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The Australian Ballet




The ballet's first performance was at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney .

Today the company, based in Melbourne , regularly tours to all the major cities within Australia , with lengthy seasons in Melbourne at the Victorian Arts Centre . Lengthy seasons are also spent in Sydney at the Sydney Opera House . When in Brisbane , The Australian Ballet performs at the Lyric Theatre at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre .

The Australian Ballet works in close cooperation with The Australian Ballet School , of which many of the company’s dancers are graduates. Giving approximately 185 performances a year, The Australian Ballet is one of the busiest ballet companies in the world. With a vast repertoire which includes the major classical and heritage works as well contemporary productions, it follows its artistic vision of ‘Caring for Tradition, Daring to be Different’. Each year, the company also presents an extensive national education programme, run by Colin Peasly a former principal dancer with the company, to further inspire and educate its audiences.

Box office sales, derived from its strong and loyal audience base, are the foundation of the company’s income stream. The Australian Ballet Company also receives funding from the Australian Federal Government , the Victorian and New South Wales state government bodies, corporate sponsors, private donors and bequestors.

The company's current Artistic Director is (1996-2001); Maina Gielgud (1983 – 1996); Marilyn Jones (1979 – 1982); Anne Wooliams (1976 – 1977); Robert Helpmann (1965 – 1976) and the founding Artistic Director, Dame Peggy Van Praagh (1962 – 1974; 1978).

The company's Music Director and chief conductor is Nicolette Fraillon .


THE MERRY WIDOW BALLET

The Franz Lehár ballet "'' The Merry Widow ''" was created by Sir Robert Helpmann and choreographed by Ronald Hynd especially for the Australian Ballet Company. The designer was Desmond Healey . The orchestrations, from operetta score to ballet score, were done by John Lanchbery (then musical director of The Australian Ballet Company) and his colleague Alan Abbot . The ballet premiered on 13 November , 1975 at the Palais Theatre, Melbourne , Victoria, Australia . Dame Margot Fonteyn , who was guesting with the Australian Ballet Company, danced the leading role of Hanna Glawari in 1976 .


THE COMPANY

Principal Artists
  • Lisa Bolte (Resident guest principal)

  • Robert Curran

  • Lucinda Dunn

  • Madeleine Eastoe

  • Steven Heathcote AM

  • Matthew Lawrence

  • Kirsty Martin

  • Rachel Rawlins

  • Damien Welch

  • Lynette Wills


Senior Artists
  • Olivia Bell

  • Marc Cassidy

  • Gaylene Cummerfield

  • Nubuo Fujino

  • Tim Harbour

  • Danielle Rowe


Soloists
  • Adam Bull

  • Jane Casson

  • Matthew Donnelly

  • Gina Brescianini

  • Kevin Jackson

  • Lana Jones

  • Miwako Kubota

  • Andrew Killian

  • Paul Knobloch

  • Tristan Message

  • Amber Scott

  • Leanne Stojmenov

  • Adam Thurlow

  • Camilla Vergotis

  • Remi Wörtmeyer


Coryphees
  • Juliet Burnett

  • Tzu-Chao Chou

  • Jia Yin Du

  • Timothy Farrar

  • Daniel Gaudiello

  • Natalie Hill

  • Luke Ingham

  • Laura Tong


Corps de Ballet
  • Kismet Bourne

  • Jacinta Christos

  • Ben Davis

  • Sophie Fletcher

  • Rohan Furnell

  • Kieran Gourley

  • Amy Harris

  • Rudy Hawkes

  • Robyn Hendricks

  • Halaina Hills

  • Reiko Hombo

  • John-Paul Idaszak

  • Ty King-Wall

  • Gennadi Koutchin

  • Natasha Kusen

  • Melissa Lenehan

  • Brooke Lockett

  • Heidi Martin

  • Frances Murphy

  • Simone Pulga

  • Gabriella Raetz

  • Jacob Sofer

  • Dana Stephensen

  • Garry Stocks

  • Jessica Thompson

  • Alice Topp

  • Stephanie Williams

  • Vivienne Wong

  • Andrew Wright

  • Jared Wright



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