The Australian Ballet have today announced their lavish 54th season, one that combines timeless classics and explosive contemporary works, with thetheme of the 2016 program being ‘The Power To Transform’.
Kicking off with a Brisbane-exclusive season ofAlexei Ratmansky’s acclaimed Cinderella (which was recently toured in Melbourne), thetriple contemporary billVitesse will then bring together the works of choreographers Christopher Wheeldon, Jiří Kylián and William Forsythe for seasons in Melbourne in March and Sydney in April.
The company will thenturn back the clock to a traditional take on the world’s most popular ballet,Swan Lake, foran encore performance of Stephen Baynes’ production set toTchaikovsky’s quintessential score, coming to Sydney in April, then Adelaide in May and Melbourne in June.
The classical counterpoint toVitesse,George Balanchine’sSymphony in C, will come to Sydney exclusively in April. While in June, romance will take centre stage in Melbourne for an exclusive season ofStanton Welch’s production ofSergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.
Arguably the centrepiece of the 2016 program will beNijinsky,a work inspired by the rise and fall of a ballet legend.Choreographed by John Neumeierand created for his company Hamburg Ballet, the work explores the tortured mind of Vaslav Nijinsky, and follows his journey from ecstasy to anguish before his tragic end in an insane asylum. It will be performed in Melbourne in September, Adelaide in October and Sydney in November.
And of course, a season forThe Australian Ballet would not be complete without a fairytale spectacle. The festive season favouriteCoppélia has been revived byThe Australian Ballet’s founding Artistic Director Peggy van Praagh and Theatre Director George Ogilvie for a performance for the whole family, set to Delibés’ lilting score. It will come toMelbourneinSeptemberandSydneyinDecember.
2016 season packages are available from 9am on Thursday September 24. Visittheir websitefor more details.
