The Australian Ballet announces 2009 season

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Artistic Director David McAllister launched the company’s 2009 season in Melbourne on 16 September. The season features fifteen ballets that remain true to the forward-thinking spirit of this great art form.

2009 marks the centenary of the debut in the West of Sergei Diaghilev’s trail-blazing Ballets Russes. Along with other major international companies, The Australian Ballet will be honouring the influence and achievements of the Ballets Russes with special programming.

“The legacy of the Ballets Russes in Australia has been profound, intially in Europe but then globally owing to their relentless touring schedule. The Colonel de Basil Ballets Russes tours to Australia in the 1930s and 40s really galvanised the worlds of art and music in here and were instrumental in kick-starting the thriving arts scene we enjoy today. Paying tribute to them in their centenary year through dance and music will be highly fitting and a great pleasure,” said Artistic Director David McAllister.

The Australian Ballet in 2009:

· Six seasons, fifteen ballets, 156 performances: from full-length ballet classics to contemporary works by major Australianand international choreographers: Firebird and other legends, Nutcracker – The Story of Clara, Bodytorque 2.2, Paris Match, Concord and The Sleeping Beauty.

· Eight world premieres including two new works by the world’s most sought after choreographers, British luminary Wayne McGregor and St Petersburg’s Alexei Ratmansky in Concord, plus a brand-new interpretation of Firebird by one of  Australia’s greatest choreographers Graeme Murphy. Bodytorque 2.2 continues the company’s investment in emerging choreographic artists, presenting new works by Robert Curran, Damien Welch, Simone Pulga, Kevin Jackson, Remi Wörtmeyer and Reed Luplau.

· The Ballet Russes legacy: 2009 marks the centenary of the first season in Paris of the legendary Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. 2009 also marks the conclusion of our four year exploration and celebration of the impact the Ballets Russes on the world of art – and in particular, its influence on the arts in Australia.· Regional touring: The Dancers Company will present a Ballets Russes inspired programme and will present twenty-one performances in three states: Victoria, Queensland and Northern Territory, engaging more people than ever in regional Australia

· Music: An extraordinary range of scores by great compesers including Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Bizet and Chopin will be played live by the Australian Ballet and Opera Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria and Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

· Guest stars: Former Principal Artist and Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet Marilyn Jones and Australian dance veteran Ai-Gul Gasina will guest star in the pivotal role of Clara the Elder in Graeme Murphy’s Nutcracker. (International guest stars TBA)