The Australian Ballet's Artistic Director David McAllister launched the company's 2011 season in Melbourne on 14 September 2010.
McAllister announced details of a world-premiere work as part of the company's exciting upcoming program.
"I'm thrilled to announce that Australia's most celebrated choreographer, Graeme Murphy, will create a brand-new, full-length production of Romeo & Juliet for The Australian Ballet," said McAllister.
Murphy is collaborating with internationally renowned fashion designer Akira Isogawa, who will design the costumes, and Gerard Manion, who will create the sets.
Following the success of Murphy's unique interpretations of Swan Lake, Firebird, The Nutcracker and The Rose Cavalier (The Silver Rose), Romeo & Juliet promises to be the most anticipated world-premiere in The Australian Ballet's history.
From this heartbreaking debut to joyful ballet classics, the 2011 season is sure to excite.
Here's what The Australian Ballet has in store for 2011:
Madame Butterfly
British Liaisons
Elegy
Bodytorque.Muses
The Merry Widow
Graeme Murphy's Romeo & Juliet
Each work has a significant place in the company's journey towards 50, explains McAllister.
"The Australian Ballet has evolved from a company that primarily looked offshore for inspiration, to becoming a major exporter of original Australian works, and internationally renowned dancers and choreographers."
"In 2011 we explore our history, from a time where we emulated our British influences, to finding our own distinctive style and creating hugely successful ballets that now live in the repertoires of world famous companies."
2011 is a virtual world tour of The Australian Ballet's accomplishments, showcasing its ensemble of world class dancers in breathtaking style.
In a small house overlooking the bay of Nagasaki lives beautiful Madame Butterfly. It's 1904, and the American Lieutenant Pinkerton has fallen under the spell of her innocence and charm ...
A devilishly demanding ballet that's heaven to watch; a chessboard war of love and betrayal; an audience favourite returns to the stage. British Liaisons brings together three generations of acclaimed choreographers to celebrate Britain's best.
Bodytorque has become one of the year's highlights for admirers of brave, bold new ballet. The latest season arrives with an intriguing twist on the relationship between artists and their muses.
Set in the fictional country of Pontevedro, The Merry Widow teams the manners and morals of Parisian high society with a ripping undercurrent of Balkan passion.
In a small house overlooking the bay of Nagasaki lives beautiful Madame Butterfly. It's 1904, and the American Lieutenant Pinkerton has fallen under the spell of her innocence and charm ...
For Butterfly, it's love, but despite all of Pinkerton's passion and promises, his heart already belongs to another. When the full scale of his betrayal is revealed, there can be no happily-ever-after. The story first appeared as an opera at the turn of last century and in 1995 was sumptuously recast as a ballet by Australian choreographer Stanton Welch (The Sleeping Beauty, Divergence). This powerful work, unforgettably danced, features some of the most beautiful sets and costumes ever created for The Australian Ballet, from luxurious brocades to dresses as delicate as butterfly wings. Fusing the grandeur of opera with the artistry of ballet, Madame Butterfly is the ultimate tale of East meets West.
"exotic characters, lavish costumes" -
The Age
"playful, sexy and stunningly challenging"
Daily Telegraph
"dancing, acting, music and design combined at the
highest levels to work their theatrical magic"
Sydney Morning Herald
Genre: 20th century full-length classical
Credits
Madame Butterfly (1995)
Choreography Stanton Welch
Music Giacomo Puccini
arranged by John Lanchbery
Costume & set design Peter Farmer
Lighting design Francis Croese
Restoration and refurbishment of the costumes for this production
made possible by The K Christensen & AE Bond Bequest
Melbourne: with Orchestra Victoria
Sydney: with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
Adelaide: with Adelaide Symphony Orchestra
This performance runs for approximately 108 minutes including one interval
Madame Butterfly features adult themes. We recommend parents and guardians read the full synopsis before making a decision on whether to take a child to this ballet.
A devilishly demanding ballet that's heaven to watch; a chessboard war of love and betrayal; an audience favourite returns to the stage. British Liaisons brings together three generations of acclaimed choreographers to celebrate Britain's best.
"One of the most potent examples in modern ballet history of the unity between dance, music and design"
The Sunday Times UK on Checkmate
"A showstopper"
Sunday Herald Sun on After the Rain
Genre: 20th century classical mixed bill
Credits
Checkmate (1937)
Choreography Ninette de Valois
Music Arthur Bliss
Costume and set design E McKnight Kauffer
Original lighting design William Akers
Concerto (1966)
Choreography Sir Kenneth MacMillan
staged by Julie Lincoln
Music Dmitri Shostakovich
Costume and set design Jürgen Rose
Original lighting design William Akers
After the Rain (2005)
Choreography Christopher Wheeldon
staged by Jason Fowler
Music Arvo Pärt
Costume design Holly Hynes
Lighting design Mark Stanley
Melbourne: with Orchestra Victoria
Sydney: with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
Bodytorque is for admirers of bold, brave ballet. In this annual showcase of new dance, choreographers take their first steps towards the world stage, working with The Australian Ballet's most exciting young dancers.
This year, choreographers will be tackling the notion of the muse, whether that muse is a piece of art, film, or something more elusive. It's a season where anything can happen - stars are made, electric connections forged; all set to anything from Bach to Bowie. Once again, new ballet begins with Bodytorque.
"After seven years, The Australian Ballet's Bodytorque program is stronger than ever"
The Daily Telegraph
Genre: New contemporary mixed bill
Choreographers
Daniel Gaudiello
Kevin Jackson
Alice Topp
Lisa Wilson
Vivienne Wong
In this unforgettable double bill, The Australian Ballet's Resident Choreographer Stephen Baynes draws inspiration from musical masterpieces.
What happens after death? Baynes' Requiem is a stirring meditation on that most fundamental human question. A single figure treads carefully through the sublime movement of Requiem's dancers, as if guiding the audience between this world and the next. Helping take Fauré's score from stirring to transcendental is 26 singers from Victorian Opera performing on stage. Beyond Bach is a ballet of "clean, classical purity" with dancers giving new life to Bach's work on a stage bathed in golden light. Who is the mysterious woman from the past, coming face to face with modernity? Beyond Bach lifts mortal movement to something spiritual. If you've seen his work before, it will come as no surprise that Stephen Baynes is often called "the poet of The Australian Ballet". If you haven't, Elegy provdes the perfect opportunity to witness his trademark poetry in motion.
"Extraordinary generosity, amplitude, light and grace" The Australian on Requiem
"Combining traditional ballet with sublime modern expression" Sunday Herald Sun on Beyond Bach
Genre: 20th century classical double bill
Credits
Beyond Bach (1995)
Choreography Stephen Baynes
Music Johann Sebastian Bach
Costume design Anna French
Set design Andrew Carter
Lighting design Kenneth Rayner
Requiem (2001)
Choreography Stephen Baynes
Music Gabriel Fauré's Requiem Op 48
Costume design Anna French
Set design Richard Roberts
Lighting design Nigel Levings
In partnership with Victorian Opera with Orchestra Victoria
This performance runs for approximately 97 minutes including one interval
Set in the fictional country of Pontevedro, The Merry Widow teams the manners and morals of Parisian high society with a ripping undercurrent of Balkan passion.
Pontevedro is nearly bankrupt. A plan is hatched to marry the moneyed widow Hanna Glawari to her old flame Count Danilo, lest she run off with a foreigner and take her riches with her. Things, of course, don't quite go as planned. In picturesque embassies, gardens, ballrooms and restaurants, Pontevedro's demimonde scheme, drink, and fall in and out of love with each other. Hanna is all dazzling surface, but vulnerable underneath. Dashing Danilo is just realising the errors of his youth. Together, they're one of the most memorable couples in The Australian Ballet's repertoire, supported by an irresistible ensemble cast. Opulent sets and costumes - enormous chandeliers, sweeping staircases, furs and feathers befitting the Belle Époque - complete the spell. The Merry Widow is as heady as champagne and as cheeky as the can-can.
"Clowning frivolity, poignancy and over-the-top romanticism combine in a triumph of glittery theatricality"
The Sunday Age
"Romantic, escapist charm and opulent sets and costumes"
The Courier-Mail
Genre: 20th century full-length classical
Credits
The Merry Widow (1975)
Choreography Ronald Hynd
Scenario Robert Helpmann
Music Franz Lehár
Based on the operetta by Victor Léon and Leo Stein
Arranged and orchestrated by John Lanchbery
Costume and set design Desmond Heeley
Lighting design Francis Croese
Presented by arrangement with Glocken Verlag Limited
Restoration and refurbishment of the costumes for this production
made possible by The Margaret Ellen Pidgeon Fund for Classical Ballet
endowed by Dr Valmai Pidgeon AM
Melbourne: with Orchestra Victoria
Sydney: with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
This performance runs for approximately 134 minutes including two intervals
A masterpiece from first blush
to final devastation
Love is a many-splendored thing, and in our corrupt world it often blooms fast, burns bright and dies young.
Romeo & Juliet is perhaps the greatest love story ever told - but it hasn't been told by one of Australia's greatest storytellers. Until now. Graeme Murphy (Swan Lake, Nutcracker) adds another ballet classic to his list of audacious reinventions with this much-anticipated world premiere. Over 400 years old, the tale of Romeo & Juliet is as timeless as it is heartbreaking. Young passion smoulders at its core, but in this ballet Murphy also tackles the consequences of greed, war, factionalism, and what happens to humanity when love dies. Of course, a grand story demands grand surrounds, and who better to create the costumes than Australian fashion luminary Akira Isogawa. What do they have in store for our two star-crossed lovers? You'll have to wait and see. Romeo & Juliet promises to be a masterpiece from first blush to final devastation.
"Murphy is a genius"
PerthNow
"A new full-length ballet by choreographer Graeme Murphy is always a happy occasion"
The Daily Telegraph
Genre : 21st century full-length classical
Credits
Romeo & Juliet (2011)
Choreography Graeme Murphy
Creative associate Janet Vernon
Music Sergei Prokofiev
Costume design Akira Isogawa
Set design Gerard Manion
Lighting design Damien Cooper
The costume creation for this production will be made possible
by The James & Diana Ramsay Foundation
Melbourne: with Orchestra Victoria
Sydney: with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra
Romeo & Juliet may feature adult themes. We recommend parents and guardians visit our Children at the Theatre page before making a decision on whether to take a child to this ballet.
Founded in 1962, The Australian Ballet is one of Australia’s flagship arts companies, and one of the busiest ballet companies in the world. Each year, it presents approximately 200 performances in cities and regional areas around Australia, in addition to regular international touring.
The Australian Ballet’s diverse repertoire reflects our vision: caring for tradition, daring to be different. Each year, we perform works from the classical repertoire as well as more contemporary works and commissions that explore the development and future of this dynamic artform.
