Lyla Lindsey
The Australian Ballet is a leading ballet company in Australia, delivering extraordinary performances across the country and overseas for over 60 years. It was founded in 1962 by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, with Peggy van Praagh as its founding artistic director. The Australian Ballet has since become one of the world's major international ballet companies, with upwards of 150 performances a year.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year founded | 1962 |
| Founding organisations | J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust |
| Founding artistic director | Dame Peggy van Praagh |
| First performance | Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, staged at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney |
| Number of performances per year | Upwards of 150 |
| Location | Melbourne |
| Headquarters | Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre |
| Current artistic director | David Hallberg |
| Executive Director | Lissa Twomey |
| Music director and chief conductor | Jonathan Lo |
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What You'll Learn
The Australian Ballet was founded in 1962
The Australian Ballet, the largest classical ballet company in Australia, was founded in 1962. It is one of the world's premier ballet companies and has delivered extraordinary performances across Australia and overseas for over 60 years. The company is based in Melbourne, with its Southbank headquarters being the Primrose Potter Australian Ballet Centre.
The Australian Ballet was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust. The English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur, and director Dame Peggy van Praagh was the founding artistic director. The majority of the dancers employed by the company were drawn from former members of the Borovansky Ballet. The company was founded with a charter to use Australian choreographers and produce Australian work.
The first performance by the Australian Ballet was Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, staged at Her Majesty's Theatre in Sydney on 2 November 1962. In 1964, the first fully Australian performance, Helpmann's The Display, was performed. This was the first TAB production in which the music, designer, theme, and choreographer were all Australian.
Since 2021, the company's artistic director has been David Hallberg, a former principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre and the Bolshoi Ballet. The Australian Ballet continues to perform classical ballets and commission new works annually, representing Australia on the world stage.
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It is Australia's largest classical ballet company
The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded in 1962 by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, with Peggy van Praagh as the founding artistic director. The company has delivered performances for over 60 years across Australia and is recognised as one of the world's major international ballet companies.
The roots of the Australian Ballet can be traced back to the Borovansky Ballet, a touring repertory company founded in 1940 by the Czech dancer Edouard Borovansky. Borovansky, a former dancer in the Covent Garden Russian Ballet, had previously toured Australia with the company and decided to stay in the country, establishing a ballet school in Melbourne in 1939. This school eventually evolved into the Borovansky Ballet, which would become a source of talent for the newly formed Australian Ballet.
The Australian Ballet was established with a charter to showcase Australian choreographers and produce Australian work. The company's first performance was Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, staged at Her Majesty's Theatre in Sydney on 2 November 1962. Since then, the company has performed upwards of 150 shows annually, both in Australia and overseas. The Australian Ballet has also toured to mainland state capital cities within Australia, with regular seasons in Melbourne and Sydney.
The company's artistic director as of 2023 is David Hallberg, a former principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre and the first American to join the Bolshoi Ballet as a premier dancer. The Australian Ballet is committed to artistic excellence and regularly represents Australia on the world stage, performing in 87 cities worldwide, including New York, Shanghai, Tokyo, London, and Paris. The company presents a diverse repertoire, including beloved classical ballets and new, innovative works, showcasing the unique moments that only ballet can express and explore.
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The first performance was Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake
The Australian Ballet is one of the world's premier ballet companies, delivering extraordinary performances for over 60 years. The company was founded in 1962 by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, with English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur and director Dame Peggy van Praagh as the founding artistic director.
The first performance by the Australian Ballet was Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, staged at Her Majesty's Theatre in Sydney on the 2nd of November 1962. Swan Lake is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875-76. The original production was choreographed by Julius Reisinger and premiered on the 4th of March 1877 at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The ballet was initially a critical failure, with detractors calling the set, choreography, and Tchaikovsky's score forgettable. The dancers themselves also found the music too difficult to dance to. However, all 33 performances of the ballet between 1877 and 1883 sold out, and Tchaikovsky went on to compose two more ballets: The Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker.
The dual role of Odette/Odile is one of the most demanding roles a ballerina can perform, with the dancer portraying two contrasting characters in one performance. Tchaikovsky's score is considered one of his most important works, with his inventive orchestrations raising the standard for future ballet scores. His use of leitmotifs, or repeated sections of music associated with a particular character or mood, helped reinvent ballet music as an essential part of the dramatic narrative.
The 1895 revival of Swan Lake by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov is the version that most ballet companies base their stagings on today. This revival premiered on the 15th of January 1895 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg to overwhelmingly positive reviews.
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The company performs over 150 shows a year
The Australian Ballet is the country's leading ballet company and one of the world's premier ballet companies. It was founded in 1962 by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, with Peggy van Praagh as its founding artistic director. The company is based in Melbourne, and tours to mainland state capital cities within Australia.
The Australian Ballet performs over 150 shows a year, both in Australia and overseas. The company's performances include beloved classical ballets and new work, with a commitment to artistic excellence, a spirited style, and a willingness to take risks. The Australian Ballet's 2025 season showcases the versatility and depth of the company's artistic talents, with a captivating program of ballet that will inspire and surprise. The company's performances are accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra when in Sydney and by Orchestra Victoria when in Melbourne.
The Australian Ballet's first performance was Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, staged at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, on 2 November 1962. In 1964, the company performed its first fully Australian production, Helpmann's The Display, with an Australian choreographer, theme, music, and designer. The Display included distinctively Australian elements such as Australian rules football, lyrebirds, and a picnic in the bush.
The company regularly represents Australia on the world stage and has performed in 87 cities worldwide, including New York, Shanghai, Tokyo, London, and Paris. The Australian Ballet's performances are made possible through box office sales, funding from the Australian, Victorian, and New South Wales governments, corporate sponsors, private donors, and bequests.
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David Hallberg is the current artistic director
The Australian Ballet is one of the world's premier ballet companies, delivering extraordinary performances across Australia and overseas for over 60 years. It is the largest classical ballet company in Australia and was founded in 1962 by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.
Since 2021, David Hallberg has been the artistic director of The Australian Ballet. Hallberg is an American classical ballet dancer, born in Rapid City, South Dakota, and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. He was inspired to dance after watching a Fred Astaire film as a child. With his family's support, he trained at the Ballet Arizona School and later at the Paris Opera Ballet School. In 1999, he joined the American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company, becoming a soloist in 2004 and a principal dancer in 2006. He remained with the company until 2020.
Hallberg has also been a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet and a resident guest artist with The Australian Ballet. In 2011, he made history as the first American to join the Bolshoi Ballet as a premier dancer. He has performed as a guest artist with numerous prestigious companies worldwide, including the Mariinsky Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Royal Swedish Ballet, and the Tokyo Ballet, among others.
In addition to his performing career, Hallberg established the David Hallberg Scholarship to mentor aspiring male dancers at the American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company and Ballet Arizona. He also created and directs ABT INCUBATOR, a workshop that encourages the creation of emerging choreographers.
Hallberg was appointed as the eighth Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet in 2021, succeeding David McAllister. His final tour as a dancer was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and he assumed his new role in January of that year.
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Frequently asked questions
The Australian Ballet was founded in 1962 by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust.
The first artistic director of the Australian Ballet was Peggy van Praagh.
The Australian Ballet performs upwards of 150 performances per year, both in Australia and overseas.
