WHAT'S ON
2009
RATMANSKY, SCUOLA DI BALLO & THE BALLETS RUSSES
CONCORD - THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET IN AUGUST & NOVEMBER
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In August 2009, Alexei Ratmansky, the most brilliant choreographer to emerge from Russia in three generations, created a new ballet on an old favourite of Col. de Basil’s Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo – Scuola di ballo (The Ballet School). The original with choreography by Leonide Massine, to music of Luigi Boccherini orchestrated in playful French modernist style by Jean Francaix, with designs by Etienne de Beaumont was popular with Australian audiences in the 1930s. In this Australian Ballet triple bill, Scuola di ballo is presented with Dyad 1929 by brilliant English choreographer Wayne McGregor who works across dance, visual arts, and film. The final ballet on the bill is Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato's Por vos muero, a ballet Dance Australia called "totally absorbing, ravishingly beautiful" and "deeply affecting". For performance details see The Australian Ballet's Concord page. Melbourne: State Theatre 21 August - 1 September Sydney: Opera Theatre 11 -30 November For Ballets Russes Australian tours, artists and ballets see Australia Dancing. |
THE BALLETS RUSSES IN AUSTRALIA - 1936 - 1940
A NATIONAL LIBRARY COLLECTION IN FOCUS EXHIBITION
9 APRIL 2009 - 31 JANUARY 2010
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The National Library of Australia celebrates the centenary of Serge Diaghilev’s uniquely creative Ballets Russes (1909-1929) and the visits to Australia by three Ballets Russes companies under the artistic leadership of Colonel Wassily de Basil between 1936 and 1940. These companies traced their lineage back to Diaghilev’s company and were inheritors of much of the Diaghilev repertoire as well as engaging in innovative commissions of their own. They brought to Australia a panorama of dance, music and design on a scale not seen here before, significantly influencing the development of the arts, society and culture in this country. The exhibition draws on the National Library’s comprehensive Ballets Russes collection - the nation’s largest - and also material from the Ballets Russes project partners and other Australian collecting institutions. Designs created in the wake of the Ballets Russes for the Kirsova, Borovansky and The Australian Ballets by William Constable and Kenneth Rowell – from the Barr Smith’s Keith Glennon Collection – provide an insight into the direct influence of the Ballets Russes designers Bakst, Benois, Gontcharova and Masson on Australia artists. For Exhibition details see the Ballets Russes Exhibition Page. For information about the Ballets Russes Australian tours, artists and ballets, see Australia Dancing. |
2009
FIREBIRD AND OTHER LEGENDS
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This year marked the centenary of Serge Diaghilev's revolutionary Ballets Russes. All over the world there were performances, exhibitions, concerts, and symposia to celebrate Diaghilev's creation. The first celebration in Australia was a new Firebird, inspired by Igor Stravinsky's 1910 score. This an exciting collaboration between Graeme Murphy and The Australian Ballet, had set and costume designs by the young designer Leon Krasenstein. Along with this premiere, there were two of the most popular productions from the Ballets Russes repertoire: Petrouchka, with Alexandre Benois' 1911 designs and Les Sylphides with décor by Paul Kathner.
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2008
INTERPLAY
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The Australian Ballet presents Interplay, an exciting program of three new ballets was created in the spirit of innovation and collaboration instigated by Serge Diaghilev in his company, the revolutionary Ballets Russes. Interplay involved Australian and international choreographers, composers, designers and costumieres at the forefront of their art forms.
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2008
BALLETS RUSSES SYMPOSIUM
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Between 1936 and 1940 Colonel Wassily de Basil, the successor to Sergei Diaghilev and his dazzling company of artists, introduced the Australian public to a brilliant, exotic company of dancers, productions, stage designs, costumes and music, unlike anything seen or heard here before. The Ballets Russes revitalised the art of ballet and had a profound impact on Australian cultural life. Anyone interested in the evolution of the arts in Australia shouldn’t miss the Ballets Russes Symposium: 23 – 25 May 2008 University of Adelaide and Adelaide Festival Centre. It incorporates presentations and panel discussions by international experts and leading Australian artists involved in the creation of ballet and two exhibitions: The Ballets Russes in Australia Exhibition at the Festival Theatre and Art Gallery of South Australia. For more information see the Symposium program |
2008
FRENCH CONNECTIONS
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The Australian Ballet returns to Adelaide in May with a stunning triple bill, French Connections, featuring two iconic works from legendary choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, alongside a new work from leading international choreographer Krzysztof Pastor. Harnessing the energy and excitement of the Ballets Russes, French Connections pays homage to the storm this pioneering ballet company created in Paris last century. The programme features Balanchine’s tutu spectacular in the spirit of Russian ballet, Ballet Imperial; Robbins’ seductive triumph of mood and music, Afternoon of a Faun; and Pastor’s innovative reworking of Leonide Massine's symphonic masterpiece Symphonie Fantastique. These works are set to magnificent scores from musical giants Tchaikovsky, Debussy and Berlioz respectively, and performed by the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra. 23 – 27 May Festival Theatre, Adelaide Festival Centre.
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PAST EVENTS
Delve into our past! Find out about our previous activities and see how the project has evolved.






![David Lichine as the Faun in L'Apres-midi d'un faune, Ballets Russes [picture]](images/nla_002.jpg)
![David Lichine as the Faun in L'Apres-midi d'un faune, Ballets Russes [picture]](images/faunnla.pic-vn3066483-v.jpg)



