The Australian Ballet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Australian Ballet |
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| General information | |
| Name | The Australian Ballet |
| Predecessor | Borovansky Ballet |
| Year founded | 1962 |
| Founding Artistic Director | Dame Peggy van Praagh |
| Principal venue | Level 6 2 Kavanagh Street Southbank Victoria, Australia |
| Artistic staff | |
| Artistic Director |
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| Resident Choreographers |
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| Other | |
| Associated schools | Australian Ballet School |
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The Australian Ballet (often called TAB) is the biggest classical ballet company in Australia. It started in 1962. Two groups, J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, helped create it.
An English dancer and teacher named Dame Peggy van Praagh was its first artistic director. Today, The Australian Ballet is known around the world. It performs more than 150 shows each year. These shows happen both in Australia and in other countries.
Contents
The Story of The Australian Ballet
The idea for The Australian Ballet came from an older group. This group was called the Borovansky Ballet. It was started in 1940 by a Czech dancer, Edouard Borovansky.
Borovansky used to dance with the famous Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. He visited Australia with a ballet company. He liked it so much that he decided to stay. In 1939, he opened a ballet school in Melbourne. From this school, he formed his own dance group. This group became the Borovansky Ballet.
A company called J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd helped fund the Borovansky Ballet from 1944. After Borovansky passed away in 1959, Dame Peggy van Praagh became the artistic director. The Borovansky Ballet stopped performing in 1961.
How the Australian Ballet Began
In 1961, the Australian government helped fund a new national ballet company. J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust worked together. They created the Australian Ballet Foundation. This foundation helped start the new company.
In 1962, The Australian Ballet officially began. Peggy van Praagh was asked to be its first artistic director. Many dancers from the old Borovansky Ballet joined the new company. The Australian Ballet was created to feature Australian choreographers and new Australian dance works.
First Performances and Key People
The Australian Ballet's first show was Swan Lake. This famous ballet was by Tchaikovsky. It was performed on November 2, 1962, in Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney.
The main dancers in that first season were Kathleen Gorham, Marilyn Jones, Garth Welch, and Caj Selling. Later, other important people helped lead the company. These included Sir Robert Helpmann, Marilyn Jones, and Maina Gielgud.
In 1964, the company performed its first fully Australian ballet. It was called The Display, created by Robert Helpmann. In the same year, Peggy van Praagh started the Australian Ballet School. This school trains dancers especially for The Australian Ballet.
Many famous choreographers have worked with The Australian Ballet. These include Graeme Murphy, Meryl Tankard, and Natalie Weir. They became well-known from the 1970s to the 1990s.
Past Artistic Directors
Here are the people who have led The Australian Ballet as artistic director:
- Dame Peggy van Praagh (1962–74; 1978)
- Sir Robert Helpmann (1965–76)
- Anne Woolliams (1976–77)
- Marilyn Jones (1979–82)
- Maina Gielgud (1983–96)
- Ross Stretton (1996–2001)
- David McAllister (2001-2021)
About The Australian Ballet Today
The Australian Ballet is based in Melbourne. Its main building is called the Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre. It is named after a big supporter, Lady (Primrose) Potter.
The company travels to major cities across Australia. They perform every year in Melbourne at the State Theatre. They also perform in Sydney at the Sydney Opera House. Other places they visit include Brisbane and Adelaide. The company also tours to other countries.
The Australian Ballet works closely with the Australian Ballet School. Many of the company's dancers trained at this school. The company performs about 200 shows each year. They say they are one of the busiest ballet companies in the world.
Their main goal is "Caring for Tradition, Daring to be Different." This means they respect old ballet styles but also try new things. Each year, they also run programs to teach dance to young people.
The company gets its money from ticket sales. They also get funding from the Australian, Victorian, and New South Wales governments. Businesses, private donors, and gifts in wills also help support them.
The People Behind the Scenes
Since 2021, the artistic director of The Australian Ballet is David Hallberg. He was a main dancer with the American Ballet Theatre before joining.
In December 2022, Lissa Twomey became the Executive Director. She has a lot of experience managing top performing arts groups.
The music director and main conductor is Jonathan Lo. He started in 2022. He took over from Nicolette Fraillon. She was the only woman chief conductor of a ballet company in the world.
Telstra Ballet Dancer Award
The Telstra Ballet Dancer Awards started in 2003. These awards help young, talented dancers in The Australian Ballet. It is the biggest prize a dancer can win in Australia. The winner gets $20,000.
There is also a Telstra People's Choice Award. People can vote for their favorite dancer online or by text message. The winner of this award gets $5,000.
Amazing Performances
In 1964, Robert Helpmann created The Display. This was the first Australian Ballet show where everything was Australian. The music, design, story, and choreographer were all from Australia. It even included Australian rules football and lyrebirds.
In 1992, Clara was a special show. It was a new version of The Nutcracker. Choreographer Graeme Murphy changed the story. He made it about people moving to Australia.
In 1997, The Australian Ballet worked with an Indigenous dance company. This company was called Bangarra Dance Theatre. They asked Stephen Page to create a dance for both groups. The show was called Rites. It used music by Igor Stravinsky from The Rite of Spring.
For its 60th birthday in 2023, The Australian Ballet presented Identity. This show had two different ballets. It premiered in May 2023 in Sydney. Then it moved to Melbourne in June.
One part was called The Hum. The music was by Yorta Yorta woman Deborah Cheetham Fraillon. The costumes were by Taungurung designer Annette Sax. They were the first Indigenous women to work in these roles for The Australian Ballet. The dance was by Wiradjuri choreographer Daniel Riley.
The other part was Paragon. It was created by resident choreographer Alice Topp. While The Hum showed Indigenous dance, Paragon looked at the history of The Australian Ballet.
Orchestra Victoria
Orchestra Victoria is a music group that works with The Australian Ballet. Since 2014, it has been a part of The Australian Ballet.
See also
- Australian Archives of the Dance, created by TAB in 1972
