West Australian Ballet reveals 2016 Season

2016 West Australian Ballet SeasonThe West Australian Ballet recently revealed its 2016 Season. The company said, “Find yourself in love, lose yourself in the moment, be transported to another place and time; West Australian Ballet’s Season 2016 is another year of unmissable shows.”

 

Belgian-born Artistic Director Aurélien Scannella’s third year at the helm brings “hip-hop mashed up with classical ballet, a beauty matched with a beast and the tag-team return of two widely different takes on the tale of Romeo and Juliet,” as described by The West Australian in this article.

 

It kicks off with its annual Ballet at The Quarry program, titled Five By Night, on February 5-27. Excitingly, this will present two Australian premieres by the renowned Briton David Dawson as well as a world premiere by young Europe-based Aussie choreographer Craig Davidson.

 

The great Canadian choreographer David Nixon, known as a master storyteller, will direct the Australian premiere of his ballet Beauty and the Beast on May 13-28 at His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth. This production was first staged by Nixon’s Leeds-based Northern Ballet in 2011. Scannella told The West Australian it is one of the best examples of the new works Nixon has added to the narrative ballet repertoire, “which includes Three Musketeers, Dracula, The Great Gatsby, Hamlet and Wuthering Heights.” Fans can look forward to Beauty and the Beast’s opulent sets and costumes and a grand score that features music by Bizet, Saint Saeans, Debussy, Poulenc and Galzunov.

 

2016 West Australian Ballet SeasonNext, the mixed bill Genesis will arrive to the West Australian Ballet Centre in Maylands on June 22-25. This emerging artists showcase pulls upon the ranks of WAB’s own dancers to discover the next up-and-coming choreographers.

 

On September 9-24, Edward Clug’s modernized Radio & Juliet is presented alongside Romeo and Juliet, Youri Vámos’ stirring version of Shakespeare’s original tale, at His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth.

 

“I am hoping the Radiohead will add a new audience to His Majesty’s,” Scannella stated to The West Australian. “I hope people who come to the Quarry will come to the Maj. Some people are a bit concerned to go into such a beautiful theatre thinking it is not for them. I hope this season will help them make that step.”

 

Lastly, Principal Artist Jayne Smeulders, whose first full-length ballet Cinderella is being revived this November, will work with Scannella and Ballet Mistress Sandy Delasalle to create a new production of The Nutcracker next season, set to be presented November 18-December 11.

 

2016 West Australian Ballet SeasonIn other exciting company news, the West Australian Ballet has recently grown its ranks, with another two young artists joining next year. The company goes from 40 with incremental plans to reach a prime 44 or 45 dancers.

 

Scannella has also signed on for another three years with a three-year option to renew, taking his tenure potentially to the end of 2021.

 

Visit http://waballet.com.au for further information.

 

Images of West Australian Ballet dancers by Robert Johnson.