Kicking off with a Brisbane-exclusive season of Alexei Ratmansky’s acclaimed Cinderella (which was recently toured in Melbourne), the triple contemporary bill Vitesse 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 then turn back the clock to a traditional take on the world’s most popular ballet, Swan Lake, for an encore performance of Stephen Baynes’ production set to Tchaikovsky’s quintessential score, coming to Sydney in April, then Adelaide in May and Melbourne in June.
The classical counterpoint to Vitesse, George Balanchine’s Symphony in C, will come to Sydney exclusively in April. While in June, romance will take centre stage in Melbourne for an exclusive season of Stanton Welch’s production of Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet.
Arguably the centrepiece of the 2016 program will be Nijinsky, a work inspired by the rise and fall of a ballet legend. Choreographed by John Neumeier and 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 for The Australian Ballet would not be complete without a fairytale spectacle. The festive season favourite Coppélia has been revived by The 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 to Melbourne in September and Sydney in December.
