Pairing the classical with the ultramodern

When Stanton Welch first presented his Divergence in 1994, audiences were taken aback by his bold approach to creating new dance. Fifteen years later, Divergence is as exciting and relevant as ever, teaming Vanessa Leyonhjelm’s industrial-strength costumes – tutus recast in air-conditioning mesh; breastplates structured from car upholstery – with Bizet’s evocative score. Finally this modern-day classic is making a much-anticipated return to the stage.

Serge Lifar’s neoclassical showpiece Suite en blanc meanwhile, is one of the grand ballets to come from the Paris Opera Ballet. This one-act work is spirited, stylish and quintessentially French; a perfect ‘white’ ballet to accompany the noir of Divergence.

Melbourne
24 June – 4 July

Read about the influence of the tutu on fashion on our new Behind Ballet blog
Watch Divergence being performed on So You Think You Can Dance

The right note -
music and dance
Ballet is full of stunning pas de deux but the partnership between music and dance is one of the most important ones played out on stage. Our newest mini documentary follows The Australian Ballet’s music department as they prepare Tchaikovsky's iconic Nutcracker score for performance. Watch the mini doco.

Buy tickets to Graeme Murphy’s Nutcracker -
The Story of Clara, opening in Melbourne next week.

Robyn Hendricks
Robyn Hendricks joined The Australian Ballet in 2005 and has since become one of the company’s shining stars. Twice nominated for the prestigious Telstra Ballet Dancer Award, Robyn is the face of 2009’s Divergence campaign and will perform in the audience favourite this June.

Read Robyn's
Dancer Download

Open classes
Our Open classes for male and female dance students across Australia are designed to encourage a sensitive approach to musical phrasing, correct alignment of the body and a greater efficiency in moving.
Melbourne:
Sunday 7 June at various times
Grade 3 to Advanced
Bookings and more info

Alice Springs, Ballarat, Cairns, Darwin, Frankston, Geelong,
Gold Coast, Rockhampton, Sale, Toowoomba various dates:
July and August
Grade 6 to Advanced
Bookings and more info

DancePlay!
for boys and girls age 5 to 11 years
DancePlay! is a new and exciting four-day winter holiday programme designed to introduce boys and girls to the concept of movement, dance-making and dance art. Full programme details and timetables are available on our website at the link below.
Melbourne:
Monday 6 July to Thursday 9 July
Australian Ballet Centre studios
Bookings and full details

Ballet website launched
NAB, a lead sponsor of The Australian Ballet and Education Programme Partner, has launched the new NAB Ballet website. It has been specially created to encourage young dancers from all across Australia to share their stories about ballet and to learn more about this wonderful art form. In particular, you can enter via this website to win one of 10 Dance the Dream experiences.
Visit nab.com.au/ballet

Australian Dance Awards show - discount on tickets
The Australian Dance Awards, the landmark dance event recognising excellence in Australian Dance, returns to the Melbourne, State Theatre on Sunday 7 June. This year The Australian Ballet Principal Artist Lucinda Dunn will co-host the Gala event. Spin readers are entitled to a 20% discount on A Reserve tickets when you quote the password 'SPIN'.
More info