ust when you thought the annual International
Series at the Queensland Performing Arts
Centre had reached the zenith of its
achievement, the Queensland Government has
announced it will present yet another great
ballet company in Brisbane this year. Having
already brought the public exclusive Brisbane
seasons of such world-renowned companies as
the Bolshoi, the Paris Opera Ballet and the
Hamburg Ballet, this year it is presenting the
Royal Ballet from England.
The Royal Ballet is a name that has long
resounded in the soul of Australian ballet. It is tied
inextricably with our history, linked to the
establishment of our own ballet culture, and has
been held up for long years as the icon and
benchmark of classical ballet in the English
speaking world. Its dancers, such as Margot
Fonteyn and Robert Helpmann, are legendary.
Many a young ballet dancer's aim has been, and
still is, the Royal above all others.
Even more exciting is the program the company
is performing. Usually when big companies tour
to Australia, they tend to present a safe financial
bet, such as Swan Lake (as the Royal Ballet did the
last time it was here in 2002). It would have been
reasonable, also, if it had presented one of the
classics of its own home-grown repertoire. But
instead, this time the Royal Ballet is presenting
two quite new ballets unknown to Australian
audiences – Woolf Works, by Wayne McGregor,
and The Winter's Tale, by Christopher Wheeldon.
JUNE / JULY 2017 | WWW.DANCEAUSTRALIA.COM.AU
J
The Royals are coming!
Pictured is Steven McRae in
one of the two ballets being
presented: ‘A Winter’s Tale’.
PHOTO: JOHAN PERSSON
