Australian Ballet

The leading classical ballet company in Australia, the Australian Ballet is also a globally renowned ballet company. The Australian Ballet has performed some of the greatest productions in Australian ballet, such as Onegin, and Romeo and Juliet. The group has done what is deemed as one of the best classical ballet films, Don Quixote. Founded by Dame Peggy van Praagh, a ballerina from England, in 1962, the Australian Ballet continues to forge into modern day ballet with the same excellence, versatility and warmth that defined their early success.

History of the Australian ballet

The founder of Australian Ballet, Dame Peggy van Praagh first took over the Borovansky Ballet Company in 1959, after the death of its founder Edouard Borovansky, a European ballet dancer. Borovansky had earlier established the Borovansky Ballet Company to tour Australia. It was also the Australia's first ballet school.

Upon van Praagh's takeover, the ballet company continued with productions, touring and ballet classes. It was in 1962 when she dissolved the Borovansky Ballet and established the Australian Ballet.

The Australian Ballet was created based on the structure of the Royal Ballet of London. Back then, the Royal Ballet was considered the world's most influential ballet group. The Australian Ballet made their first successful performance at the Her Majesty's Theatre in Sydney. Since then, the Australian Ballet has garnered the acclaim as the national ballet company of Australia.

For the first run of the Australian Ballet, the company had ballet luminaries, such as Garth Welch, Marilyn Jones and Kathleen Gorham. Ray Powell, formerly of the Royal Ballet, was the Australian Ballet's first Ballet Master. Leon Kellaway, on the other hand, was the Australian Ballet's first ballet teacher. Pretty soon, in 1967, van Praagh was able to establish the Australian Ballet School, where dancers can be trained.

Present day Australian ballet

Today, the Australian Ballet continues as the country's leading ballet company. They are based in Melbourne, and do several shows in Melbourne and Sydney each year. A week per year, they are at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. With around two hundred performances annually, the company is considered one of the world's busiest ballet companies. Its Australian Ballet School continues to produce quality graduates, many of whom move on to join the ballet company. Its vision of "Caring for Tradition, Daring to be Different" is alive and apparent, forging the company forward and into the modern age of ballet.