Ten Years of the Australian Ballet

When The Australian Ballet was formed in September 1962 by the Australian Ballet Foundation, it received the first Federal Government subsidy granted to a ballet company in this vast country.

The Company’s aims from its inception were to present the art of ballet in each State of the Commonwealth, to provide full time employment for professional Australian dancers, and to achieve an international standard of performance and presentation. Artistically it was also essential to concentrate on the development of an Australian style which would of necessity involve the encouragement and commissioning of Australian creative artists; choreographers, composers and designers.

The Artistic Direction and Management has worked consistently towards these aims. In 1972 there are fifty dancers with a staff of twenty and a repertoire of more than forty ballets and several divertissements. The year 1964 saw the foundation of The Australian Ballet School under the direction of Margaret Scott. Students are chosen annually from national audtions and receive a two year professional training in dance and allied theatre arts.

Artists of the highest international reputation were invited to appear as guests of the Company. These included Erik Bruhn, who danced at the inaugural performance and partnered Sonia Arova. Thereafter the impressive guest list has been highlighted by the regular visits of Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev.

As early as 1965 the Company made its first international tour to the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States. The experience and international exposure of an Australian Company to international audiences was invaluable to its development.

Seventeen Australian ballets have been commissioned. The first all Australian production was presented in 1964 when the renowned artists Robert Helpmann, Sidney Nolan and Malcolm Williamson combined their creative talents in Helpmann’s The Display. The artistic policy has from the outset been to commission Australian painters and stage designers to contribute their talents to the development of the repertoire. During the ten years, no less than sixteen artists have been commissioned to design for the Company. Some of these have enhanced revivals of the great classics such as [Kenneth] Rowell for Giselle; others have designed ballets from current international repertoire (e.g. [Kristian] Fredrikson for [Frederick] Ashton’s Cinderella, Rowell for [John] Butler’s Sebastian). But the majority have collaborated in the creation of entirely new Australian works, e.g. Sun Music, Threshold, Arena, Othello, etc.

The role of the designer is as vital as that of the choreographer or composer. He must make visual the idea and atmosphere of the ballet, establishing through decor and costumes the period, locale and style. He must not only provide space for dancing within his scenery; his costumes must not only emphasize the beauty of the human form in movement but must also be complementary both to the physique of the particular dancer who will wear the costume and most importantly, to the line of the choreography.

The contribution of Australian designers has been a vital and important one. Not only have they helped the Company to acquire an Australian style, but they have given the essential elements of colour, form and spectacle to its productions – a factor which has doubtless added to our reputation in the international field.

We are indeed grateful to the Council of Trustees of The National Gallery of Victoria and the Director for their recognition of this our Tenth Anniversary by presenting this Exhibition of decor and costume designs from many of the works in our repertoire.

Dame Peggy Van Praagh
Co-Artistic Director, The Australian Ballet