Vale Garth Welch AM (1936 – 2025)

The dance world is mourning the loss of one of its most remarkable and enduring figures,
Garth Welch AM, whose passing has been acknowledged with great sadness this week by
the Australian Institute of Classical Dance (AICD), where he served as the inaugural
President.

“A giant of the Australian Ballet world,” as the AICD so aptly described him, Garth Welch
was born in Brisbane and his dance career began under the tutelage of Phyllis Danaher
before his early professional stint in Call Me Madam with the J.C. Williamson organisation.
He soon joined the Borovansky Ballet in 1954, becoming a Principal Dancer within a
remarkably short time, and later danced with Western Theatre Ballet and the Grand Ballet du
Marquis de Cuevas before being invited by Dame Peggy van Praagh to join the nascent
Australian Ballet in 1962 as a Principal Dancer. A role he held until 1973.

During those formative years, Welch created roles in hallmark productions such as Sir
Robert Helpmann’s The Display – one of Australia’s first fully national ballets – where he
danced the “Outsider” in the original 1964 premiere. He also created parts in Helpmann’s
Yugen and John Butler’s Threshold. His stage partnerships included leading artists like
Marilyn Jones, Kathleen Gorham, and Marilyn Rowe as well as international icon Dame
Margot Fonteyn.

Notably, in the 1970s, he and Marilyn Jones were guest artists with Ballet Theatre of
Queensland, dazzling audiences in Flower Festival in Genzano and the Esmeralda pas de
deux. Their partnership on stage was alongside their partnership in life as the couple married
and had a family including sons Stanton and Damien, both of whom have carved significant
careers in dance, with Stanton now an internationally recognised choreographer and Artistic
Director of Houston Ballet and Damien following his father’s footsteps as a Principal with
The Australian Ballet.

Welch’s choreographic legacy is equally distinguished. His first work, Variations on a Theme
for The Australian Ballet, debuted in 1964. He went on to choreograph Othello (1968),
Images (1974), The Tempest (1983), Voyage Within (1989), and KAL (1979), which became
the first full-length ballet for the West Australian Ballet.

As Artistic Director of the West Australian Ballet (1979–1982), he steered the company to
new artistic heights. His Peter Pan premiere in 1981 delivered the company’s first sell-out
season. Welch further contributed to Ballet Victoria as Associate Artistic Director and
choreographer, and later taught widely across Australia into the 1990s, while also performing
acclaimed roles such as von Aschenbach in Graeme Murphy’s After Venice (1984) with
Sydney Dance Company.

As the inaugural President of the AICD, Welch played a vital role in strengthening pathways
for classical dance training and accreditation, ensuring the next generation of dancers and
teachers could benefit from a standard of excellence. His leadership was marked by a
generosity of spirit and a belief in the transformative power of dance.

Welch’s legacy lives on through his family. The Australian dance community extends
heartfelt condolences to Jak, Marilyn, Stanton, Damien, Oscar, and Matilda.

Sources Wikipedia and the Arts Centre Melbourne Garth Welch Collection.

Ballet dancers Garth Welch and Marilyn Jones in the terminal, Mascot, Sydney, 12 September 1962 – photographer Jack Mulligan