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2008 season

Melbourne14 – 26 March the Arts Centre, State Theatre with Orchestra Victoria

Sydney 4 – 24 April Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra

presents

GRaeMe MURPHY’s

Production Sponsor Media Sponsor

Cover: Amber Scott as Odette and Adam Bull as Prince Siegfried. This page: Lucinda Dunn as Baroness von Rothbart, Robert Curran as Prince Siegfried and Amber Scott as Odette Photography – Liz Ham

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I remember thinking as a child that the year would never end, that Christmas always seemed like it was so far away and the summer holidays would last forever. Now as an adult, the pace of life feels more like a Formula 1 race. It seems like only yesterday that I sat as a fresh Artistic Director nervously watching the world premiere of Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake. And what a night it was. It turned out to be the beginning of an extraordinary journey for the company with a ballet that has inspired standing ovations in cities across Australia as well as Tokyo and London. This production of Swan Lake has featured consistently in our repertoire since 2002 and still remains our most requested work. I am thrilled to present it once again in Melbourne and Sydney before it premieres in Paris later this year.

Interestingly, the first production of Swan Lake in 1877 was not a huge success. However when Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov brought the magnificent Tchaikovsky score to life again in 1895, they created a production that would go on to inspire generations of dancers and balletomanes in companies and audiences around the world for years to come. The title of Swan Lake alone seems enough to guarantee a sold out season. Maybe one day I should name one of our mixed bills Swan Lake to test this theory!

This production is more than just popular, it is a work that delves deeply into the heart of the original fairytale and examines the humanity and frailty of royal duty and the quest for true love. Graeme Murphy, Janet Vernon and Kristian Fredrikson created a glorious work that grows with each season. The roles of Prince Siegfried, Odette and Baroness von Rothbart are three of the most captivating characters a

dancer could hope to play. They allow each dancer the scope to interpret the lives of these complex characters in a totally unique and personal way. Over the past six years there have been many benchmark performances, none more so than Steven Heathcote, who created the role of the Prince. Steven is now sharing his knowledge and insight into this work by coaching a new generation of dancers whose performances will carry this ballet into the future.

As always Janet and Graeme have brought their special magic to this staging, making sure the heart and soul of the work is true to their original concept. The dancers always eagerly anticipate their visits as they bring equal parts of joy and rigour to the rehearsal room and are loved and respected by the whole company.

My sincere thanks go to our corporate sponsors who have supported the return of Swan Lake – Media Sponsor Madison and our brand-new Lead Sponsor and Production Sponsor for Swan Lake, Mercedes-Benz. May they be with us as long as our wonderful Principal Sponsor Telstra, which has supported our artistic growth for the past twenty-four years.

It is a pleasure to have you with us for the first programme of the year. I hope you can join us for the rest of our 2008 season and share in the company’s wealth of talent, which comes together nearly every night on stages across the country and around the world.

David McAllister AM Artistic Director

Note from the Artistic Director

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Choreography Graeme Murphy

Music Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Concept Graeme Murphy, Janet Vernon and Kristian Fredrikson

set & costume design Kristian Fredrikson MC Escher’s Rippled Surface © 2002 Cordon Art BV – Baarn – Holland. All rights reserved

Lighting design Damien Cooper

act one Scene I Prince Siegfried’s quarters Scene II Wedding festivities

act Two Scene I The sanatorium Scene II The lake

act Three An evening with the Baroness

act Four The lake

Cast of Characters Odette Prince Siegfried Baroness von Rothbart The Queen Prince Consort Princess Royal Princess Royal’s Husband Duke Young Duchess-to-be Earl Earl’s Equerry Lord Admiral Marquis Baroness’ Husband Royal Physician Guests, Hungarians, Servants, Orderlies, Nuns, Cygnets, Guardian Swans & Children

sYnoPsis On the evening before her wedding, the apprehensive young maiden, Odette, wandered the palace and became doubtful of her betrothed Prince Siegfried’s love.

After the wedding Odette, so very much in love with her new husband, realised it was a certain Baroness who really owned his heart. Already fragile, Odette became so distressed that by royal command she was committed to a sanatorium.

With her spirit broken, Odette could only find escape in a frozen dream where swan-like maidens, much like herself, would calm her fevered mind and where,

for a brief time, it seemed as if Siegfried loved her alone.

Some months later, Odette left the white loneliness of the sanatorium to seek and reclaim her husband, now fully under the sway of the Baroness. Having appeared uninvited at an evening party given by the Baroness, Odette’s calm beauty and confident purity of spirit caused Siegfried to fall deeply in love with her. The jealous Baroness attempted to have Odette returned to the sanatorium, but before she could be seized, Odette fled into the night.

Siegfried then discovered the terrified Odette near the lake and for a short time the couple were united in ecstatic embrace. But even as she lay in the arms of her husband, Odette knew there would be no peace for her ever-troubled mind and she was only to find ultimate release in the depths of the dark lake of swans.

For the rest of his life, Prince Siegfried never loved again, but mourned ever his lost Odette.

noTe FRoM THe CHoReoGRaPHeR If no man is an island then surely a choreographer is a continent of inter-dependence. Janet Vernon, Kristian Fredrikson and I had a dream. This dream was reliant on a commission and commitment (thank you, David McAllister), an inspiring score (Tchaikovsky), a design to house and adorn this dream (Kristian Fredrikson) and a lighting design to illuminate it (Damien Cooper), and of course an enormous and dedicated dream team behind the scenes. Then, above all, the bodies; beautiful and articulate, who inhabit the dream, share the choreographer’s imaginings and give flesh to his feeble spectres. I’d like to thank every Australian Ballet dancer, be they footman or aristocrat, corps de ballet or principal, for crowding the continent of Swan Lake with so much loving artistry. But as we all know busy crowded places can become lonely islands without a partner/guide/mentor/companion/ decision maker and friend (enter Janet Vernon), whose talent and love have made this dream of Swan Lake a reality.

Graeme Murphy

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Swan Lake

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It was many decades ago that Graeme Murphy first began toying with the idea of recreating the century-old classic Swan Lake. One of the most oft-reworked ballets in the classical canon, Murphy felt there was room for an intelligent production that spoke clearly of human emotions, one that could touch an audience’s heart without asking them to suspend belief. Says Murphy: “I always wanted to give The Australian Ballet a unique Swan Lake. Every company would love to have one, yet not many companies do.”

It took many years for the internationally acclaimed choreographer and former dancer of The Australian Ballet to realise his dream. In his first year as Artistic Director, David McAllister invited Murphy to rework Swan Lake to mark The Australian Ballet’s fortieth anniversary in 2002. It is a brave choreographer who tackles Swan Lake, one of classical ballet’s most iconic narratives and one that has attracted artists of the calibre of Balanchine and Baryshnikov. But McAllister’s belief in Murphy proved sound. Following its gala opening in Melbourne in September 2002, Murphy’s critically acclaimed Swan Lake played to sell-out houses around Australia, and has toured London, Cardiff, Tokyo and Shanghai. This year the work makes a welcome return locally, before the company takes it to Europe for its Parisian premiere in October. “It’s nice that in a very short time it has become regarded as an Australian classic, in the same way [my] Nutcracker struck that chord,” Murphy says.

Murphy has been collaborating with The Australian Ballet for many years. In 1976 he took on the directorship of the Dance Company (NSW), renaming it Sydney Dance Company three years later. During his thirty-one years with that company he created eight works for The Australian Ballet, including Beyond Twelve, Nutcracker and Tivoli. For Swan Lake, McAllister

gave Murphy an open slate, presuming he would simply play around with the staging of the Ivanov-Petipa production which premiered in St Petersburg in 1895. After conceiving and discarding many ideas – including setting the production in pre-Revolution Russia and having Rasputin as the Rothbart character – Murphy pared back the story to its basic elements: royalty, love and betrayal. His Swan Lake became loosely based on the love triangle that was Princess Diana, Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles and the devastation suffered by a young woman who realises too late that her husband is in love with another woman. This more realistic storyline, free from flights of fancy, led UK newspaper The Times to note that “by turning these characters into human beings rather than fairytale characters Murphy provides a kind of realistic, psychologically believable framework that most productions of Swan Lake fail to deliver.” Murphy also returned to the first arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s beautiful, haunting score, allowing the music to stand alone rather than being worked around the steps.

One of the key ingredients of Murphy’s success with Swan Lake, as with so many of his productions, was his team: fellow Sydney Dance director and Murphy’s wife, muse and former dance partner Janet Vernon; and the magically creative designer Kristian Fredrikson. The trio worked on thirteen productions for the Sydney Dance Company including Daphnis and Chloe and After Venice, before Fredrikson’s death in 2005 robbed audiences and artists of a truly great talent.

Since its 2002 opening night in Melbourne, Murphy’s Swan Lake has proved overwhelmingly popular with audiences and critics alike, earning at least nine awards including Best Foreign Dance Company at the UK Critics’ Circle

national dance awards; and four Helpmann awards. Writing in The Australian, critic Lee Cristofis noted: “Just minutes after the curtain went up on The Australian Ballet’s new Swan Lake we knew we were witnessing the birth of a classic. Three hours later the house went wild, wilder than any ballet audience in town for years, in a nearly ten-minute standing ovation.” The Age’s Neil Jillett, witnessing the production in its return 2004 Melbourne season, declared it: “the greatest work to be created for The Australian Ballet”.

There was a similar reaction in UK and Asia, where the work’s profound humanity was able to cross cultural boundaries. The Independent on Sunday noted “Given our exposure to so many tinkerings with Swan Lake, it’s hard to believe another could surprise or move us. Yet here it is.” The Western Mail wrote: “The dance is wonderfully creative and imaginative, the standard of acting something we rarely see in ballet and the interpretation bold while perfectly acceptable.” The company’s 2006 tour to Shanghai was its fifth, but only the first to present a work by an Australian choreographer. The show received raucous enthusiasm during the three-performance season; while the company was so well received in Tokyo last July they were instantly invited to return, possibly in 2010.

McAllister has lost count of the number of times people have approached him in theatre foyers or written letters begging him to bring back Murphy’s production. “Swan Lake is the most requested ballet,” he says. “After the last season I had audience members asking when we could do it again, and we had many people flying to see it in Shanghai and Tokyo.”

What is it that compels people to return, again and again? The Australian’s dance critic Deborah Jones has seen

An Australian classic

It is a brave choreographer that tackles Swan Lake but Graeme Murphy’s powerful version has become a classic in its own right. By Jane Albert.

the production at least a dozen times, including performances in London, Cardiff and Tokyo. “In a traditional Swan Lake one has to buy into a fairytale and be swept away by the magic of being taken to another world,” Jones says. “In Graeme’s Swan Lake you’re taken into a story that’s of our world, and people can relate very directly to such a story of passion and illicit love and broken hearts.” One of the main reasons for the success of this production, of course, is the dancers themselves. Jones has watched at least six different females dance the role of Odette, and each has interpreted the role in such an individual way the production continues to remain fresh. “When you see a lot of dance, you’re looking and hoping for performances that illuminate and expand on what you already know,” she says. “It’s a great tribute that it still works for me every time.” Murphy says he feels blessed to be working with dancers who bring an innate understanding of the characters, not just the steps. “It lifts and falls on their interpretation,” he says. “We’ve been very lucky that the dancers understand they have to be totally human. And that’s the success of the work – you’re not watching people simply going through the motions.”

Earlier this year Murphy and Vernon returned to the studio to work with the company ahead of the new Swan Lake season. Some of the dancers had performed it before but many of them, principals included, were new to the roles. It has been satisfying for Murphy to watch the show evolve. “It is not a matter of simply revisiting the production,” Murphy says. “We are breathing new life into it.”

Jane Albert was the Deputy Arts Editor of The Australian and is now a freelance journalist

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Choreographer Graeme Murphy AM Graeme Murphy is Australia’s most celebrated and prolific choreographer. Appointed Artistic Director and Choreographer at Sydney Dance Company in 1976, he went on to create a large repertoire of work renowned for its imaginative and theatrical style. Side by side with Associate Director Janet Vernon, his partner and muse, he led Sydney Dance Company on more than twenty international tours including nine to the United States.

Commissioned works include a new Nutcracker and an award-winning Swan Lake for The Australian Ballet, conceived in collaboration with Janet Vernon and the late designer Kristian Fredrikson; The Silver Rose for the Bayerisches Staatsballet Munich; Song of the Night for Nederlands Dans Theatre; and Embodied, a solo work for Mikhail Baryshnikov, to name but a few. He has choreographed for the Canadian Opera Company (Death in Venice), The Metropolitan Opera, New York (Samson and Dalila) and the skaters Torvill and Dean, including their TV special Fire and Ice.

For the Australian Bicentenary in 1988 he created the monumental three-act work VAST (combining four major dance companies); for the Centenary of Federation in 2001 he created Tivoli – a dance musical paying tribute to the history of the Tivoli theatres circuit. Tivoli was itself an historic co-production between The Australian Ballet and Sydney Dance Company, winning four Australian Dance Awards including Outstanding Achievement in Choreography. In 2000, he was commissioned to create Mythologia for the Sydney Olympic Arts Festival.

In 2000 Graeme Murphy, Janet Vernon and Sydney Dance Company celebrated the new century with Body of Work – A Retrospective. In 2005 he created Hua Mulan, a co-production between Sydney Dance Company and the Shanghai Song and Dance Ensemble. Featuring a cast of sixty and the musicians of Synergy Percussion, Hua Mulan opened the 2005 Shanghai International Arts Festival.

For Opera Australia Graeme Murphy has directed and choreographed Brian Howard’s Metamorphosis, Puccini’s Turandot, Strauss’ Salome and Hector Berlioz’ The Trojans, the latter bringing the singers and dancers of Opera Australia together with Sydney Dance Company in a lavish spectacle.

After thirty-one years at the helm, Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon farewelled

Sydney Dance Company at the end of 2007 with a televised gala performance of Ever After Ever. In 2008, Graeme continues to be extremely active both in Australia and overseas, including directing Ainadamar for The Adelaide Festival, choreographing Bruce Beresford’s feature film Last Dancer and directing AIDA for Opera Conference Production.

Graeme Murphy was awarded an AM for services to dance by the Australian Government in 1982. He is the recipient of three honorary doctorates, was honoured at the inaugural Sydney Opera House Honours in 1993 and named by the National Trust of Australia as a National Living Treasure in 1999. Numerous dance awards include The Helpmann Award and the prestigious James Cassius Award, in recognition of his career achievements. In 2003, he was presented with the Australian Government’s Centenary Medal and in 2004 was named ‘Cultural Leader of the Year’ by the Australia Business Arts Foundation. In 2005 he was listed among Australia’s 50 Most Glamorous Exports by the Australian Government and Austrade and received the Award for Best Choreography at the Australian Dance Awards for his new work for Grand. In 2006, Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon were honoured with an award for Lifetime Achievement at the Australian Dance Awards ceremony at the Sydney Opera House. The 2006 Green Room Awards in Melbourne also gave them a special award for Outstanding Contribution to Dance.

Creative Associate Janet Vernon AM Adelaide-born Janet Vernon has danced with The Australian Ballet, Ballet Felix Blaska and Sydney Dance Company. In 1976 she was appointed, along with Graeme Murphy, to the artistic helm of Sydney Dance Company, where they set about shaping a repertoire of genuine originality and a company built on strong technical standards. In the early years

they frequently danced together in a now legendary partnership. Janet Vernon has long been Murphy’s muse. He created outstanding roles for her in Schéhérazade, Daphnis and Chloe, Some Rooms (The Bathroom), After Venice, Nearly Beloved, as Queen Roxana in King Roger, Berlin, The Protecting Veil, as Andromeque in The Trojans (a collaboration with Opera Australia), and as Herodias in Salome, to name but a few during her long and industrious career as a dancer.

For Sydney Dance Company’s 2000 season, Janet compiled and edited Murphy’s extensive repertoire into a seamless performance known as Body of Work – A Retrospective, destined for Australia-wide success. The award-winning production was recognised as a celebration of Janet and Graeme’s achievements at Sydney Dance Company.

In 2001, Janet worked on the development and creation of Graeme Murphy’s Tivoli, a dance musical for the combined forces of The Australian Ballet and Sydney Dance Company and in 2001, on the creation of the new Swan Lake for The Australian Ballet (winner of the London Critics’ Circle Award). In 2005 she worked with Graeme to create Hua Mulan, a collaboration between Sydney Dance Company and Shanghai Song and Dance Ensemble and The Silver Rose, a full-length commission for the Bayerisches Staatsballet, Munich. After thirty-one years at the helm, Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon farewelled Sydney Dance Company at the end of 2007 with a televised Gala Performance of Ever After Ever.

Janet Vernon was awarded an AM for Services to Dance in 1989 and was honoured at the inaugural Sydney Opera House Honours in 1993, acknowledging twenty years of superlative performances at the House. In 2003 Janet received the Green Room Award for Concept and Realisation (Swan Lake) and was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to society and dance.

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Set and Costume design Kristian Fredrikson A former graphic artist and newspaper journalist, Kristian Fredrikson studied design in Wellington and won numerous awards for his work. Kristian left New Zealand in the early sixties and became one of Australia’s most experienced and sought-after designers.

Upon his arrival in Australia, Kristian was Resident Designer for the Melbourne Theatre Company for eight years. He would go on to design a large number of productions for a variety of Australian and New Zealand opera, theatre, and ballet companies including The Australian Ballet (Cinderella, Coppélia, and Nutcracker), Opera Australia (Norma, Turandot, The Merry Widow and Salome), Royal New Zealand Ballet (Swan Lake, Peter Pan and A Christmas Carol), Sydney Dance Company (King Roger and Body of Work) and Sydney Theatre Company (Hedda Gabler, Macbeth, The School for Scandal and A Doll’s House), as well as State Opera of South Australia and West Australian Opera. He was one of a specialised team of designers working on the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games opening ceremony.

Kristian created the costume designs and scenario with Graeme Murphy for The Australian Ballet/Sydney Dance Company co-production Tivoli and in 2002 he designed and co-conceived Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake for The Australian Ballet, which earned him a 2003 Green Room Award for Concept and Realisation, and 2003 Helpmann Award for Best Scenic Design. Kristian was a recipient of four Erik Design Awards and Green Room Awards, as well as an AFI award. In 1999 he received the prestigious Australian Dance Award for Services to Dance.

Kristian Fredrikson’s brilliant career spanned over four decades including a forty-two year association with The Australian Ballet. In November 2005, Kristian Fredrikson passed away. Those who worked with him closely remember

him as a passionate designer with an incredible eye for detail and colour, a voracious researcher and lover of history and myth. Over the course of the many productions he designed for The Australian Ballet, Kristian won the hearts of audiences, dancers, and above all, those he worked with.

lighting design damien Cooper A graduate of the Technical Production Course at Sydney’s National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), Damien Cooper has worked extensively lighting dance, theatre and opera. His work for Graeme Murphy includes Tivoli, Ellipse and Air and other invisible forces (which received a Green Room nomination for Best Lighting Design) and Body of Work, Mythologia and GRAND for Sydney Dance Company. Other work for dance includes The Age of Unbeauty, Plastic Space, Birdbrain, Attention Deficit Theory (Australian Dance Theatre); Spectre in the Covert Memory, Corrupted 1+2, Fleshmeet, Bodyparts (Chunky Move); Heavy, Remote (Lucy Guerin Dancers); Under the Influence, Homelands, (Legs on the Wall) which was performed at the Commonwealth Games, Manchester and The Gift and Fusion (Flying Fruit Fly Circus). Many of Damien’s designs for these companies have travelled throughout Australia, Asia, America and Europe.

Damien has also worked extensively in theatre, creating lighting designs for The Ensemble Theatre, Company B, Performing Lines, Sydney Theatre Company, Theatre of Image, Griffin Theatre Company and Australian Theatre for Young People. His musical credits include Frank – The Sinatra Story In Song; The Beat it Concerts 1998–2000, Steve Reich’s Drumming; The Revolution will Not Be Televised (Revolutionary Productions); and Red Square (Barrie Kosky’s 1996 Adelaide Festival).

Damien lectures in Lighting Design at NIDA.

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It’s widely lamented that Tchaikovsky didn’t live long enough to see the full success of Swan Lake, but one has to wonder what he might have made of the many variations introduced to his ballet over its hundreds of different productions around the globe: performed with an all-male cast, staged as a ballet within a ballet, or recast as a Freudian drama. For many, Swan Lake and ballet are synonymous, and once you begin to look for its influence throughout popular culture there are dozens of examples from both high art and low. Classic vampires, political machinations and talking unicorns have all arisen from artists calling on Swan Lake to invoke particular moods, themes or traditions in ways that Tchaikovsky could never have dreamed.

There’s an enjoyable irony in remarking that the initial production of Swan Lake in 1877 had something of a lacklustre reception – the music called ‘undanceable’; the conductor claiming it to be ‘too complex’ – but it was hardly a full-blown disaster. The lack of eyewitness accounts of this production means that many elements thought of as belonging to the original are actually remnants of the 1895 St Petersburg production created by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, which cast such a long cultural shadow that it set the standard Swan Lake for decades to come. The original storyline is hazily familiar to all: Odette as the spellbound princess, turned into a white swan, requiring true love to be transformed back to humanity; the deception of the evil magician Von Rothbart and his daughter, Odile; and the prince, Siegfried, fooled into pledging his love for the wrong swan, dooming Odette forever, leaving Siegfried and Odette to drown themselves in the lake, finally together in death.

Ongoing repetition of this relatively simple story by subsequent productions required

that variations be introduced, large and small, as each sought to make their mark on the ballet. For example, Agrippina Vaganova’s 1933 production shifted the setting from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century, and gave the prized role of Odette/Odile – traditionally danced by a single ballerina – to two different performers. Rudolf Nureyev’s performance as Siegfried in the 1963 Stuttgart Ballet was enough to inspire new interest in the often overlooked character of Prince Siegfried. Erik Bruhn’s version, three years later, combined the evil magician von Rothbart with Siegfried’s mother, creating more than a little Freudian ickiness.

Graeme Murphy’s production, first staged by The Australian Ballet in 2002, made significant variations of its own. Most notably, von Rothbart and Odile were combined into the new figure of the Baroness, a powerful female to better draw out the drama of Odette and Siegfried’s tortured romance. Murphy too adjusted the setting, this time to an Edwardian court. The echoes of the infamous Charles/Diana/Camilla love triangle, endlessly played out across the covers of supermarket tabloids, were obvious.

Other than the less successful Diana The Princess by Danish choreographer Peter Schaufuss – which attempted to avoid kitsch while still including comically-stiff royals, music from 1980s gothic favourites The Cure, and Charles and Camilla using a riding crop as foreplay – it was Matthew Bourne’s 1995 production that next took on the British Royal Family as Swan Lake subtext. This contemporary retelling was perhaps the first to include both a palace and a nightclub, highlighting politics alongside the more transgressive and erotic elements. The new sexual politics introduced by its all-male cast made it a sensation.

Choreographed in 1987, Matz Ek’s Swan Lake for the Cullberg Ballet also played with traditional gender roles, featuring male swans as well as female in its corps de ballet, with the skullcaps worn by the cast making them all somewhat androgynous. Its more experimental moments seem less shocking now, especially after Bourne’s version, but it combined a comic prodding of ballet conventions and a new psychological depth for Odette/Odile. Perhaps the most enlightening variation, however, is present in John Neumeier’s 1976 Illusions–Like ‘Swan Lake’ for the Hamburg Ballet. He reimagined Act Two into a dream sequence, as Prince Ludwig of Bavaria projects himself into the role of Siegfried. Neumeier rethought many ballet classics, inserting serious literary and religious themes into his choreography, but by allowing Ludwig to project himself into Swan Lake he acknowledges its cultural power within the staging itself.

If you ask a layman to picture a ballet, any ballet, it is inevitably Tchaikovsky that they will begin to hum. And sometimes, new variations in Swan Lake are actually just older elements returning. Murphy’s Swan Lake sought to restore as much of the original score as possible, as Tchaikovsky’s score was quickly spliced and mutated after its initial presentation. Even detached from the ballet, though, the score carries other cultural memories. Lovers of classic horror will recognise it as the music that plays over the opening credits of the Universal Pictures 1931 adaptation of Dracula, featuring Béla Lugosi in the role that made him famous. There is barely any soundtrack throughout the film, leaving Tchaikovsky to hang in the air long after his composition has ceased to play. It’s only fitting. Dracula’s tortured romance and supernatural transformations suit the darker elements of Swan Lake perfectly.

The many dreams of Swan LakeClassic vampires, political machinations and talking unicorns have all arisen from artists calling on Swan Lake to invoke particular moods, themes or traditions in ways that Tchaikovsky could never have dreamed. By Martyn Pedler.

The ballet itself has also been featured in silent cinema. Carl Dreyer inserted Swan Lake into his tragic romance and landmark film for gay cinema, 1924’s Michael. The original novel by author Herman Bang shows its young artist and alluring princess watching a contemporary theatre piece; Dreyer replaces it with a performance of Swan Lake to better foreground the looming themes of sexual betrayal. And how could it not feature in perhaps the most famous ballet film of all time? Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s The Red Shoes from 1948 has its beautiful protégé-to-be first discovered while dancing Swan Lake. There is simply no other work that would act as an appropriately fiendish test of her footwork.

The strangest cinematic adaptation is Barbie Of Swan Lake from 2003: a computer-generated fantasy piece filled with shiny, mechanical heroes and villains. Yes, Odette is transformed into swan by von Rothbart, but he’s also been happily transforming others into adorable talking animals for comic relief. (His final fate is to be trapped as the talking novelty bird in a cuckoo clock.) The transformative abilities of animation here are mostly prized for their instantaneous ability to place Barbie-slash-Odette into a sequence of impossibly dazzling gowns, to better sell dresses for her toy doppelganger. Although Barbie’s dance steps in this Swan Lake were created with motion-capture technology modelled on members of the New York City Ballet, it cannot capture their faces, of course; just their bodies.

Barbie might be pleased to know that Pierina Legnani’s performance as Odette/Odile in the classic 1895 production was described by one critic as embodying “the supreme ideal of plastic movement.” Legnani’s infamous thirty-two fouettés became an inescapable addition to any production of Swan Lake – even if

they were only included as they were a trademark move that Legnani’s followers wanted to see her perform in every role. Swan Lake’s astonishing technical requirements are what make it contain such prized roles –Odette/Odile the most alluring for any dancer, requiring the portrayal of purity, grace, deception, sex, and more–but also what can make it a ‘plastic’ exhibition of skills, rather than heart.

Mark Helprin’s illustrated children’s novella Swan Lake keeps aspects of the folktales that inspired the ballet, but recasts the story into a historical account of diplomatic intrigue and social commentary. He writes with deft ambiguity about the supernatural aspects of the story: here, von Rothbart is a power-hungry mortal, not a magician, and there’s plenty of logical wiggle-room to allow that the swan-transformation might just be the prince’s hallucination.

Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake like Helprin’s prose version, moves away from a literal interpretation of the ballet’s magical elements. The dream-world of swans is a soothing fantasy of Odette’s broken mind after she is committed to a sanatorium; perhaps finding a balance between the traditionally tragic ending and more Barbie-suitable happily ever afters, Murphy’s finale still contains Odette’s death, but symbolically implies a defeat of evil with its imagery of light and darkness. Most importantly, this Swan Lake was determined to move away from simply being a showcase of technical skill. By rediscovering the human qualities of its characters – love, betrayal, madness, tenderness – it resonates strongly with modern audiences, whether familiar with earlier versions and variations, or new to ballet altogether.

Martyn Pedler is a Melbourne writer and pop-cultural critic

Andrea Toy with artists of The Australian Ballet in

Anne Wooliams’ Swan Lake Photography – unknown

Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev, guest artists in Peggy van Praagh’s

production of Swan Lake, The Australian Ballet 1964

Photography – unknown

Artists of The Australian Ballet in Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake 2004

Photography – Jim McFarlane

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The name Odette, in French, means ‘treasure’. The Swan Lake Graeme Murphy created on The Australian Ballet has certainly been a gift to ballerinas. Dancers agree that it’s a fiendishly difficult role, both dramatically and technically – Odette is in nearly every scene, with four pas de deux, two solos and two pas de trois – but also an incredibly rewarding one. Stripped of the supernatural curses of Odettes/Odiles in Swan Lakes past and recast as a complex and vulnerable young woman – the victim of a scheming mistress, a caddish husband and her own troubled mind, rather than a duplicitous magician – the role offers great scope for personal expression.

Graeme Murphy created his Odette on Simone Goldsmith, then a Senior Artist with the company, and Prince Siegfried on Steven Heathcote. The contrast between the two was striking – Goldsmith’s tiny carriage almost disappearing in Heathcote’s strong hands – but her china-doll face and delicate physicality was underpinned by incredibly strong technique and powerful acting ability. The night of Swan Lake’s world premiere, which received a standing ovation, Simone was promoted to Principal Artist. “When a ballet is created for you there is an indelible link between that dancer and the role,” says Artistic Director David McAllister. “Everyone who’s come after Simone has had an element of her performance.”

Also dancing Odette during the first season were Nicole Rhodes, Elisha Willis and Madeleine Eastoe, who all gave remarkably singular performances. “Nicole’s performance was probably a little more steely; more of a mental fragility than a physical fragility,” says David. “Elisha had always been a spectacular dancer, but this was the first time we’d seen her be an emotional, fully dimensional character. And Madeleine

grew all the way through, becoming the powerhouse emotional performer she is today, as well as having a beautiful physical rendering.”

Of that first flock of Odettes, Madeleine is the only one to return this year. She has danced the role every year since 2002 and was singled out by one critic, who’d seen many casts, as being “the only Odette who made me cry.” “Your interpretation changes a little every year,” says Madeleine. “I find I increasingly approach it from the story angle more than the technical angle. But it never gets easier,” she admits. “Odette is very vulnerable but at the same time needs to show a change and a strength. I have to remind myself sometimes that it’s okay to be ugly and to get that across, not always to pull it back, as I can being a bit of a Virgo.”

Rachel Rawlins first danced Odette during Swan Lake’s encore seasons of Sydney and Melbourne in 2004 in performances that strikingly counterbalanced those which had come before. A Senior Artist at the time, Rachel had already given audiences a taste of her great dramatic power as the doomed heroine of Romeo & Juliet. “From the moment she walks on in Swan Lake she’s a tragedy waiting to happen,” says David. “She has that beautifully aquiline, imperial look, very aristocratic with that beautiful long neck, but there’s something in her eyes, and you know it’s not going to be a happy ending.”

Rachel admits Odette is a draining role. “By the time you get to Act Four you’re very tired, physically and mentally,” she says. “The devastating emotion happens very early in the ballet. But the music in Act Four is so beautiful and so serene, and it’s a nice conclusion in a way, even though there’s a sadness that comes with it.” Rachel was promoted to Principal Artist shortly after her debut.

Kirsty Martin also danced her first Odette in 2004, partnered by Damien Welch, one of the original Siegfrieds. The on and offstage partners were the ideal royal couple: darkly glamorous, sexy, perfectly matched. “Anything I do with Damien feels that little bit more special,” says Kirsty. “I think we have a good rapport on stage; we look right together as partners. It’s nice to do a role that emotionally charged with someone who you feel comfortable with.”

Principal Coach and Ballet Mistress Fiona Tonkin notes how easily the steps came to them. “Kirsty has an innate sense of movement. And the way Damien approaches his steps is very organic; his movement is quite spectacular.” While Steven Heathcote played his Prince as an essentially nice – if conflicted – guy, Damien’s Siegfried loved, in his words, “the subversion of cheating” as much as the privileges of court life.

And Kirsty, again, brought something very different to the role. “She’s a very regal Odette,” says David, “almost detached. There’s quite an introspection to her portrayal. And she’s so elegant – she really does look like her Royal Highness from the minute she steps onstage, so it’s interesting to see that crack and shatter as the ballet goes on.”

Between their 2004 performances and reprising the roles on the company’s 2007 tour of Japan, Kirsty and Damien had a son together, adding an extra charge to their onstage relationship (and, says Kirsty, a certain sleep-deprived transcendence to the Japan performances). But then, she adds, her Odette can change from show to show. “One night you might be feeling a bit more vulnerable, and one show you might be a bit of an angry Odette. There’s so many different emotions that can come out in the ballet, and that’s what is really interesting about the role.”

Swans and Princes Madeleine Eastoe, Rachel Rawlins, Kirsty Martin and Amber Scott are all slated to dance Odette this season, four very different ballerinas who promise four very different portrayals. Kate Scott meets the swan princesses.

Amber Scott was a Corps de Ballet dancer in 2004 and an understudy for the role of Odette when she was suddenly called upon to perform. “She learned it very quickly, rehearsed it very little, and just went out there and lived it,” says David. “She was a knockout.” At just twenty-one, Amber was by far the youngest of the Odettes, emphasising the character’s wide-eyed innocence. After a season in her hometown of Brisbane, Amber was called on once again to dance the role at the last minute, when Rachel Rawlins tore a calf muscle before the company’s 2006 tour of Shanghai. “Amber is different again because she has a very natural instinct for emotional dancing,” says David. “Her physicality comes out through her emotion, rather than the other way around – almost like method dancing. It makes her a really exciting performer.”

This year Amber is partnered by Adam Bull in his debut as the Prince, with Danielle Rowe as the Baroness, marking a generation change of sorts. “I feel like I have grown up as a person every time I’ve come back to Odette,” says Amber. “But it’s not as if it gets easier. You’ve always got a bit of nervous energy and fragility there when you’re approaching something so mammoth, and it’s nice being able to show that side on stage; it’s really cathartic.”

By virtue of its popularity, Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake has been a ballet dancers can grow up in, whether it’s rising from the massed ranks of swans in the Corps de Ballet, or finding new depths of their artistry to mine in the leads of Odette, Prince Siegfried and Baroness von Rothbart. Tchaikovsky would have been pleased.

Kate Scott is The Australian Ballet’s publications editor

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A CELEBRATION

“... it is probably the coolest ballet ever made.”The Australian on Afternoon of a Faun

Jerome Robbins’ career began on thestages of Broadway as a chorus dancer,before he joined the American BalletTheatre and later the New York City Ballet.He would go on to jointly helm the companywith George Balanchine and create morethan fifty ballets, as well as picking up twoAcademy Awards for his co-direction andchoreography of the massively influentialfilm West Side Story.

This programme salutes Robbins bypresenting very different sides to hisimagination, ranging from the intriguinglydark to the laugh-out-loud funny.

We present four of his most celebratedworks, The Cage, A Suite of Dances,Afternoon of a Faun and The Concert whichare set to extraordinary scores by musicalgreats Stravinsky, Bach, Debussy andChopin.

SYDNEY 30 April – 19 May

With Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra$28 – $132*

sydneyoperahouse.com02 9250 7777

MELBOURNE5 – 16 June

With Orchestra Victoriaticketmaster.com.au1300 136 166

$30 – $115*

Don't miss a thing in 2008 - subscriptionsare still available! Contact 1300 369 741

australianballet.com.au

*A transaction fee may apply

Government Partners Production SponsorMedia Sponsor

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Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House

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Nicolette Fraillon began her music studies on violin and piano at an early age. At sixteen she conducted her first concert with the Victorian Junior Symphony Orchestra. She graduated on viola from Melbourne University in 1982, gaining an equal first place in her year in Performance. From 1984 to 1987 she furthered her instrumental studies at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna and 1987 to ‘88 in Hannover. During her time in Germany and Austria, Nicolette

toured with many orchestras including the Salzburger Chamber Ensemble and the Chamber Orchestra of Bassano; and was a member of the Haydn Quartet, based at the Esterhazy Palace in Eisenstadt.

In 1990 Nicolette moved to the Netherlands where she became Assistant Musical Director for the 1991-92 season of Les Misérables in Amsterdam and The Hague. In 1992 she was admitted to the Netherlands Broadcasting Association’s International Conductors’ Masterclass, resulting in a performance with the Dutch Radio Symphony Orchestra in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. This led to an invitation to conduct for the Nederlands Dans Theater. She was then invited to become Music Director and Chief Conductor of the National Ballet of the Netherlands; working with such renowned choreographers as Hans van Manen, Toer van Schayk, Rudi van Dantzig and Krzystof Pastor; and conducting numerous world premieres. During the following five years she worked with the North Holland Philharmonic Orchestra, the New Sinfonietta Amsterdam, Noord Nederlands Orchestra, the Gelders Orchestra in

Arnhem, the Limburg Symphony Orchestra, the Residentie Orchestra in The Hague, the Kanazawa Chamber Orchestra (Japan) and the Finnish Ballet (Helsinki).

In 1998 she took up the position of Director at the School of Music, Australian National University, and continued her conducting work with the West Australian Ballet, the West Australian Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Youth Orchestra and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra.

She debuted with The Australian Ballet in 2002, conducting Spartacus, and was then invited by David McAllister to become Music Director and Chief Conductor, beginning in January 2003. Since joining the company, Nicolette has conducted all programmes for The Australian Ballet, including three overseas tours, and has been a guest conductor for the San Francisco Ballet. Following The Australian Ballet’s 2005 tour to the UK, Nicolette was in 2006 invited back to conduct The Sleeping Beauty with the Birmingham Royal Ballet. In 2007, Nicolette guested with the New York City Ballet and this year will return to Birmingham Royal Ballet for a season of The Nutcracker.

Conductor Tom Woods is widely considered to be one of the leading talents in Australia’s musical life. He has established a reputation conducting symphonic concerts, opera and ballet. Born in Tanzania to Australian parents, Tom grew up in Perth, studying conducting, cello and piano at the West Australian Conservatorium before undertaking conducting studies in Moscow under Maestro Vladimir Ponkin. He conducted the Garmonia and Kompositor orchestras in Moscow before returning to Australia and joining Opera Australia.

Between 1993 and 1997, Tom was Assistant Conductor for over sixty operas, assisting such maestri as Richard Hickox, Simone Young, Christopher Hogwood, Sir Charles Mackerras, Richard Bonynge and Carlo Felice Cillario. He became one of the youngest conductors in the company’s history with his debut A Midsummer Night’s Dream at age twenty-three, to critical acclaim. Subsequent operas with Opera Australia received outstanding reviews.

In Australia, Tom has conducted West Australian Opera, Sydney Symphony Sinfonia, West Australian Symphony, Queensland Symphony, Queensland Philharmonic, Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, State Orchestra of Victoria, Sydney Opera House Orchestra and was the Artistic Director of the Sydney Youth Orchestra until 2005. He has conducted in Hong Kong and Russia, and in 2001 conducted the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and the London Festival Orchestra on tour to Brunei, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta, as well as touring the Sydney Youth Orchestra to Denmark and Sweden.

In 2002 and 2003 Tom Woods conducted for Opera Australia, Queensland Ballet, and Orchestra Victoria in a series of operatic and chamber concerts, and led the Australian Youth Orchestra and Sydney Philharmonia in two world premieres.

Later in 2003 he made his debut with The Australian Ballet in performances of The Three Musketeers.

In 2004 Tom conducted the Queensland Ballet, Orchestra Victoria and Willoughby Symphony Orchestra in Bach’s B Minor Mass. He also led Opera Australia’s world premiere performances of Madeline Lee, conducted Messiah with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and continued as Artistic Director of the SYO.

In Opera Australia’s 2005 and 2006 seasons, Tom has conducted seasons of La Bohème, Madama Butterfly, Turandot and Carmen. In 2007, he conducted a new season-highlight production of Andre Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire and La Traviata for Opera Australia and travelled to Adelaide for Il Barbiere di Sivilglia with State Opera of South Australia; Tom also conducted concerts with the Christchurch Symphony and led many performances by the Australian Ballet.

He currently holds the position of Manager, Artistic Planning of The Queensland Orchestra and becomes Principal Conductor of the Christchurch Symphony, New Zealand in 2008. Also in 2008, he will conduct La bohème in Sydney, Madama Butterfly in Melbourne and Rigoletto in Adelaide.

Conductors

Music director and Chief Conductor nicolette Fraillon

Guest Conductor, Sydney season tom Woods

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Tchaikovsky’s sublime score for Swan Lake may have attracted just as much scorn as admiration on its premiere, but it was a critical turning point in the evolution of ballet music. Dr Mark Carroll investigates.

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake marks a turning point not just in his own creative development, but in the evolution of ballet music as a musical genre. Without Swan Lake there would be no Rite of Spring, or no Romeo and Juliet, to name just two of the masterpieces that basked in its legacy. Small wonder, then, that Swan Lake’s premiere at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre in 1877 attracted admiration and condemnation almost in equal measure. “Tchaikovsky’s music contains many beautiful moments and, as music for a ballet, it is perhaps even too good,” one reviewer observed cryptically. While another, who had possibly been consigned to the stalls, harrumphed that “it is impossible not to notice that the music of Swan Lake is pallid and monotonous in the extreme.” Although it may well have been that the author of the first was a musician, the second a balletomane, their conflicting views also say a great deal about the way that Tchaikovsky’s first foray into ballet achieved more of a parity between the music and the action on stage.

Swan Lake came about as the result of a commission in mid 1875 from the directors of the Imperial Ballet, and it was a measure of his enthusiasm for the task that Tchaikovsky completed it within a year. Such was Tchaikovsky’s reputation at that point that the ballet’s appeal to early audiences lay primarily with the music, which, as one commentator wrote, stood out as a gem amidst “the uninteresting musical junk” that had passed for ballet music until then. Although he meant it as a compliment, the same writer then went on to laud aspects of the music that unsettled traditional ballet aficionados. “Mr Tchaikovsky,” intoned the critic, “being one of the most prominent orchestral composers of our time, was able to put into the framework of ballet music so many purely musical virtues

that the listener sitting in the theatre was drawn away in spite of himself by Mr Tchaikovsky’s music from what was happening on stage.” Then again, to judge from the bulk of reviews of the premiere, this was perhaps no bad thing given that much of what was happening on stage was apparently ill-prepared and amateurish. But such was the power of the music that it led to the obvious question: was the ballet written for the music, or the music for the ballet? The answer depended, then as now, on establishing the nature and extent to which Tchaikovsky collaborated with others on the project.

Although the myth of the Swan Maiden has a long history, it is generally thought that the libretto of Swan Lake was based on a one-act ballet, The Lake of Swans, created by the composer for the entertainment of his sister’s children, which was in turn based on the German fairytale Der Geraubte Schleier. Swan Lake’s journey to the theatre was the product of a mixture of inexperience on Tchaikovsky’s part, and what is thought to be a good deal of intervention by its first choreographer, Julius Reisinger. Reisinger’s intervention is possibly not surprising given that Tchaikovsky was, by his own admission, flying blind, as he wrote in a letter to his friend Alina Bryullova: “I, having leapt before I looked, began to write, like an opera, a symphony, and it came out such that not one danseur or danseuse could dance to my music, all the numbers were too long, no one could last them out.” Small wonder then, as one wag put it, that marching in 3/4 time was easier than dancing to Tchaikovsky’s score. Given that the autograph score no longer exists we cannot be sure of the extent to which Reisinger took it upon himself to amend Tchaikovsky’s work, although it has been established that the ballet master re-ordered some of the dances and reduced the length of others.

Reisinger’s alterations, together with the general mediocrity of the first production, set the stage for the innumerable revisions that followed. The most notable of these was the 1895 staging under the direction of the ballet master Marius Petipa. Although the score was heavily rearranged, such was the quality of Petipa’s production that it set Swan Lake on the path to international recognition. For Graeme Murphy’s reworking of the piece, the intent was to restore and use as much as possible of Tchaikovsky’s original score.

As the composer implied in his letter to Bryullova, the score of Swan Lake boasts a formal architecture closely tied to the dramatic action. While audiences today have come to expect as much, such a step was innovative for its day, Russian audiences considering ballet to be purely decorative spectacle. The plot, if there was one, was little more than a vehicle to get from one set dance piece to another. Not surprisingly, this kind of expectation imposed severe limitations on the extent to which the music might be allowed to develop. Tchaikovsky overcame these limitations by conceiving the music as having two distinct but interrelated functions: the symphonic music tells the story, while the less texturally dense but more rhythmically active dance music enlivens the spectacle in such a way as to afford moments of reflection.

It is in the symphonic passages that Tchaikovsky’s innovative approach comes to the fore. The composer establishes a tonal opposition that reflects the ‘good versus evil’ narrative at the heart of the story. Sharp keys represent the purity of Odette and the Swan Maidens. The sublime ‘swan’ theme that makes its first appearance played by the oboe in the finale of Act One is in the sharp key of B minor, and the Siegfried character

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is generally associated with D major, also a sharp key. Flat keys, on the other hand, accompany the forces of evil and unhappiness, such as the machinations of Rothbart, and Siegfried’s lament.

In keeping with play on key centres, Acts Two and Four are predominantly in sharp keys, while in Act 3, as the deception grows, the tendency is towards flat keys. By the same token, Act One, which focuses on ‘everyday’ occurrences involving mixed emotions and morals, moves freely between sharp and flat keys. Being neither major nor minor, the unison Bs with which the ballet ends seem to capture the enigmatic fate of Odette and the Prince, whose love lies forever fixed in death’s embrace.

Listening carefully with Tchaikovsky’s tonal scheme in mind one can also distinguish between those dances that are pivotal to the dramatic action (say, the Waltz in Act One, or the Dance of the Swans in Act Two) and any number of divertissements. The latter are invariably in stark contrast to the musical narrative, incorporating abrupt changes of key that leave no doubt that they are outside the tonal contour of the symphonic music, and are therefore secondary to the plot.

One could go on, just as a gaggle of commentators did and still do go on about Tchaikovsky’s virtues as a composer. Yet the significance of Swan Lake in the evolution of ballet music cannot be underestimated. Even though he may have needed the money, there can be little doubt about the courage of Tchaikovsky’s convictions as he turned his hand to “this kind of music”. “Whether my ballet is good or bad,” he wrote of Swan Lake, “I alone would like to take responsibility for its music. Dr Mark Carroll is an Associate Professor at The Elder School of Music, University of Adelaide

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Photo Gallery1. Andrew Killian and Remi Wortmeyer in Graeme Murphy’s

Swan Lake 2005 Photography–David Kelly

2. Rachel Rawlins in Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake 2004 Photography–Jim McFarlane

3. Rachel Rawlins in Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake 2004 Photography–Jim McFarlane

4. Artists of The Australian Ballet in Anne Woolliams’ Swan Lake 1983 Photography–Branco Gaica

5. Lynette Wills, Steven Heathcote and Madeleine Eastoe in Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake 2005 Photography–David Kelly

6. Madeleine Eastoe and Steven Heathcote in Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake 2005 Photography–David Kelly

7. Christine Walsh with artists of The Australian Ballet in Anne Woolliams’ Swan Lake Photography–Branco Gaica

8. Kirsty Martin and Damien Welch in Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake 2004 Photography–Jeff Busby

9. Olivia Bell in Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake 2004 Photography–Jeff Busby

10. Rosemary Mildner, Marilyn Jones and Suzanne Musitz in The Australian Ballet’s Swan Lake 1962

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Harry Haythorne

Adelaide born, Harry Haythorne spent over twenty-five years of his professional life in Great Britain. His first engagement was with the Metropolitan Ballet. After its demise he joined the International Ballet. His career then alternated between ballet and musicals, including the London productions of Can-Can, Divorce Me Darling and the film Half-a-Sixpence. He was Ballet Master and a Principal Dancer in the ballet companies of Leonide Massine and Walter Gore, as well as Het Amsterdams (now Dutch National) Ballet. In the sixties, Harry was a guest artist with both The Royal Ballet at Covent Garden and the Marquis de Cuevas Company in Paris, then became Ballet Master of Sadler’s Wells (now English National) Opera, Western Theatre Ballet and finally Assistant Artistic Director of Scottish Ballet.

He returned to Australia in 1975 to become Artistic Director of Queensland Ballet and later Co-ordinator of Dance Studies at the Queensland University of Technology. He was Artistic Director of The Royal New Zealand Ballet (1981-1992), and is still its Artistic Director Emeritus. In 1993 he received an MBE for his services to dance and ballet.

In recent years, Harry has fulfilled many national and international engagements as a teacher and ballet director. For The Australian Ballet he has appeared as a guest artist in Cinderella, The Merry Widow, La Sylphide and Graeme Murphy’s Nutcracker, Tivoli and Swan Lake. At the 2001 Australian Dance Awards Harry received the Award for the year’s most Outstanding Performance by an Individual for his role in Tivoli.

Shane Carroll

Shane Carroll graduated from The Australian Ballet School in 1975 and spent seven years dancing with the Nederlands Dans Theater under the directorship of Jirí Kylián. Working with Kylián and other choreographers such as Hans van Manen, William Forsythe, Glen Tetley, Christopher Bruce, and Louis Falco, Shane performed an extensive repertoire throughout Europe, and the USA. From 1983, Shane danced with Graeme Murphy’s Sydney Dance Company before retiring from performing in 1987. Shane has been a regular guest teacher for The Australian Ballet and Bangarra Dance Theatre as well as numerous schools, institutions and universities. She is a former Chair of the Dance Board of the Australia Council and the Dance Committee for ArtsNSW. After studying Politics and History at Macquarie University, Shane is currently involved as consultant on various projects both arts and non-arts.

robert olup

Robert was trained in the Cecchetti method and danced in various television productions before joining the Borovansky Ballet in 1959, where he remained until its disbandment in the early sixties. He toured nationally as an original cast member of the rock musical Bye Bye Birdie after which he joined the Elizabethan Trust Opera Company as Principal Dancer in La Traviata, choreographed for Stephan Beinl’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos, and was responsible for the re-staging of Algeranoff’s choreography for Falstaff.

In 1962, Robert joined The Australian Ballet as a foundation member and in August the following year he travelled overseas and was guest artist with the Irish National Ballet and later toured Europe with London Festival Ballet.

Robert returned to The Australian Ballet in 1965 as a Senior Soloist, where he remained until joining Sydney Dance Company in 1977, becoming Ballet Master before retiring as a dancer and rejoining The Australian Ballet’s administration in 1989.

Robert retired as Manager, Patrons Programme of The Australian Ballet in September 2001 and has since co-adjudicated for the McDonald’s Performing Arts Challenge Ballet Scholarship at the Sydney Opera House as well as other regional ballet Eisteddfods. He returned to the stage as guest artist with The Australian Ballet in the role of Dr Coppelius in Coppélia at the Sydney Opera House and has performed the role of Prince Consort in Graeme Murphy’s production of Swan Lake during the company’s tours of the United Kingdom, China and Japan.

Colin peasley

Sydney-born Colin Peasley, is a founding member of The Australian Ballet and during his distinguished career with the company has attained great personal success, particularly in an extraordinary variety of character roles, many of which he has created.

Invited onto the ballet staff of The Australian Ballet in 1975 he became the company’s teacher and ballet master responsible for the reproduction of ballets from repertoire and the daily scheduling of rehearsals.

In 1988 Colin Peasley was awarded the Bull HN Information Systems ‘Great Performer Award’ in recognition of his significant and long-term contribution to The Australian Ballet. He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to dance in the 1996 Queen’s Birthday honours list.

In 1997 Colin Peasley, a Fellow of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, retired as a Principal Artist from the company, a position he had held from 1987, to concentrate on establishing an Education Programme for The Australian Ballet, which he currently manages while continuing to perform character roles with the company as well as maintaining a busy international schedule as coach, teacher and adjudicator.

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Associate Artistic director danilo radojevic

ballet Master and Choreologist Mark Kay

ballet Mistress and rehabilitation Facilitator noelle Shader

principal Coach and ballet Mistress Fiona tonkin

ballet Mistress and repetiteur Wendy Walker

Fiona Tonkin began her career in Wellington where she joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 1979. Her association with The Australian Ballet began in 1980 when Marilyn Jones invited her to join the company.

By 1987 she had become a Principal Artist, renowned for her interpretative artistry, classicism and technical versatility. Upon her retirement in 1993, she had danced almost every major female role in the company’s repertoire.

Career highlights with The Australian Ballet include her performances at the Royal Opera House, the Kirov Theatre and the Metropolitan Opera House and opening the company’s 1992 London Coliseum season as Giselle.

She appeared as a Guest Artist with the Kirov Ballet in Swan Lake, on Rudolf Nureyev’s Farewell Tour, and danced lead roles in the ABC TV broadcasts of La Fille mal gardée and Romeo and Juliet. In 1988 a scholarship enabled her to work with Stuttgart Ballett and Yvette Chauviré in Paris. Fiona received Green Room Awards in 1988 and 1989.

Fiona returned to New Zealand in 1994 where she completed a Bachelor of Arts at Canterbury University while guest teaching in New Zealand and Australia.In 1999 she completed The Australian Ballet School’s Professional Dance Teachers Course and was awarded the Australian Multicultural Foundation Scholarship.

In 2000 Artistic Director Matz Skoog appointed her Rehearsal Director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. She continued to work with Skoog in London as Assistant Artistic Director of the English National Ballet in 2002 and returned there as Guest Repetiteur in June and July of 2003. Fiona has worked with many choreographers including Stanton Welch, Mark Morris, Christopher Hampson and Mark Baldwin.

Fiona returned to The Australian Ballet in 2003 at the invitation of David McAllister.

Noelle Shader was born in Caracas, Venezuela, and emigrated to the United States, where she studied at the School of American Ballet in New York City. She was one of the last intakes into the school under Balanchine’s direction. In 1976 Noelle joined the New York City Ballet and remained with the company until 1981.

Emigrating to Australia, Noelle worked as a classical dance lecturer at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts with Dame Peggy van Praagh, and in 1984 assumed the position of Ballet Mistress with the West Australian Ballet under the direction of Barry Moreland.

In 1989 she joined The Australian Ballet as Ballet Mistress under the direction of Maina Gielgud. After six years she returned to freelance work as a full-time classical dance lecturer at the Victorian College of the Arts; restaging choreographic works and teaching in the larger dance community.

She rejoined The Australian Ballet as Ballet Mistress in 1997 at the invitation of then Artistic Director Ross Stretton and continues as Ballet Mistress and Dance Rehabilitator for the company under Artistic Director David McAllister.

Over the years, Noelle has been involved in the premieres of many ballets now in the company’s repertoire, including Nutcracker, Divergence, Rites, Bella Figura, Requiem and Madame Butterfly and has enjoyed working with great artists, choreographers and directors.

Noelle has been a dance panel member for the Department of the Arts (WA) and the Australia Council, and has choreographed works for West Australian Ballet and for the Festival of Perth.

In 2003 Noelle was awarded a Centenary Medal.

Mark Kay decided to take up the profession of choreologist after studying Benesh Movement Notation at The Australian Ballet School. In 1986 he went to London to complete the notation course at the Benesh Institute and while there notated and worked with choreographer Gillian Lynne on the musical The Phantom of the Opera.

He joined The Royal Ballet as a freelance notator in 1987 under the directorship of Anthony Dowell and worked on Wayne Eagling’s Beauty and the Beast and Dowell’s Swan Lake.

After a twelve-month repose in Australia, Mark returned to London in 1988 to work for English National Ballet, directed by Peter Schaufuss. During his five years with the company he performed, notated, and worked with many choreographers and directors, including Peter Schaufuss, Ronald Hynd, Kenneth MacMillan,Nicholas Beriozoff, Ben Stevenson and Ivan Nagy.

As a freelancer, Mark has staged Peter Schaufuss’ Nutcracker for the Graz Oper Ballett in Austria in 1992, Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote for the Royal Swedish Ballet in 1994 and for The Royal Ballet in 2001, and taught Christopher Wheeldon’s Continuum© for DutchNational Ballet (2005) and Zurich Ballet (2006).

In 1993 then Artistic Director Maina Gielgud invited Mark to join The Australian Ballet as the company’s choreologist, where he continues to notate and stage ballet, as well as perform character roles such as Sancho Panza in Don Quixote. For The Dancers Company, he has been responsible for teaching, staging, and recently performing the role of The Head Mistress in Graduation Ball.

Danilo Radojevic, a dancer with a dynamic style and exceptional technical skill, catapulted to international status at the age of nineteen when he won the Gold Medal at the 1977 International Ballet Competition in Moscow, the only Australian to win this prestigious award throughout the Moscow competition’s long history.

Soon after, Danilo left The Australian Ballet to become a Soloist with American Ballet Theatre in New York. He remained with the company for fifteen years, visiting his homeland in 1978 and 1979 with Stars of the World Ballet and in 1991 with Rudolf Nureyev’s last tour. Danilo was promoted to Principal Dancer of American Ballet Theatre by Artistic Director Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1981 and performed the leading roles in many of the classics, often alternating with Baryshnikov himself.

After retiring from dancing, Danilo taught at American Ballet Theatre, New York Dance Studios and leading universities in California, gaining a reputation as an outstanding technical coach. He returned to join the ballet staff of The Australian Ballet in 1997 at the invitation of former Artistic Director Ross Stretton.

Danilo was appointed Associate Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet in July 2001.

Born in Adelaide, Wendy Walker studied ballet with Joanne Priest before attending The Australian Ballet School. After graduating in 1969 she joined The Australian Ballet. During this time Wendy was fortunate to work with Ashton, Butler, Tudor, Massine and Nureyev and was promoted to Senior Soloist. In 1975 and 1976 she danced with London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet), working with Beryl Grey, Beriosoff, Ronald Hynde and taking outside classes with John O’Brien. Returning to Australia, Wendy continued dancing with The Australian Ballet and also assisted Anne Woolliams and Peggy van Praagh.

In 1978 a Churchill Fellowship enabled her to undertake a Benesh Movement Notation course at The Institute of Choreology in London for eighteen months, and she worked with Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Nederlands Dans Theater and Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet. Upon the completion of her studies in 1980, Wendy joined American Ballet Theatre in New York as a choreologist, working closely with Tudor, MacMillan, Makarova, Tetley, John Taros, Mark Morris, Twyla Thwarp and Artistic Director Mikhail Baryshnikov. Promoted to Ballet Mistress in 1984, Wendy co-staged Balanchine’s Bourrée Fantasque for American Ballet Theatre, Makarova’s La Bayadère for Rio de Janeiro, MacMillan’s Romeo & Juliet in Beunos Aires, and Manon in Vienna.

At the invitation of Maina Gielgud, Wendy returned to The Australian Ballet as Ballet Mistress in 1994. She enjoys a close working relationship with choreographer Steven Baynes and has been inspired by working with Nacho Duato, William Forsythe and Graeme Murphy. She takes particular joy in coaching and teaching the Corps de Ballet and has been involved in the restaging of the works Les Sylphides and Les Présages. In 2003 Wendy Walker was awarded the Centenary Medal for her services to Dance in Australia.

Artistic Staff

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Principal artists generously supported by Les etoiles

Ms Robin CampbellSue ChisholmLynette HarveyMr Arthur L Norcott Mrs Roma NorcottMrs Kerry Packer AODr Valmai Pidgeon AMLady Potter ACMr Peter ReillyMrs Christine SmedleyMs Nancye Willmott

Robert Curranolivia Bell Madeleine eastoe“... an outstanding artist of extraordinary range and unfailing power.”Financial Times, UK

“The grand danseur noble, a secure self-effacing partner.”Adelaide Review

“An intoxicating lead.”Sunday Herald Sun

A graduate of The Australian Ballet School, Perth-born Madeleine Eastoe joined the company in 1997 and danced many lead roles before being promoted to Principal Artist following her debut as Giselle in 2006. Madeleine has particularly enjoyed working one-on-one with choreographer Stephen Baynes to create the lead role in 2007’s Constant Variants, and dancing with guest artists such as Angel Corella in La Fille mal gardée and Cédric Ygnace in Giselle. Her career highlight so far, however, was dancing Odette on the opening night of Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake in London, a role she reprised on the company’s 2007 Japan tour. Madeleine has also toured internationally with The Australian Ballet to China, Singapore, New Zealand and the US.

Repertoire highlights •Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker 2007 •Don Quixote 2007 •Constant Variants 2007 •Giselle 2006 •La Sylphide 2005 •Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake 2005 •La Fille mal gardée 2004 •Romeo & Juliet 2003 •Graeme Murphy’s Nutcracker 2000

Awards •Telstra People’s Choice Award 2006 •Green Room Award 2005 •Helpmann Award nomination 2003

You may not know … Madeleine’s preferred mode of transportation is her bicycle.

Lucinda Dunn“In a word – stunning”State of the Arts

Lucinda Dunn received her early training in Sydney with Janece Graham and Tanya Pearson before going on to win a Prix de Lausanne scholarship to study at The Royal Ballet School, London. While in London she also performed with Birmingham Royal Ballet. In 1991 Lucinda joined The Australian Ballet and was promoted to Principal Artist in 2002. She has also been awarded several scholarships to study overseas and has been partnered by many international guests of The Australian Ballet including Robert Tewsley and Bruce Samson. A diverse and musical dancer with a strong technique, Lucinda excels in the pure classical ballets and enjoys portraying characters in story ballets, as well as the physicality of contemporary pieces.

Repertoire highlights In addition to the ballerina roles in all of the major classical ballets such as Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake and Coppélia, a particular career highlight for Lucinda was dancing the world premiere of Stanton Welch’s The Sleeping Beauty in 2005. Other highlights include her performances on The Australian Ballet’s tours to London, Tokyo, Italy, Shanghai and New York, as well as dancing lead roles in contemporary works by Wheeldon, Kylian, Robbins, Balanchine, Tharp, Fonte and Baynes.

Guest appearances •The Royal Danish Ballet •Le Jeune Ballet de France •Birmingham Royal Ballet •World Ballet Festival, Tokyo

Awards •Helpmann Award nomination for Dance Performer of the Year 2007 and 2004 •Mo Award nomination for Dance Performer of the Year 2006, 2005 and 2001 •Green Room Award for Best Female Dancer 2005

You may not know … At the age of sixteen Lucinda was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her spine and was immobilised in a plaster cast that went from shoulders to hips.

A graduate of The Australian Ballet School, Robert Curran joined The Australian Ballet in 1996 and was promoted to Principal Artist in 2002. During his time with the company he has performed in numerous classical and contemporary works by choreographers such as Kylián, Forsythe, Welch, Balanchine, Cranko, Baynes, Robbins and MacMillan, carving out a niche with his powerful partnering. Robert particularly enjoys the interaction with other dancers in the technical achievements of pas de deux and the creation of stories and feelings on stage. Robert has toured extensively overseas with The Australian Ballet, and a burgeoning interest in choreography has seen him create two works for the company’s Bodytorque programme.

Repertoire highlights •Symphonie Fantastique 2007 •Don Quixote 2007 •Apollo 2007 •Giselle 2006 •Le Spectre de la rose 2006 •Forgotten Land 2005 •Petite Mort 2005 •Other Dances 2001 •At the edge of night 1997

Guest appearances •The Sleeping Beauty with Houston Ballet •The Nutcracker with The Royal Danish Ballet

Choreographic works •amusemeant for Bodytorque.To the Pointe. 2008 •Promenade for Bodytorque.Generations. 2007

You may not know … Robert is undertaking a Bachelor of Business by correspondence, and is studying for the Vocational Graduate Certificate in Elite Ballet Instruction with The Australian Ballet School. He has a miniature border collie called Gilly.

Newcastle-born Olivia Bell competed in the Prix de Lausanne awards and won a scholarship to the Paris Opéra Ballet School, where she graduated in 1995. Joining The Australian Ballet the same year, Olivia would go on to dance some of The Australian Ballet’s most coveted lead roles, hailed variously as “imperious and sinuous”, “truly exquisite”, and for her “cool, sensitive precision”. In 1996 she was awarded a Khitercs Foundation scholarship, enabling her to study abroad. Olivia’s acclaimed performances in everything from the most classical ballets to contemporary pieces have shown her great versatility. A career highlight was dancing the role of the Baroness in the premiere season of Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake, which she reprised for the company’s tours of the UK and Japan. Olivia was promoted to Principal Artist in 2007.

Repertoire highlights •Sugar Plum Fairy in Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker 2007 •Idée Fixe in Symphonie Fantastique 2007 •Passion in Les Présages 2007 •Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain©, Continuum© and Mercurial Manoeuvres© •Street dancer in Don Quixote 2007 •Terpsichore in Apollo 2007 •Zobeide in Schéhérazade 2006 •Jirí Kylián’s Petite Mort and Stepping Stones 2005 •Flavia in Spartacus 2003 •Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude 2000 •Other Dances 2000 •William Fortsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated 1996

Guest appearances •Swan Lake with The Dancers Company 2001

Awards •Telstra Ballet Dancer Award nominee 2003

You may not know … Olivia took time out to travel and see the world in 1997, rejoining the company in 1999.

Principal Artists

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Damien Welch Lynette WillsYosvani Ramos

Principal Artists

“Slick and self-possessed.”Sunday Herald Sun

“Steely yet slinky”Sunday Age

Damien started training at the Marilyn Jones and Garth Welch School of Ballet at the age of fifteen, and was accepted into The Australian Ballet School at sixteen. In 1992 he joined The Australian Ballet, and was promoted to Soloist in 1996, then to Senior Artist and finally Principal in 1998. Damien has performed works by many famous choreographers, including William Forsythe, Nacho Duato, Stanton Welch, Graeme Murphy, Twyla Tharp, James Kudelka, Gideon Obarzanek and Paul Lightfoot, and has danced in hundreds of ballets. After a stretch with Nederlands Dans Theater I from 2000 to 2002, Damien returned to The Australian Ballet. Repertoire highlights •Symphonie Fantastique 2007 •Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2002 •Les Sylphides 2006 •Raymonda 2006 •Stanton Welch’s The Sleeping Beauty 2006, 2005 •Petite Mort 2005 •Bella Figura 2000 •Manon 1999 •In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated 1996 •Madame Butterfly 1998 •Cinderella 1997

Guest appearances •Houston Ballet 2006 and 2003 •National Ballet of Canada 2000

Awards •Green Room Award for Best Male Dancer 2002 •Ausdance Award for Best Male Dancer 1998

You may not know … When he’s not dancing, Damien spends his time playing guitar, golfing, and being a dad.

Adelaide-born Lynette Wills began her ballet training with Betsy Sawers and graduated from The Australian Ballet School in 1990. She joined The Australian Ballet in 1991 after touring with The Dancers Company and was promoted to Senior Artist in 1996. Lynette has toured extensively with the company to Italy, London, Taiwan, China, Japan and the United States, and was promoted to Principal Artist after her fiery and moving portrayal of Baroness von Rothbart in the Sydney premiere of Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake in 2002. In 2005 Lynette visited a Cambodian dance company as The Australian Ballet’s ambassador in a joint initiative between the company and CARE Australia. She returns to The Australian Ballet in 2008 after taking time off to become a mother to Thomas Burke with husband Tim Burke.

Repertoire highlights •Giselle 2006 •Raymonda 2006 •Stepping Stones 2005 •El Tango 2004 •The Merry Widow 2000 •Don Quixote 1999 •Madame Butterfly 1998 •In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated 1996 •Onegin 1996 •Anna Karenina 1995 •Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 •Stanton Welch’s The Sleeping Beauty 2007, 2006

You may not know … Lynette rides a motor scooter, walks her labrador Tyler twice a day, and fosters passions for both real estate and photography in her spare time. A collection of Lynette’s photographs of The Australian Ballet’s dancers will be published later this year.

Yosvani Ramos was born in Camagüey, Cuba and trained at the National Ballet School, going on to dance with Jeune Ballet de France and Ballet de l’Opéra National de Paris after winning the Gold Medal at the Paris International Ballet Competition in 1998. He joined English National Ballet as a Soloist in 1999 and was promoted to Senior Soloist in 2000, then Principal Artist in 2003 after his performance as Franz in Coppélia. During his time with English National Ballet he created many pieces in the company’s choreographic workshops and was nominated for several years running in the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards. He joined The Australian Ballet as a Principal Artist at the beginning of 2008.

Repertoire highlights •Basilio in Don Quixote 2006 •Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake 2004 •The Prince in Cinderella 2003 •Romeo in Rudolf Nureyev’s Romeo & Juliet 2002 •Albrecht in Giselle 2001 •George Balanchine’s Who Cares? 2000 •Principal Man in Etudes 2000 •Les Sylphides 2000 •The Prince in The Nutcracker 1999 •Franz in Coppélia 1999

Awards •Silver Medal in Nagoya, Japan 1999 •Gold Medal in the International Ballet Competition in Paris 1998 •Silver Medal in Mississippi, USA 1997 •Silver Medal and Best Couple in the Junior division at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria 1996 •Grand Prix and the Best Couple at the first International Ballet Competition in Havana 1995 •Gold Medal at International Ballet Competition in Vignale, Italy 1994

You may not know … Yosvani speaks fluent French, Spanish, Portuguese and English and loves cooking Cuban food.

“Heartbreakingly lovely … She seems not so much to cut the air, but carve it. Evening Standard

“Every centimetre the classical ballerina.” The Australian

Rachel Rawlins grew up in Canberra where she studied ballet with Del Brady. She completed her dance training in Melbourne, attending the Victorian College of the Arts, the National Theatre Ballet School and The Australian Ballet School. Rachel also studied with the National Ballet School in Canada for six months. She joined The Australian Ballet in 1992 and was promoted to Soloist in 1995. Rachel was invited to become First Soloist with the Royal Ballet in London in 1999, returning to The Australian Ballet in 2002. Her performances with the company have garnered much critical acclaim: her interpretation of Odette in Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake proclaimed “a mature exploration of all its emotions – love, hurt, anger, despair, madness, hope, serenity”; her balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet acclaimed for “fine nuances, caution and curiosity and total fascination with this wonder that has entered her life”; while in The Sleeping Beauty she was described as “perfect as Princess Aurora. Her looks and skill are sublime”. Rachel was promoted to Principal Artist in 2004

Repertoire highlights •Sugar Plum Fairy in Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker 2007 •Constant Variants 2007 •Promenade in Bodytorque.Generations. 2007 •Raymonda Grey in Raymonda 2006 •Jirí Kylián’s Petite Mort and Forgotten Land 2005

Guest appearances •Featured in Michael Carter’s experimental film Principal Role

Awards •Khitercs scholarship to travel to New York, Washington, Houston, London and Amsterdam.

You may not know … Rachel loves Australia, the beach, the bushland, the animals, the sounds, the skies and the cities. She admires and is moved by people who can sing well and wishes she could. She is grateful to all the people who have supported her and enriched her life.

Rachel Rawlins

Kirsty Martin had twelve years of ballet training before graduating from The Australian Ballet School under the direction of Gailene Stock. She joined The Australian Ballet in 1996 and then Nederlands Dans Theater I in 2000, where she performed a wide range of contemporary ballets and worked with choreographers Jirí Kylián, Johan Inger and Paul Lightfoot. Kirsty returned to The Australian Ballet in 2002 and performed in the world premiere season of Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake and was promoted to Principal Artist after the opening night performance of The Three Musketeers in 2003. After becoming a mother, Kirsty returned to The Australian Ballet in 2006. Stephen Baynes created the role of Raymonda on her for his glamorous new production of the same name later that year. Repertoire highlights •Swan Lake 2007 •Don Quixote 2007 •Apollo 2007 •After the Rain© 2007 •Paquita 2007 •Symphonie Fantastique 2007 •Les Présages 2007 •Raymonda 2006 •Giselle 2006 •Manon 1999 •La Bayadère 1998Awards •Gold medallist at the fifth Asian Pacific Ballet Competition 1995 •Silver medallist at the Adeline Genée Awards 1995You may not know … “I enjoy being a mum and having a great family life, as well as a wonderful career. A rewarding challenge!”

Kirsty Martin“A revelation ... with his smouldering matinee-idol looks, he achieves the extraordinary”Evening Standard

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SeniorArtists

Marc Cassidy was born in New Zealand and grew up in Central Otago. He joined the Australian Ballet in 1994 and was promoted to Senior Artist in 2000. He admires dancers who are capable of delivering performances with depth, honesty, solid technique and energy – qualities he strives to achieve in his own work. Scholarships have enabled him to travel to Europe and USA for training as well as giving him invaluable insights into international dance. Marc has toured with The Australian Ballet to Japan, USA, New Zealand, China, England and Wales. His most special time onstage has been dancing leading roles opposite his partner Leanne Stojmenov, particularly Basilio to her Kitri in Don Quixote.

Repertoire highlights •Don Quixote 2007 •Le Corsaire 2007 •Suite en Blanc 2005 •La Fille mal gardée 2004 •Romeo & Juliet 2003 •Mercurial Manoeuvres 2002 •Etudes 2001

You may not know … “Since the age of four I have been having a love affair with motorcycles. The smell of the petrol, the sound and feel of them, is as much in my blood as ballet. Ballet and motorcycles aren’t really compatible, but as soon as I stop dancing I’m getting one … again!”

Born in Shepparton in 1982, Danielle trained at the Cheryl Bradley Dance Studios in South Australia for eleven years, then with Marie Walton-Mahon in Newcastle before moving to Melbourne to join The Australian Ballet School. During her years as a student Danielle received many scholarships including the Fauldings Bursary, which allowed her to complete her training with the school. Danielle joined The Australian Ballet in 2001. 2005 saw her promoted to Soloist and awarded the Lissa Black Memorial Scholarship, which she used to travel to Europe. Danielle was promoted to Senior Artist in 2007.

Repertoire highlights •Stanton Welch’s The Sleeping Beauty 2007, 2006, 2005 •Don Quixote 2007 •After the Rain© 2007 •Apollo 2007 •Symphonie Fantastique 2007 •Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker 2007 •Giselle 2006 •Raymonda 2006 •Stepping Stones 2005

Awards •Helpmann Award nomination for best female dancer in The Sleeping Beauty 2006 •Telstra People’s Choice Award 2003 and 2005 •Lissa Black Memorial Scholarship 2004

You may not know … Danielle enjoys spending time at the beach and would love to learn how to surf one day.

Adam Bull was born in 1981 and began training at Dance World 301 with Brian Nolan before joining The Australian Ballet School. In 2000 he represented Australia in the Paris International Ballet Competition, before graduating from The Australian Ballet School with honours in 2001. Adam joined The Australian Ballet in 2002, going on to dance soloist and principal roles in works by George Balanchine, Jirí Kylián, Graeme Murphy, Christopher Wheeldon, Stephen Baynes, Stanton Welch and Adrian Burnett. He was promoted to Soloist in 2006 and Senior Artist at the beginning of the 2008 season.

Repertoire highlights •Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker 2007 •Apollo 2007 •Don Quixote 2007 •Raymonda 2006 •Giselle 2006 •La Sylphide 2005 •La Fille mal gardée 2004

Guest appearances •The Dancers Company tour 2006

Awards •Telstra Ballet Dancer Award nominee 2004 and 2006 •Green Room nomination for Albrecht in Giselle 2006 •The Australian Ballet Society Scholarship in 2001

You may not know … “I was encouraged to dance by a grade one primary school teacher. I owe a lot to her – thank you Mrs Kipp from Laverton Primary School!”

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adam Bull“True star quality.” Dance Australia

Marc Cassidy“Dazzle and strength.” The Age

Danielle Rowe“Imperious and striking” Dance Australia

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daniel GaudielloBrisbane-born Daniel Gaudiello strapped on his first pair of dancing shoes at the age of six at the Johnny Young Talent School then Promenade Dance. Later he completed the Queensland Dance School of Excellence and Queensland Ballet professional year before being accepted into The Australian Ballet School, where he performed as an exchange student with the National Ballet School of Canada and the School of American Ballet. Daniel joined The Australian Ballet in 2004 and in early 2007 participated in classes with some of the world’s finest ballet companies in London, Amsterdam, Munich and Paris. Daniel was promoted to Soloist for the 2008 season and made his choreographic debut with a piece called Notte in Bianco for Bodytorque.To the Pointe.

Repertoire highlights •The Sleeping Beauty 2007 •Don Quixote 2007 •Constant Variants 2007 •Les Présages 2007 •Giselle 2006 •Forgotten Land 2005 •Continuum© 2004

Awards •Telstra Ballet Dancer Award Winner 2007 •Freda Irving Scholarship 2006 •BJ Sutton Scholarship

You may not know … “I love to camp on the beach, spending time with my family, and my two dogs Chloe and Rico.”

Jane CassonJane Casson was born in Auckland and began her training at age six, moving to Wellington to train at The New Zealand School of Dance at seventeen. There she was awarded several scholarships, enabling her to compete and train in Sydney, Hong Kong and Japan, before joining the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 1998. After joining The Australian Ballet in 2001, Jane was awarded a scholarship, which allowed her to study with the Paris Opera Ballet, Ballet de Nice, Ballet de Monte Carlo and the Hamburg Ballet. A self-confessed drama queen on stage, Jane was promoted to Coryphée in 2004 and Soloist in 2006.

Repertoire highlights •Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker 2007 •Don Quixote 2007 •Les Présages 2007 •Giselle 2006 •Bodytorque 2006 •Grand Tarantella 2005 •Swan Lake 2007, 2002 •Forgotten Land 2005

Guest appearances •New Zealand School of Dance’s 40th Anniversary 2007

Awards •Telstra Ballet Dancer Award nominee 2007 and 2004 •Lissa Black Scholarship 2002

You may not know “Before my love of dance evolved, my parents tried everything from gym to trampoline classes to rid me of my severe social shyness.”

Gina brescianiniBorn in Sydney, Gina studied at the McDonald College with Josephine Jason and Allan Cross before joining The Australian Ballet School in 1998, and The Australian Ballet in 2001. Gina enjoys performing all genres of ballets, particularly the wide range performed by The Australian Ballet, and finds variety helps get ultimate expression from a dancer’s body. Her favourite genre, however, is the story ballet, and the experience of getting lost in a character. Gina was promoted to Coryphée in 2005 and Soloist in 2007.

Repertoire highlights •Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker 2007 •Don Quixote 2007 •Apollo 2007 •Giselle 2006 •Rites 2006 •Stepping Stones 2005 •Forgotten Land 2005 •Petite Mort 2005 •Sechs Tänze 2005

Guest appearances •The Dancers Company tour 2007

Awards •Telstra Ballet Dancer Award winner 2006

You may not know … Gina practices Kundalini yoga and meditation and has completed a course in teaching yoga to children. She travels oversees as often as she can, loves reading and painting, and rides a red electric scooter around Melbourne. She lives with fellow dancer Rudy Hawkes and their Pomeranian puppy Billy.

tzu-Chao ChouBorn in Taiwan, Tzu Chao studied at the Lan Yang Dance Centre, joining the centre’s dance troupe in 1993. In 2003 he commenced an Advanced Diploma of Dance at The Australian Ballet School, going on to attend classes with the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company and the National Ballet School of Canada as part of a student exchange. Tzu-Chao joined The Australian Ballet in 2005, with his performance in The Flower Festival in Genzano prompting a journalist to compare his “buoyancy, power and fluency” to that of a young Baryshnikov. He was promoted to Soloist at the beginning of the 2008 season.

Repertoire highlights •La Favorita 2007 •Bodytorque 2007 •Le Spectre de la rose 2006 •Bodytorque 2006 •Flower Festival in Genzano 2005

Awards •The Australian Ballet Society Scholarship 2004 •Asian Pacific International Ballet Competition, gold medallist 2003 •Kelvin Coe Memorial Scholarship 2003 •Ballet Teachers’ Workshop Award 2002

You may not know … “My name in Chinese means super child. When I was younger I always dreamed of being a super hero!”

Matthew donnellyBorn in New South Wales, Matthew trained in Newcastle before joining The Australian Ballet School. After graduating with honours in 1996, he was invited to join The Royal Danish Ballet, where he worked with some of the world’s leading choreographers including Maurice Béjart, who recreated a solo for him in Gaîté Parisienne. A memorable moment was performing Return to the Strange Land for Her Majesty Queen Margrethe of Denmark in 1998. Matthew returned to The Australian Ballet in 1999. While enjoying the physical challenges of the contemporary works, classic storytelling is his passion. Matthew was promoted to Soloist in 2005.

Repertoire highlights •Constant Variants 2007 •Raymonda 2006 •La Fille mal gardée 2004 •Romeo & Juliet 2003 •The Sentimental Bloke 2002 •In the Upper Room 2002 •Return to the Strange Land 1998 •Fearful Symmetries 1997

Awards •Adeline Genée Awards, Silver Medal 1995 •Asian Pacific International Ballet Competition, Silver Medal 1995 •Adeline Genée Awards, Bronze Medal 1994

You may not know … “Overseas touring gives me a fantastic opportunity to combine my passions for dance and travel. I enjoy wandering the streets of cities and immersing myself in the sights and culture.”

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Soloists

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Kevin JacksonBorn in Perth, Kevin commenced his dance training at the age of seven with the Shirley Farrell Academy of Dance. He studied a variety of dance styles, as well as taking singing lessons, and went on to perform in several stage musicals. In 1999 he undertook a year of classical training in Perth under Adrienne Eastoe before joining The Australian Ballet in 2003. Kevin enjoys the technique and artistry demanded by many different kinds of works but holds the story ballet near to his heart. He was promoted to Soloist at the beginning of 2007.

Repertoire highlights •Apollo 2007 •The Sleeping Beauty, Japan 2007 •Symphonie Fantastique 2007 •Diana and Actéon 2007 •Don Quixote 2007 •Les Présages 2007 •Rites 2006 •Raymonda 2006 •Stepping Stones 2006 •Forgotten Land 2006

Awards •The Australian Ballet Society Scholarship

•Khitercs Foundation 2007

You may not know …Kevin enjoys taking long walks, getting lost and exploring places.

lana JonesLana Jones was born in Coffs Harbour, but moved to Canberra soon after where she commenced her ballet training at the Canberra Youth Ballet School. She moved to Melbourne in 1999 to join The Australian Ballet School, graduating dux to join The Australian Ballet in 2002. In 2005 she was promoted to Coryphée and won Telstra Ballet Dancer Award, the highest accolade of its kind for Australian Ballet dancers. A rising star within the ranks, Lana’s dancing has been has been critically acclaimed as “joyous and effervescent,” with one writer declaring her performance in George Balanchine’s Apollo “supernatural”. Lana was promoted to Soloist at the beginning of 2006.

Repertoire highlights •Don Quixote 2007 •Diana and Actéon 2007 •Apollo 2007 •After the Rain© 2007 •Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker 2007 •Giselle 2006 •Raymonda 2006 •Forgotten Land 2006 •Petite Mort 2006

Awards •Helpmann Award for best female dancer in Forgotten Land 2006

•Telstra Ballet Dancer Award 2005

You may not know … Lana loves photography, jet skiing and the beach, and has two dogs, Chloe and Rico.

luke inghamLuke Ingham was born in Mt Gambier, South Australia. His childhood was spent chasing cows and driving tractors on the family farm. Inspired by Mikhail Baryshnikov, he began dance classes aged five, joining The Australian Ballet School in 2001. After joining The Australian Ballet in 2004. Luke was the recipient of the Young and Emerging Arts Initiative Award from the Australia Council, which enabled him to attend classes with New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Toronto Ballet. He was promoted to Soloist at the beginning of 2008.

Repertoire highlights •Don Quixote 2007 •After the Rain© 2007 •Diana and Actéon 2007 •Rites 2006 •Giselle 2006 •Les Sylphides, The Dancers Company tour 2006 •Auroras Wedding, The Dancers Company tour 2006 •Suite en blanc 2005 •Stepping Stones 2005 •Forgotten Land 2005

Guest appearances •The Dancers Company tour 2006

Awards •Telstra People’s Choice Award 2007

•Australian Arts Council Young and Emerging Artist Award 2006

You may not know … When he’s not dancing, Luke enjoys surfing, golf, swimming and skateboarding.

paul KnoblochCanberra-born Paul Knobloch trained at The Canberra Dance Development Centre and The Australian Ballet School, graduating with Honours. He joined the West Australian Ballet in 1997, dancing many principal and soloist roles. In 1998 he toured Europe, accepting a position at the English National Ballet and in 2002 he joined The Australian Ballet. He was awarded a scholarship by the company which he used to travel to the United States, working with American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet. In 2006 Paul made his choreographic debut, creating FourTune for BodyTorque.Face the Music. In 2007 he created a new work Valetta for the company’s Paquita season, which was also performed in Brisbane at Telstra Ballet in the Gardens.Guest Appearances •The Dancers Company tour 2007 Repertoire highlights •Le Corsaire 2007 •Don Quixote 2007 •After the Rain© 2007 •The Sleeping Beauty 2007 •Les Sylphides 2006 •Stepping Stones 2006 •Petite Mort 2006 •Forgotten Land 2006 •Le Conservatoire 2005 •Symphony in C 2004Awards •Lady Mollie Askin Ballet Travelling Scholarship•Marten Bequest Ballet Scholarship •ACT Young Australian of the Year 2001You may not know … Paul is a commissioned artist and exhibits in galleries around Melbourne.

Andrew KillianMelbourne-born Andrew Killian studied dance at the Victorian College of the Arts prior to joining The Australian Ballet School in 1998. He joined The Australian Ballet in 2000 and was promoted to Soloist for the 2006 season. He has been involved in the creation of many new works including Stephen Baynes’ Constant Variants, Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake and all five Bodytorque seasons, and enjoys working closely with choreographers during this process. Andrew has toured to New Zealand, Japan, the UK and China with The Australian Ballet.

Repertoire highlights •The Nutcracker 2007 •Don Quixote 2007 •Raymonda 2006 •Stepping Stones 2005 •La Sylphide 2005 •Agon 2004 •Symphony in C 2004 •La Fille mal gardée 2004 •Almost Tango 2004 •Bella Figura 2003

Guest Appearances •The Nutcracker with Houston Ballet 2007

Awards •Telstra Ballet Dancer Award nominee 2006

You may not know … Andrew uses his time off to travel overseas.

Soloists

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tristan MessageTristan was born and grew up in Melbourne. He graduated from The Australian Ballet School in 1999, going on to join The Australian Ballet in 2000. In 2002 he travelled to Europe on the Lissa Black Memorial Scholarship to study with Yannick Boquin, and has also travelled extensively with The Australian Ballet, including tours to China, the UK, New Zealand and Japan. Tristan is known as a strong dancer and sensitive partner, and enjoys the challenge of developing realistic and complex characters. His favourite role to date is Prince Jean de Brienne in Stephen Baynes’ Raymonda. Tristan was promoted to Soloist in 2005.

Repertoire highlights •Les Présages 2007 •Schéhérazade 2006 •Jirí programme 2005 •Continuum© 2004 •Voluntaries 2003 •Molto Vivace 2003 •Spartacus 2002 •The Sentimental Bloke 2002 •Requiem 2001 •Divergence 2001

Guest appearances •Queensland Ballet International Gala with Lisa Bolte, 2007

You may not know ... Tristan goes hiking whenever he gets the chance. His favourite hike to date was climbing Mount Feathertop in the snow.

Amber ScottAmber Scott was born in Brisbane and grew up on the Sunshine Coast, joining The Australian Ballet School at age eleven. After graduating as dux, Amber joined The Australian Ballet in 2001. In 2003 she spent four months on a dancer exchange at The Royal Danish Ballet, giving her the opportunity to learn the Bournonville technique firsthand. A lyrical and musical dancer, Amber also relishes the virtuoso pieces with exacting technique, as well as contemporary ballets. Amber was promoted to Soloist in 2006.

Repertoire highlights •Le Corsaire pas de deux 2007 •Swan Lake 2006, 2005, 2004 •Apollo 2007 •Les Sylphides 2006 •Le Spectre de la Rose 2006 •Suite en blanc 2005 •Jirí programme 2005 •El Tango 2004 •Por vos Muero 2002 •Beyond Bach 2001

Guest appearances •The Dancers Company tour 2003 and 2004

Awards •Telstra Ballet Dancer Award and Telstra People’s Choice Award 2004

•Adeline Genée Awards, bronze medal 1998

You may not know … “I love reading and exploring second-hand bookstores, markets and libraries, and I am a self confessed Francophile.”

leanne StojmenovLeanne was born and raised in Perth where she began her initial ballet training with Helen McKay. Her full-time training began at the Graduate College in 1993 under the school’s director, Terri Charlesworth, and in 1999 she joined the West Australian Ballet. In 2001 Leanne left Perth to take up a position with The Australian Ballet. Receiving the New South Wales Friends of The Australian Ballet scholarship in 2004 enabled her to study throughout Europe. Leanne has a high regard for artists that can adapt to all kinds of roles and repertoire. She was promoted to soloist in 2006.

Repertoire highlights •Don Quixote 2007 •Apollo 2007 •Constant Variants 2007 •Le Corsaire 2007 •Symphonie Fantastique 2007 •Les Présages 2007 •Giselle 2006 •Stepping Stones 2005 •Stanton Welch’s The Sleeping Beauty 2005 •Grand Tarantella 2005

Awards •Telstra Ballet Dancer Award nominee 2007

You may not know … “Although for now my passion is in the arts, in the future I would love to open a small business.”

Miwako KubotaMiwako was born in Japan and began her ballet training with Fumika Morishima in Okinawa. Before joining The Australian Ballet School she trained with Kimie Sasamoto and Iwao Nagae in Tokyo. In 1997 Miwako was awarded the Idemitsu Scholarship at the sixth Asia Pacific Competition. After graduating from The Australian Ballet School in 1998 with honours she joined The Australian Ballet, going on to perform many ballets, including principal roles, and tour to Japan, New Zealand, China, London and New York with the company. Miwako was promoted to the rank of Soloist in 2007.

Repertoire highlights •Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker 2007 •Apollo 2007 •Flower Festival in Genzano 2005 •Les Sylphides 2006 •Symphony in C 2004 •Serenade 2004 •In the Night 2003 •Bella Figura 2003 •Beyond Bach 2001 •Aurora’s Wedding

Guest appearances •The Dancers Company tour 2006

You may not know … Miwako loves horse racing, knitting, cooking and is a proud Melbourne Storm supporter.

Adam thurlowBorn in Melbourne, Adam Thurlow trained with Lorraine Blackbourn at the Heidelberg and District Ballet School from age five alongside his twin brother Dale. Adam was accepted into The Australian Ballet School at fifteen and graduated as dux with honours, before joining The Australian Ballet at nineteen under Artistic Director Ross Stretton. His ballet career flourished under Stretton, and within two years he was promoted to Soloist. Enticed by the travel bug, Adam left the company in late 2002 and joined the English National Ballet for a season, before accepting a coveted position at Paris Opera Ballet. After three years with the company, Adam returned to The Australian Ballet in 2006.

Repertoire highlights •Symphonie Fantastique 2007 •Don Quixote 2007 •The Nutcracker 2007 •Raymonda 2006 •Coppélia 2000 •Manon 1999 •Swan Lake 1999,1998 •Theme and Variations 1998, 1997 •Dark Lullaby 1998 •La Bayadère 1998

Awards •The Australian Ballet Society Scholarship 1997

•James and Pamela Mills Memorial Scholarship 1996

You may not know … Adam was once a champion BMX racer and captain of the school football team. Today he’s a single-figure golfer.

remi WörtmeyerRemi began dancing in Adelaide aged three at Pierrot School of Ballet before training at Terry Simpson Studios and now holds an Advanced Diploma of Dance (Honours) from The Australian Ballet School. Since graduating as dux in 2001, Remi has danced some of ballet’s most recognisable roles, including the Prince in The Nutcracker. Winning the Diana Ramsay Scholarship in 2003 allowed Remi to tour London’s Royal Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Italy’s Aterballetto, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and La Scala Ballet. In 2005 he received a standing ovation after dancing Grand Tarantella with Lana Jones, a performance that earned him the inaugural Walter Bourke Award and the opportunity to spend time with New York’s American Ballet Theatre in 2006.

Repertoire highlights •The Nutcracker 2007 •Symphonie Fantastique 2007 •La Favorita 2007 •The Sleeping Beauty 2007, 2005 •Romeo & Juliet 2003Awards •Green Room Award•Helpmann Award •Asian Pacific International Ballet Competition, silver medal You may not know …Remi was recently a guest male principal with all-male comedy ballet troupe Grand Diva during their 2007 Australian tour.

G 0396 0108 Swan Lake Ballet Ad 1 1 23/1/08 1:05:15 PM

Soloists

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Dimity AzouryKismet BourneAnnie CarrollJacinta Christos

Ben DavisEloise FryerRohan FurnellRudy Hawkes

Juliet Burnett Jia Yin Du Amy Harris Robyn Hendricks

Natalie Hill Reiko Hombo Ty King-Wall Jacob Sofer

Laura Tong Vivienne Wong Andrew Wright

Halaina HillsJohn-Paul IdaszakNatasha KusenMelissa Lenehan

Brooke LockettJarryd MaddenHeidi MartinFrances Murphy

Simone PulgaGabriella RaetzJared Rainford - WrightMitchell Rayner

Corps de Ballet

Sharni Spencer Dana StephensenGarry StocksCharles Thompson

Sarah Thompson Alice ToppStephanie Williams

Coryphées Corps de Ballet

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enDoWMenT Funds within The endowment The Australian Ballet Endowment encompasses capital funds created by individuals, large donations and bequests. The income earned is used for the benefit of the Ballet

The international Fund Capital Contributions Frances Gerard Ian & Dale Johnson Mrs Sarah Murdoch Mr Kenneth R Reed Amanda Talbot Anonymous (1)We are grateful to those individuals who made donations of $20,000.00 or less.It was the Opening Night of Swan Lake in London in 2005 that inspired Frances Gerard to establish this important Fund.2008 Tour Contributions Friends of The Australian Ballet (NSW)John & Caroline LawsMr David McAllister AM

Mrs Kerry Packer AO

We are grateful to the 4 individuals who have made donations less than $20,000

endowment Funds The Robert & Elizabeth Albert Music FundThe Richard & Barbara Allert FundThe K Christensen & AE Bond BequestThe Walter Bourke Award endowed by his FriendsThe George Garratt FundThe Maina Gielgud FundThe Kathleen Gorham Fund established in her memoryThe Neil Hopkins FundThe Freda IrvingMemorial Scholarship FundBarry Kay Memorial Scholarship FundJohn Lanchbery FundThe Ian McRae FundThe Susan Morgan Fund The Frank & Thora Pearce Fund

The Colin Peasley OAM

Fund for EducationThe Noël Pelly AM FundThe Margaret Ellen Pidgeon Fund for Classical Ballet endowed by Dr Valmai Pidgeon AM

The James & Diana Ramsay (The Australian Ballet) FundThe Kenneth R Reed FundKevin Regan Fund endowed by Max JohnstonThe James Slater Memorial FundThe Marigold Southey FundThe Robert Southey Fund for Australian Choreography, endowed by The Sidney Myer FundRoss Stretton Fund endowed by Bee FletcherThe Maurice Sullivan Memorial Scholarship FundDame Peggy van Praagh Fund for ChoreographyWilliam Arthur Hugh Gordon FundContributions to the General Fund Ian & Norma Drew Mr Fred Millar AO CBE & Beth Millar Henry & Miriam GreenfieldPerini Family FoundationThe Robert Salzer FoundationPeter & Frieda ThornhillQueensland Friends of The Australian BalletAnonymous (1)

estates The australian Ballet acknowledges with great appreciation the bequests which it has received from the estates of the following benefactors. These bequests have been invaluable in the achievement of the company’s objectives.Mr Reginald Gregory MBE & Mrs GregoryPatricia Marie SmitPatricia Hope WillisColin Robert MarshallHazel GrahamEthel Margaret Ewing Cutten

Robert J ShipsidesE M BlackPaul SinclairMrs M M C DjordjevicDr George GarrattRobert Salzer AO

Betty Gleeson-WhiteClifford BurgessKeith M ChristensenWilliam Arthur Hugh GordonFreda Eileen SpicerAsle Noel ChiltonGwendolyn Letitia TennantSir Robert Southey AO CMG

Brenda June McGowanMr Will NobleNorma Lucas PayneMrs Ila Leland Massy BurnsideGay John Therese ClarkeGwendoline I TregearLesley Morgan SperryGwen HuntMrs Patricia McSpeerinMr Noël Pelly AM

Lady Snedden AM

William F WellsMrs Thora PearceMiss Ann WilliamsMr Ian Berkeley SmallNola Joan HassallJean HammondMr AS LeslieMr Laurie DaviesEsther Primrose Lucy Gertrude PoelmanDame Joyce Margaretta DawsLady Nancy Fairfax AM OBE

Annonymous (1)

The Leadership Circle securing the future through a bequestMr L Kevin AdairRichard Allert AM FCA & Barbara AllertBetty Amsden OAM

Mrs Patricia AndersMs Greta ArchboldMs Jennifer BarnesPhilip & Laurel BendryThe Late Mrs Sylvia BoxMrs Anne BoyleAnn & Derek Braham Patricia A BreslinMrs R D Bridges OBE

Mrs Margaret BroeksJannie BrownMs Deborah BuckettMrs Gillian Bunning

Wendy BurginDr Sheena L BurnellTrish ByrnePam CaldwellMr John Calvert-Jones AM & Mrs Janet Calvert-Jones AO

Dr Brian T CareyRobert E A CarliRowena CatchatoorMr Bryan ChidgeyMiss Beverley F ClarkCaroline Cooper-Sande MVO

Mr Jim Cousins AO & Mrs Libby CousinsJudith CowdenMiss Katrina CowenMrs Melba A CromackMrs Maree D’AlterioMr Leonard DarkMerawyn DaviesDavid de Verelle-HillMiss Patricia DownesGeorge DrewMr Norman Drogemuller OAM & Mrs Lorraine DrogemullerMrs Jill DuckMr & Mrs D C DunstanMrs Joan Daphne EvansRichard EvansJim FinchPeter F FlemingMrs Rita FletcherBarrie I Follows AM JP & Margaret Gail FollowsAnthea GilbertMr George FosterMrs Geraldine Fox-PenglisSuzanne GleesonMrs Krystyna & Mr Stephen GogolakLyn GriggMrs Lilian HardyMr Robert B HaynesChristopher Hector & Ros Neave The Late Barbara HewittMs Claire HoustonDr & Mrs Ken HoyleLilla ItoMichael & Jennifer JamesMax JohnstonMrs Mary JonesMarlene KavanaghMarion J KellyMrs Valda KlaricLisa KokegeiSimon LambourneFrancine LancasterMavis LanceMrs Carlean Langbein

Geraldine Lawton BequestMuriel LeadbeaterDaniel - Francois LemesleKate LewisDr C S LoaderMrs Patricia LoughheadChris MackayGeoff & Margaret MarkhamL MarroneMr Harold Marshall AM

Patsy MartinMr Edward J MasonGraham MathesonDavid McAllister AM

Canon Albert McPhersonToni MeathPrudence MenziesMs A MichellMargaret MiddletonMary MurphyMrs Margaret MurrayJean M NegusSimon NettletonMiss Judith NewberryKersti NogesteMr & Mrs Arthur L NorcottKathleen O’HaraDi Palmer & Stephen Rodgers-WilsonMrs Meredith PetersLady PorterMrs Diana Ramsay AO

Penelope S Rawlins Trevor RicePeter & Rhonda RogaRichard RossCaroline J Ross-SmithMrs Margaret SaultSheila Scotter AM MBE

Margot SeeleyMr & Mrs Charles SheldonBetty SheltonSara J SimpsonElvira SinicinsMrs Sally SinisoffMr Robbie SmithLady Southey AC

Jacques Spira OAM & Edith SpiraNorman StevensMs Juanita StockwellMiss Pat SutherlandDeb SuttonElizabeth SwantonSusanne SweetlandDr Christine ThevathasanDr Diana TolhurstMichele & Mario TopcicDr Sally Townsend

Miss Ruth TraitPatricia TylerJohn & Susan VanderstockPatricia M Vanderwal (Speher)Ms Jill VaughanPeter VaughanDr Richard VeseyKenneth W WatkinsPamela WhalanBarry & Megan WillcoxMargaret Amery WhiteMr Antony WilliamsJan WilliamsMs Sallyann WilsonLeonard J WilsonJosie Woodgate OAM

The Late Dr Donald WrightVictor & Christine ZemancheffRuth ZionzeeAnonymous (47)

annUaL GiVinG President Lady Potter ACThe Australian Ballet is proud to acknowledge the generous support and encouragement it receives through annual Private Giving. Unfortunately, space does not permit individual acknowledgment of the 1,143 Supporter level Patrons ($100-$999). Continued support from individuals and corporations is essential to develop our artistic excellence and secure the future of The Australian Ballet. If you would like to join our Private Giving programme, please ring Kenneth Watkins (03) 9669 2780 or Jane Diamond (02) 9252 5587. All donations are fully tax deductible.

Les etoiles supporting the Principal artistsMs Robin CampbellSue ChisholmLynette HarveyMr Arthur L Norcott Mrs Roma NorcottMrs Kerry Packer AO

Dr Valmai Pidgeon AM

Lady Potter AC

Mr Peter ReillyMrs Christine SmedleyMs Nancye Willmott

Principal Patrons Gifts over $20,000Mr Robert Albert AO & Mrs AlbertBill BownessMr Peter Clemenger AM & Mrs ClemengerThe Late Lady (Vincent) Fairfax AM OBE

Renaissance ToursDick & Pip SmithMrs Sproat & Mrs Cooke

senior artist Patrons Gifts $15,000 - $19,999 Betty Amsden OAM

John Calvert-Jones AM & Janet Calvert-Jones AO

Beverley & Richard HarveyMrs Sue Perini

soloist Patrons Gifts $10,000 - $14,999Brian Abel & The Late Ben Gannon AO

Mr John N Almgren AM & Mrs AlmgrenMrs Mary BarlowPenny EdwardsJohn & Catherine Ellice-FlintVal & Mike HardingMr & Mrs B G O’ConorMr Kenneth R ReedLyne SedgmanMr & Mrs P H ShearerWilliam & Marijke WebbDr E XipellAnonymous (1)

Coryphee Patrons Gifts $5,000 - $9,999Jim & Janette BainWensley CarrollMs Angela CarterRonda ChisholmJoyce Clothier OAM

Tim & Patricia CopesDr Nicholas Girdis CBE & Mrs Marina GirdisAron & Helen KleinlehrerMr & Mrs R Maple-BrownMr Graham MathesonJohn & Anni McArthurMrs Susan MorganDame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE

Brian Nebenzahl OAM RFD & Jocelyn NebenzahlMr Henry Nowik AO OBE

Lady PorterProfessor Ruth RentschlerJacqui & Richard ScheinbergMrs Helen SelleLady Southey AC

The A.W. Tyree FoundationLeigh & Jenny VirtueRay Wilson OAM & The Late James Agapitos OAM

Anonymous (5)

Corps de Ballet Patrons Gifts $3,000 - $4,999Sallyanne Atkinson AO

Lee BarrArda & John BarryMr Leonard BosmanJannie BrownCharles G ClarkMrs Gordon DouglassIn Memory of Gladys EunsonRon & Rosemary FarrowMr Arshak Galstaun AM & Mrs Sophie GalstaunMr & Mrs Chris GillmanMrs Anne GluyasMrs L P GoodyerMiss Patricia Grattan-FrenchMr Paul KeoghRob & Sue Logie-SmithFay MahoneyJeanne McMullinMrs Kayoko MikiYvonne ReuvekampLouisje & Steven SkalaMrs Anne SymonsAnthony & Valerie TaylorDr Christine ThevathasanMrs Suzanne WaterhouseDonna WoodhillAnonymous (3)

Gifts $1,000 - $2,999Ross AdamsonVeronia AldridgeJane AllenIn memory of Ian & Ila AndersonLaser Beams Pty LtdRosemary & John BarrMiss Catherine BoagMrs R D Bridges OBE

Rita H BrownMiss Marie ButlerMrs Nancy ButlerTrish Byrne

Pam CaldwellJoyce CampbellLynette & Paul CarterBarbara & Tim CohenMrs Christine CollingwoodDr Margaret CookJim Cousins AO & Libby CousinsBarry CowdellTim & Bryony CoxTracey CunninghamMrs Kate DammShirley DanglowMrs David DarlingFrederick Davidson Pty LtdMr Chris DaviesMrs Sara DaweDickerson Gallery Melbourne/SydneyAndrew DixonPatricia DuffyMrs Edrina DunstanMr Richard EvansAina Reega & Aruids FibigsIn memory of W J FaithfullWilliam J Forrest AM

Mr George FosterTonia & Eric GaleMrs Kylie GankoMrs Neilma GantnerDiana GazeDr Kingsley GeeIan & Christine GeorgeBelinda GibsonMr & Mrs Adrian GibsonMs Judy GillardKirsten Gormly & Kristian DowningMichael & Mari GourlayJamie & Rebecca GrayRichard & Isabella GreenLyn GriggBetty & Donald GunnerMrs Felicity Gunner OAM

Maria HallAlan & Margaret HamerLouise HamshereMs Meredith HellicarDr & Mrs Darryl J HodgkinsonHolmes à Court Family FoundationBee HopkinsCaroline HowardPat HowellMrs Christine HughesThe Hon TEF Hughes AO QC

Ms Danielle HuntRob & Susan Hunt

Dr Alastair JacksonHis Excellency Maj General Michael Jeffery AC CVO

Christine Marie Johnson Maple-BrownDale & Ian JohnsonMax JohnstonErvin & Judith KatzMiss Dawn V KellyMrs J E KirkMavis LanceDr Michael Lebert & Mrs LebertMrs Judy LeeMrs Deborah S LobbSteven & Judy LowyMrs Fiona MacLachlan OAM

Christina MarksAlexandra Martin & the Late Lloyd Martin AM

Mr David McAllister AM

Mrs Marie McCann OAM

Mrs Cherry McCardelSandra McCullaghJane McGregorMr Michael McKenzieMalcolm & Sandy McLachlanRobert & Victoria McLellanMrs Barbara McNulty OBE

Drs Pam & Andrew McqueenHarry & Wei Wu MelkonianMr & Mrs H E MichellDesmond B Misso EsqMr Barry MooreDr M Murnane AM

Irena NebenzahlJean NegusSimon NettletonMrs Jan NorthamSean O’FarrellThe Hon Mr Justice B O’Keefe AM & Mrs Jan O’KeefeMrs Diana-Rose OrrMrs Faye ParkerMary ParryGeoffrey & Jan PhillipsPaul M PinelMr & Mrs J PlayoustDave Poddar & Angela FlaneryRobin Potter OAM

Kerryn PratchettLynn RainbowEstate of L I RoachJason Ronald OAM

Sylvia RosenblumMrs Margaret S Ross AM

Mr Michael RouxDr Maurice Rozenberg

Pamela RuskinRos RussellMrs Janis SalisburyDeri SaundersMax & Jill SchultzJohn & Pat SeyboltMs Polly ShawTim & Lynne SherwoodMrs Kathleen SkinnerMr & Mrs SmookerMr Sam Smorgon AO & Mrs Minnie SmorgonEzekiel SolomonMr David SouthwickJacques Spira OAM & Edith SpiraJ & J StruttMrs Susan TalbotMs Susan TaylorVictoria TaylorMarliese & Georges TeitlerMildred TeitlerCheryl & Chris ThomasDavid & Annalise ThomasPeter & Frieda ThornhillMr Douglas TobinMiss Ruth TraitAnn TregearMrs Claire TruscottRosslyn J TurnerMrs K TuttonJ A Uhrig AC

Mr & Mrs F G UptonMrs Robyn VealMrs K D VercoDr Richard VeseyIsaac & Susan WakilDr John Walker & Mrs WalkerMrs J WallaceS & J WallisRosemary WallsMr John WansboroughMrs Susan WarburtonMr & Mrs Mel WardBarbara & Danny WatsonMrs Marion WellsChristine WenkartAngela WestacottMrs M WhiteDr WickiMrs Judith WilliamsJosie Woodgate OAM

Dr Michael J WrightRuth ZionzeeAnonymous (23)

General support The australian Ballet society incPresident Josie Woodgate OAM

Friends of The australian Ballet (nsW)Chairman Robert McCormackFriends of The australian Ballet (sa) incPresident Barbara MarrettThe australian Ballet schoolDirectorMarilyn Rowe OBE

Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra through Opera Australia Orchestra VictoriaSydney Opera HouseTrustQueensland Performing Arts Centre

support from Private FoundationsANZ Trustees through the Sandy Michell LegacyThe Cory Charitable FoundationThe Greatorex FoundationFirst impressions Adelaide Bank Charitable FoundationJames N Kirby FoundationNewsboys FoundationPierce Armstrong TrustSnowy Nominees Pty LtdThe Profield FoundationThyne Reid Charitable TrustsWilliam Angliss (Vic) Charitable FundLasting impressions The Flew Foundation

Private Giving support Renaissance Tours –Preferred Private Giving tour operatorDendy Films & Kino Dendy Cinemas

Correct as at14 February 2008

Private Giving The Australian Ballet

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Melbourne The Australian Ballet Centre 2 Kavanagh Street, Southbank Victoria 3006 Telephone (03) 9669 2700 mail@australianballet.com.au australianballet.com.au

sydney The Australian Ballet Level 3 10 Hickson Road, The Rocks Sydney 2000 Telephone (02) 9252 5500 The Australian Ballet ABN 57 004 849 987

Patron General Michael Jeffery ac cvo mc (Retd) Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia BoaRD Chairman David CrawfordDeputy Chairman Christopher KnoblancheDirectors Robert O Albert ao, rfd, rd Sallyanne Atkinson ao Toni Cody Julie da Costa oam Li Cunxin Felicity Gunner oam Sarah Murdoch Marilyn Rowe Cowden obe Steven Skala Peter SmedleyHonorary Life Members Elizabeth Albert Robert Albert ao rfd rd Timothy K F Cox ao Maina Gielgud ao John McCallum ao,cbe Frederick W Millar ao, cbe Lady Porter Lady Potter ac, dlj Dame Margaret Scott dbe Lady Southey am Josie Woodgate oam

ManaGeMenT artistic Director David McAllister am

acting executive Director Patrick McIntyreMusic Director and Chief Conductor Nicolette Fraillonassociate artistic Director Danilo Radojevic aRTisTiC Ballet Principal Coach and Ballet Mistress Fiona TonkinBallet Mistress and Repetiteur Wendy Walker

Ballet Mistress and Rehabilitation Facilitator Noelle ShaderChoreologist and Ballet Master Mark KayResident Choreographers Stephen Baynes Stanton WelchGuest Coach Steven Heathcote am

Guest Teacher Mary LiMusic Principal Pianist and Music Librarian Stuart MacklinPianist and associate Music Librarian Duncan SaltonPianist Belinda McGlynnBallets Russes Project assistant Debra Howlettartistic Management Personal assistant to the artistic Director and Ballet Coach Megan Connellyartistic administrator Frank Leoartistic Co-ordinator Shani Pearceeducation education Programme Manager Colin Peasley oam

Director of Marketing, special Projects Yvonne Gateseducation Consultant Helen CameronMedical Medical Co-ordinator Dr Ken Crichtonsports Physician Dr Andrew GarnhamPrincipal Physiotherapist Susan MayesPhysiotherapists Tim Buckley Leanne Rath

Myotherapist Stuart BuzzaConsultant General Practitioner Dr Vicki HigginsBody Conditioning specialist Paula Baird Colt sTaGe Company Management Director of operations Helen McCormackCompany Managers Kerry-Anne Cook Robyn Finchamassistant Company Manager Jasmine Moseleyoperations Co-ordinator Noeleen KingTravel and Freight Co-ordinator Michelle SaultryTravel and operations assistant Lynne McDougallTechnical and Production Technical Production Director Jo SapirTechnical Manager Darren Conwaystage Manager Fiona Boundyassistant stage Manager Victoria Woolley Master Technician Bruce GordonMaster electrician John BerrettWardrobe Master Geoffrey HarmanMechanists Bart Kendall Avon Kilcullenelectrician Michael Pearceassistant Wardrobe Master Ian Martlew

Production Co-ordinator and administrator, The Dancers Company Angela EmbletonProduction Manager, Wardrobe Michael WilliamsPurchasing Co-ordinator Jenny HowardHead Costumier/Women’s Cutter Kerry CumberbatchGentlemen’s Cutter Peggy Moadsenior Costumier Maureen RyanCostumiers Marcia Bergh Jessie Dole Ruth OwenCasual Costumiers Penelope Bjorksten Naomi Clegg Corinne Gibbs Angela Mesiano Musette Molyneaux Fiona Page Kate Powers Trudy ScottHead of Millinery Vicki CarProduction secretary Dana Morfettscenery and Properties Production Manager, scenic Scott Mathewsonscenic Workshop Manager Paul Andersonstore Wardrobe Manager Barbara Langleystore Mechanist Warren Rice MaRKeT DeVeLoPMenT Marketing Marketing Manager Philippe MagidCRM Project Manager Paula KittCampaign Marketer Daniel Burns

online and Direct Marketer Natalie VerheggenMarketing assistant Alycia FrenchMerchandising Co-ordinator Nicole SmithPublications and Website editor Kate ScottGraphic Designer Jasmin TulkCustomer services Manager Amalia HordernDatabase administrator Richard LaslettCustomer services supervisor Pam MartinCustomer services - ViP Co-ordinator Bradley GrimshawDevelopment Corporate Partnerships Manager Sophie WebsterDevelopment account Manager Claire O’Riordannational events Manager Fionn MeikleDevelopment assistant Tiffany MoultonPublicity Media Relations Manager Vanessa DuscioPublicist Donna Cusack FUnDRaisinG Director, endowment and Private Giving Kenneth WatkinsPrivate Giving Manager (nsw, act) Jane DiamondPrivate Giving operations Co-ordinator Sharyn GilhamPrivate Giving events Co-ordinator Donna Brearley

Data Co-ordinator and assistant to Private Giving Director Melissa HartyPrivate Giving assistant Katherine Chien FinanCe anD aDMinisTRaTion Finance Director John OrrFinance Manager Greer MarshalliT Manager Damien Calvert Payroll administrator Andrew Smalleyassistant accountants Denise Barratt Felicity Fredericksonoffice administrator Tracy HosierPersonal assistant to the acting executive Director Clare GrayReceptionist Jenny Abramson HUMan ResoURCes Human Resources Manager Helen Williams eHs Co-ordinator Marina Milankovic aUsTRaLian BaLLeT CenTRe PTY LTD ABN 16 005 363 646Directors David Crawford (Chairman)Building services administrator Jackie HarrisCar Park Manager John Vanderstocksenior Car Park attendant Brendon Richardson

Principal Sponsor

Lead Sponsors

Major Sponsors

Supporting Sponsors

Government Partners

In everything we do, Telstra is there with us

Proudly supporting The Australian Ballet and the national Education Programme

Official outdoor media partner

Your global fresh produce partner

Australia’s leading Mind & Body Health Clubs

The Dancers Company tour clothing sponsor

The classics – quality, service and style

The Australian Ballet is assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body

Madison and the Ballet: read it, live it

A unique Australian expression of world-class luxury accommodation

Creating prosperity through property

Proudly supporting The Australian Ballet

The Australian Ballet is assisted by the New South Wales Government through the New South Wales Ministry for the Arts

Official airline of The Australian Ballet

Méthode Tasmanoise®: Exclusive sparkling wine sponsor

Roses Only and Lush Flowers – delivering floral arrangements in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Melbourne

The Australian Ballet acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government through Arts Victoria – Department of Premier and Cabinet

Playing Australia

Official wine sponsor

Australia’s arts and entertainment TV channel

The Age - If Victoria’s best Arts coverage matters to you

New South Wales’ favourite daily newspaper

Paspaley Pearls: unique Australian beauty on the world stage

Supporting the magic of ballet

Company & Directors Business & Government Partners

Celebrating 50 years of automotive excellence in Australia

As at 18 February 2007

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Concertmaster Aubrey Murphy

acting associate Concertmaster Huy-Nguyen Bui

ViolinKiyondo IshizakaAdrian Keating+Catalin Ungureanu+Tony Gault+Mark Fitzpatrick* Virginia BluntRachel EastonYu-Qing Rebecca IrwinMarek KruszynskiAirena NakamuraSamuel PodjarskiDaniel RosenbaumRobert SekJaroslaw TalarRachel WestwoodPatrick WongUrsula Nelius

ViolaVirginia ComerfordAmanda Murphy* David DixonMagda KruszynskaMarilyn WilsonRobyn Stout

CelloZoltan Szabo Eszter Mikes-Liu* Andrew Hines*Henry Urbanavicius** Pierre EmeryMargaret Iddison

Double BassBrett Berthold Andrew Meisel*Edmund BastianJennifer PennoDavid Cooper

FluteElizabeth Pring Amanda Hollins*Alistair Howlett

PiccoloDiane Berger

oboeConall McClure Matthew Tighe*Mark Bruwel

Cor anglaisAndrew Malec

ClarinetPeter Jenkin Richard Rourke*

Bass ClarinetEuan Huggett

BassoonDouglas EyreMatthew Ockenden*

Contra BassoonGillian Hansen

HornMichelle PerryAnton Schroeder* Saul Lewis Victoria ChatterleyLisa Wynne-Allen

TrumpetJoshua ClarkeBruce Hellmers*Brian Evans

TromboneGregory van der Struik Brett Favell*William Farmer

Bass TromboneBrett Page

TubaMatthew Walmsley

Percussion Bruce Cotterill Darryl Turner*

TimpaniDavid ClarenceAllan Watson*

HarpJane Rosenson

Italics Principal+ Principal 1st Violin * Associate Principal** Deputy Principal

Board of DirectorsChairman Gordon Fell

Anson Austin oam

Philip Bacon am

Gordon CairnsRowena Danziger am

Julia KingDavid Malouf ao

Tim McFarlaneHarold Mitchell ao

Robert MorganRichard Owens oam

Ziggy Switkowski

Chief executiveAdrian Collette

Music Director Richard Hickox cbe

executive ProducerStuart Maunder

Director of Human Resources and orchestral services Vernon Winley

orchestral Management

orchestra ManagerAndrew Snell

assistant orchestra ManagersCharlotte Binns-McDonaldRhonda JonesGerard PataccaSimon Thew

staging assistantScott Moon

australian opera and Ballet orchestra LimitedABN 32 003 889 156PO Box 291 Strawberry Hills NSW 2012The Opera Centre480 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010Telephone (02) 9699 1099Facsimile (02) 9699 3184

The Concertmaster’s desk is sponsored by the Board of Opera Australia.

The Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra Limited, a subsidiary company of Opera Australia, is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body, and by the NSW Government through Arts NSW.

Auditors Ernst & YoungBankers Commonwealth Bank of Australia

Orchestras

artistic Director and Co-Concertmaster Jo Beaumont**

Deputy Concertmaster Roger Jonsson

Violin Susan Pierotti (First Violin) Ellen Mentiplay* (First Violin)Yi Wang (Second Violin)Iseult Stephenson* (Second Violin) Elizabeth Ambrose Seung Baik Lubino Fernandes (Principal Second Violin Emeritus)Rachel GamerMatthew HassallRachael HuntCeridwen Jones Mara Miller (Associate Concertmaster Emerita) Philip Nixon John Noble Martin Reddington Christine RuiterPhilippa WestJulien DupontClaire Tyrell

Viola Paul McMillan Hannah Forsyth* (Principal Emerita)Catherine BishopJason BunnNadine DelbridgeRaymond HopeAndrew Jakopanetz

Cello Diane Froomes* Sarah Cuming Philippa Gardner Tania Hardy-Smith Andrea Taylor

Double Bass Davin Holt Dennis Vaughan* Matthew ThorneStuart Riley

FluteLisa-Maree AmosLorraine Bradbury

Piccolo Michael Smith

oboe Stephen Robinson Joshua de Graaf*

Cor anglaisEve Newsome

ClarinetPaul Champion Richard Doumani*

Bass ClarinetAndrew Mitchell

Bassoon Lucinda Cran Tahnee Van Herk*

Contrabassoon Glenn Prohasky

French HornRichard Runnels Deborah Hart* Linda HewettJasen Moulton

Trumpet Craig Ross Anthony Pope* Mark SkillingtonRobert Smithies

Trombone Scott Evans Anthony Gilham*

Bass Trombone Geraldine Evers

Tuba David Martin

Harp Mary Anderson

Timpani Chris Lane Guy du Blêt*

Percussion Conrad Nilsson Paul Sablinskis*Guy du Blêt

Italic print denotes Section Principal* Denotes the player

who leads the section in the absence of the Section Principal.

** Orchestra Victoria is proud to associate Marcia Wertheimer with the Artistic Director Chair in recognition of her generous support.

orchestra Victoria acknowledgements

SupportersProgram PatronsLady Southey am Patron of the Supporter ProgramMiss Betty Amsden oam Patron of the Friends ProgramGeoff Handbury ao

BenefactorsMiss Betty Amsden oam

Mr David Mandie am obe

Dame Elisabeth Murdoch ac dbe

Lady Southey am

John Wertheimer am & Marcia Wertheimer

PatronsMr Robert Albert ao rfd, rd & Mrs Libby AlbertGeoff Handbury ao

Jigsaw FarmsDr Peter A Kingsbury, Gippsland Dental Group

Maestro Circle (Bequestors)Miss Betty Amsden oam

Alan EganRosemary ForbesIan HockingGraeme Studd Michael Walker

associatesAlan BeckettStephen W BoltonBeth & Tom BrucePeter & Ivanka CanetEvelyn & Tom DanosDr Peter EngWilliam J Forrest am

Mrs Neilma GantnerGaye & John GaylardIsabella Green oam

David I GibbsBetty & John HiggsDarvell M Hutchinson am Dr Alastair JacksonCarmel & Peter JohnsonPeter & Barbara KollinerYvonne & Phillip MarshallMaple-Brown Abbott Investment ManagersHeather McKenzieMcPherson Media GroupDon & Angela MercerMichelle & Ian MooreBaillieu Myer ac

Lady Potter ac

Mr John RedmanMichael Robinson ao & Judith RobinsonStephen & Kate Shelmerdine Gillian StillwellRoss & Daphne TurnbullMrs Wendy WeightErna & Neil Werner oam Slome-Topol Family Charitable Trust

enthusiastsJo & Ian BarkerIan Hocking & Rosemary ForbesMrs Norma LeslieNicholas Lis & Gay MichauDavid McAlpineAnne McCamishJohn McConnellMichelle & Ian MooreJason RonaldKenneth W Park

Community SupportPrincipal Regional PartnersBendigo BankColonial Foundation Helen Macpherson Smith TrustThe Ian Potter FoundationVicHealthThe William BucklandFoundation

Principal Community Partner Tattersall’s George Adams Foundation

supporting PartnersThe A L Lane FoundationBesen Family FoundationThe Gandel Charitable TrustEstate of John W CaffreyThe Jack Brockhoff FoundationElias & Colleen JreissatiThe Myer FoundationThe Lord Mayor’s Charitable Fund (Eldon & Anne Foote Trust)William Angliss (Victoria) Charitable FundGwen & Edna Jones FoundationThe Ray & Joyce Uebergang Foundation

Regional education PartnersCollier Charitable FoundationMargaret Stewardson Charitable Trust

Business PartnersBib Stillwell BMWEquity TrusteesJohn Wertheimer and CompanyIluka Resources Limited

Business associatesAce RadioAllens Arthur Robinson Chandler Direct Personalised CommunicationColiban Water Bendigo Ernst & YoungKent Moving & StorageKPMG

Business supporters3MBS FM 103.5Kawai PianosIn Full BloomShelmerdine VineyardsTremayne Salon

Government PartnersCity of Greater BendigoCity of Greater SheppartonHorsham Rural City CouncilLatrobe City CouncilMildura Rural City CouncilCity of BoroondaraCity of MelbourneHobsons Bay City CouncilSouthern Grampians Shire CouncilWarrnambool City CouncilFor information about the Orchestra Victoria donation, bequest and sponsorship program, please call: 03 9694 3600 or email: peter.garnick@ orchestravictoria.com.au

Orchestra Victoria is assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

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the arts CentrePO Box 7585St Kilda Road Melbourne Vic 8004Telephone (03) 9281 8000Facsimile (03) 9281 8282Website theartscentre.com.au

Victorian arts Centre TrustPresidentCarrillo Gantner

Deborah BealePaul BrasherMichael DaddoMem KirbyAilsa PiperProfessor Leon van Schiak ao

David VigoJanet Whiting

Chief executiveTim Jacobs

The Arts Centre gratefully acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government and the support of its donors through the Arts Angels Program.

For your information The management reserves the right to add, withdraw or substitute artists and to vary the programme as necessary. The Trust reserves the right of refusing admission. Cameras, tape recorders, paging machines, video recorders and mobile telephones must not be operated in the venue.In the interests of public health, the Arts Centre is a smoke-free area.

Qantas Airways Limited ABN 16 009 661 901

New release movies you can stop and start as you wish.

Like being at home.

Without the phone ringing.

Audio and Video on Demand now in International Business.

Our award winning in�ight entertainment gives you your own personal screen and a choice of over 300 audio and video programs that you can start, stop, fast forward and rewind, as often as you like.* And best of all, you don’t have to share the remote.

*Audio and Video on Demand is available on all B747-400 and A330-300 �ights.

Proud to supportThe Australian Ballet.

The Spirit of Australia. qantas.com

sydney opera HouseBennelong Point GPO Box 4274 Sydney 2001 NSWadministration (02) 9250 7111Box office (02) 9250 7777Facsimile (02) 9250 7666Website sydneyoperahouse.com

sydney opera House TrustMr Kim Williams am (Chair)Mr John BallardMr Wesley EnochMs Renata Kaldor ao

Ms Jacqueline Kott Mr Robert Leece am

Ms Sue Nattrass ao

Mr Leo Schofield am

Ms Barbara WardMr Evan Williams am

executive Management Chief executive Richard EvansDirector, Facilities Paul AkhurstDirector, Finance & systems David Antaw Director, Marketing & Development Naomi GrabelDirector, Performing arts Rachel HealyDirector, People & Culture Rick BrowningDirector, information systems Claire SwaffieldDirector, Tourism & Visitor operations Maria Sykes

Venues

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An exciting opportunity to discover the world of The Australian Ballet. In this entertaining and enlightening ninety-minute programme, you will see the grace and athleticism of the dancers demonstrated in a shortened class, before being introduced to members of the orchestra. Then the dancers will perform Jerome Robbins’ The Concert, one of the most hilarious ballets ever made!

sUiTaBLe for everyone age 10 to adult Schools groups – comprehensive Teachers’ kits are available

to download from australianballet.com.au/education

MeLBoURne with Orchestra Victoria Wednesday 11 June - 11.30am to 1pm the Arts Centre, State Theatre

sYDneY with Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra Wednesday 14 May - 11.30am to 1pm Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House

BooKinGs For prices and bookings visit australianballet.com.au or call 1300 369 741 for details

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Major Sponsor National Education Programme

HURRY BooK eaRLY – seaTs aRe seLLinG FasT

For tHiS produCtionCostumes executed by The Australian Ballet production division.Scenery and properties manufactured by ShowworksScenery and properties painted by Scenic Studiosprogramme edited by Kate Scottprogramme designed by Jasmin Tulkportrait photography by James Braundthe Australian ballet 2008 identity 3 Deep Design www.3deep.com.au

The cast for this performance is available on the nightly cast list which is issued free of charge to patrons. The Australian Ballet reserves the right to cancel or alter any detail of this season, or any performance forming part of this season, as it considers necessary.

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2008

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