwig Minkus a.k.a. Léon Fyodorovich Minkus was an Austrian composer of ballet music, a violin virtuoso and teacher.Minkus is most noted for the music he composed while serving as Ballet Composer of the St...
, starring Rudolf Nureyev
Rudolf Nureyev
Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev was a Russian dancer, considered one of the most celebrated ballet dancers of the 20th century. Nureyev's artistic skills explored expressive areas of the dance, providing a new role to the male ballet dancer who once served only as support to the women.In 1961 he...
as Basilio, Lucette Aldous
Lucette Aldous
-Biography:Born in Auckland, New Zealand, she undertook her early training in Australia, and later at the Royal Ballet School. She returned to Australia in 1970, quickly rising to Resident Principal Dancer with the Australian Ballet....
as Kitri and Sir Robert Helpmann
Robert Helpmann
Sir Robert Helpmann CBE was an Australian dancer, actor, theatre director and choreographer.-Early years:He was born Robert Murray Helpman in Mount Gambier, South Australia and also boarded at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. From childhood, Helpman had a strong desire to be a dancer...
in the title role, along with artists of the Australian Ballet. Set and costumes were designed by Barry Kay
Barry Kay
Barry Kay , who studied arts at the Académie Julian in Paris, was a stage and costume designer of international renown...
. Future artistic director Ross Stretton
Ross Stretton
Ross Stretton was an Australian ballet dancer and artistic director. As a dancer, he performed with the Australian Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre...
staged the stage production during his artistic directorship of the Royal Ballet.
The Merry Widow
The ballet The Merry WidowThe Merry Widow (ballet)
The Merry Widow ballet is an adaptation of Franz Lehár's romantic operetta The Merry Widow .John Lanchbery and Alan Abbott adapted the score of the operetta for ballet and retained the style of Lehár's orchestration. The arrangement includes the well-known tunes of the operetta - Vilja's Song Ich...
, with music from Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár was an Austrian-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas of which the most successful and best known is The Merry Widow .-Biography:...
's operetta of the same name
The Merry Widow
The Merry Widow is an operetta by the Austro–Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to keep her money in the principality by finding her the right husband – on an 1861 comedy play,...
, was created by Sir Robert Helpmann and choreographed by Ronald Hynd
Ronald Hynd
Ronald Hynd is an English choreographer, .Ballets Ronald Hynd has choreographed include: The Merry Widow.-External links:*...
especially for the Australian Ballet. The designer was Desmond Healey. The adaptation from operetta score to ballet score was done by John Lanchbery
John Lanchbery
John Arthur Lanchbery OBE was an English, later Australian, composer and conductor, famous for his ballet arrangements.-Life:...
(then musical director of the Australian Ballet) and his colleague Alan Abbot. The ballet premiered on 13 November 1975 at the Palais Theatre
Palais Theatre
The Palais Theatre is a former cinema, now functioning exclusively as a concert venue, located in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia. With a capacity of 2,896 people, it is the largest seated theatre in Australia....
, Melbourne.
In 1976, Dame Margot Fonteyn
Margot Fonteyn
Dame Margot Fonteyn de Arias, DBE , was an English ballerina of the 20th century. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of all time...
, who was guesting with the Australian Ballet, danced the leading role of Hanna Glawari.
The ballet was revived by the company in 2011, in Melbourne from 23 June to 4 July, the final performance being principal artist Kirsty Martin's farewell performance, and in Sydney from 10 to 28 November.
Principal artists
Senior artists
- Juliet Burnett
- Reiko Hombo
- Ty King-Wall
- Miwako Kubota
Soloists
- Ben Davis
- Matthew Donnelly
- Chengwu Guo
- Amy HarrisAmy HarrisAmy Harris is an Australian ballet dancer, soloist with The Australian Ballet.Harris was born 1983 in Ararat, Victoria. She began classes in ballet, jazz and tap when she was three years old and started her Cecchetti training with Carole Oliver School of Ballet in Ballarat at the age of 10.Harris...
- Rudy Hawkes
- Robyn Hendricks
- Brett Simon
- Jacob Sofer
- Laura Tong
- 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
- Vivienne Wong
Corps de ballet
- Dimity Azoury
- Imogen Chapman
- Kristy Corea
- Eloise Fryer
- Rohan Furnell
- Jessica Fyfe
- Ingrid Gow
- Noah Gumbert
- Calvin Hannaford
- Timothy Harford
- Jack Hersee
- Richard House
- Cameron Hunter
- Jake Mangakahia
- Luke Marchant
- Rina Nemoto
- Mitchell Rayner
- Christopher Rodgers-Wilson
- Benjamin Stuart-Carberry
- Valerie Tereshchenko
- Charles Thompson
- Sarah Thompson
- Alice Topp
- Jade Wood
- Jessica Wood
Telstra Ballet Dancer Award
The Telstra Ballet Dancer Awards have been made annually since 2003, in support of the aspirations of The Australian Ballet's elite young dancers. It is the biggest prize available specifically to a dancer in Australia, with a cash prize of $20,000 to the winner. The Telstra People's Choice Award is made to the most popular of the nominees in that year, using internet and SMS voting. The winner of the People's Choice receives a cash prize of $5,000.For the first time since the inauguration of the awards, the judging panel was unable to separate two dancers for the main award in 2010 and each received $20,000. The winners were Ty King-Wall and Dana Stephensen. Amy Harris
Amy Harris
Amy Harris is an Australian ballet dancer, soloist with The Australian Ballet.Harris was born 1983 in Ararat, Victoria. She began classes in ballet, jazz and tap when she was three years old and started her Cecchetti training with Carole Oliver School of Ballet in Ballarat at the age of 10.Harris...
won the People's Choice Award for the second time (she also won it in 2008).
External links
- Australia Dancing, The Australian Ballet (1962–)
- The (Melbourne) Arts Centre, The Australian Ballet and Australian Archives of the DanceAustralian Archives of the DanceThe Australian Archives of the Dance is Australia’s oldest specialist dance archive. Established by The Australian Ballet in 1972, the Archive was transferred to the Performing Arts Collection of the Melbourne Arts Centre in 1998.-Collection:The Archive includes over 50,000 items covering the...
collections of the Performing Arts CollectionPerforming Arts CollectionThe Performing Arts Collection at the Arts Centre, Melbourne is the largest specialist performing arts collection in Australia, with over 450,000 items relating to the history of circus, dance, music, opera and theatre in Australia and of Australian performers overseas.- Highlights of the...