Australian Ballet School performs in Sydney

For the first time in over a decade, balletomanes in Sydney have the opportunity to see the talented students of The Australian Ballet School. These stars of the future will perform at the Sydney Opera House this Sunday, December 4 with the creativity, passion and artistic expression championed under the leadership of Lisa Pavane.

Each year in Melbourne audiences are thrilled by the excellence and artistry of the School’s hard working and talented students. This year in Sydney all full-time levels will be represented in diverse repertoire that fulfils the School’s mission to honour the past, achieve in the present and create the future.

The School will present acclaimed works, as well as new creations, by famed choreographers and its own talented faculty. The programme includes A Time to Dance, choreographed by Stanton Welch AM, and Almost, choreographed by Graeme Murphy AO.

“A Time to Dance is about the enjoyment dancers receive from ballet,” stated Stanton Welch AM, artistic director of Houston Ballet. “A collaboration of moods and emotions that end in pure exhilaration make up this piece. I have tried to capture the exhilaration of youth, the awkwardness of adolescence and the strength of maturity, and show the love of dance and the small spark in all of us that lets us know when it is time to dance.”

On creating his work Almost, Graeme Murphy AO said, “50 years on we are back at our alma mater with unknown dancers, an unknown score and all the adrenalin of an unknown creative outcome… that’s choreography! The process was magic… all students were eager to be an active part of the process – all willing to take risks, all committed and contributing, every single one a fascinating instrument ripe and ready for every challenge. This felt not like a class, but a company!”

The programme also includes Invisible Icon choreographed by Margaret Wilson; A Singular Sequence choreographed by Stephen Baynes; and Divertissement choreographed by Simon Dow.

Margaret Wilson, a contemporary teacher and choreographer at The Australian Ballet School, based her work Invisible Icon on this quote by Charles Haanel: “There is a world within – a world of thought and feeling and power; of light and beauty, and although invisible, its forces are mighty.”

Stephen Baynes, resident choreographer at The Australian Ballet, set his high-energy, 12-dancer work A Singular Sequence to selections of music by Stravinsky.

Lastly, Simon Dow, classical teacher and choreographer at The Australian Ballet School, said it was Lisa Pavane who invited him to create Divertissement as a way of “presenting the School in a way that shows the diversity of talent and ability.” He added, “The students have worked tirelessly to bring their very best to this work, which has challenged them and asked them to stretch their limits.”

To book tickets for The Australian Ballet School’s Showcase 2016, head to sydneyoperahouse.com. Tickets can also be purchased in-person at the Sydney Opera House Box Office or by calling 02 9250 7777. The show will commence at 6:30 pm.

Photos courtesy of The Australian Ballet School.