Monthly Archives: September 2010

In four days The Australian Ballet embarks on its 31st international tour to perform Graeme Murphy’s smash-hits Nutcracker – The Story of Clara and Swan Lake in Tokyo and Nagoya, Japan. What does it take to get two spectacular ballets off the ground, 8,155 kilometres across the Pacific Ocean? Read on to find out.

Packing
Touring a ballet company to Japan with two three-act ballets in tow is no mean feat. Six weeks before performances, seven 40-foot-high cube shipping containers are loaded with props, sets, make-up, leotards, tutus, pointe shoes, and medical supplies. Every single item – right down to the last pair of ballet tights – is to be declared to customs. Dancers are not allowed to take their tutus and tights on the plane, and are only allowed to pack their personal belongings. Principal Artist Danielle Rowe only “packs the essentials” (to leave enough space for Tokyo shopping, of course).

Flying
You know you’re on a long-haul flight with a company of dancers when you see legs sprouting up from the seats in front of you. For dancers who are used to spending six out of seven days in the studio, keeping blood flowing is essential. Elevating your legs so that your toes are pointing right up to the roof of the aircraft is the best kind of in-flight stretching. “We walk around a lot on the flight, too, which is probably very annoying for the other passengers,” Danielle says. “But it’s important to keep moving so we don’t feel stiff and sore when we arrive.” (more…)

29 September 2010

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Juliet Burnett. Photo Jo Duck. Make-up Nicola Snell for Napoleon Perdis
Miwako Kubota. Photo Jo Duck. Make-up Nicola Snell for Napoleon Perdis
Madeleine Eastoe. Photo Jo Duck. Make-up Nicola Snell for Napoleon Perdis

My favourite tutu: giveaway and a glimpse behind-the-scenes

By Isabel Dunstan

2011, Ballet V Fashion

In The Australian Ballet’s 2011 calendar 13 of the company’s leading ladies are featured wearing their favourite tutu. Dancers chose powder-puff, Romantic and ultra-modern tutus from a wide range of works including The Sleeping Beauty, Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, Swan Lake, Firebird and more. Soloist (and regular Behind Ballet contributor) Juliet Burnett sheds light on the tutu – the ballerina’s tool of the trade – in the calendar’s in-depth foreword.

For the calendar The Australian Ballet teamed up with photographer Jo Duck to shoot three dancers wearing their top tutu. The Melbourne-based photographer has worked with fashion labels Limedrop, chip chop! and magazines YEN, Fallen and Vice among many others. Before Jo Duck’s ballet shoot, we bumped into the studio with a mountain of tutus, three ballerinas, a make-up artist from Napoleon Perdis and their endless lipstick supply. The result? Three unique shots of three dancers wearing their favourite projecting skirts. Check out the behind-the-scenes gallery and a Q&A with Jo Duck below.

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What kind of look were you aiming to achieve with each of these tutus?
I was quite lucky to shoot three tutus which each invoked a completely different mood. For Juliet’s rehearsal tutu, I wanted a relaxed almost ‘backstage’ – but still dreamy – look. We built a wall of beautiful tutus behind her, and then framed the shot with some extra tulle in front of my lens to make the image a little more romantic. Madeleine’s tutu had an incredible shape, and I wanted to really accentuate the dramatic silhouette of the garment. We tried quite a few different poses, but I felt the strength in this pose showed off the shape and colour of this amazing tutu. Miwako’s classical tutu is so beautiful; I felt it would work best if we allowed her a few minutes to move and dance in the garment to try to capture the character of the classical ballerina – the kind you might see in paintings.

What’s your favourite tutu out of the ones featured in the 2011 calendar?
As a fan of both the X-files and Judy Jetson’s fashion sense, I must say I was most excited to shoot Madeleine’s UFO-style tutu!

You’re a bit of a ballet fan – what’s your favourite ballet?
It would have to be Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake. The set design and costumes are so beautiful. There’s one scene involving a piped wall and a bathtub which sounds a little ordinary, but it’s so breathtaking.

It doesn’t matter which ballet I see – my absolute favourite moment is when the lights go down, the orchestra begins and that beautiful red curtain rises. Incredibly relaxing!

We have five 2011 calendars valued at $25 each to give away! Tell us your favourite tutu of all time in the comments section below for your chance to win. Comp closes at 10am on Friday 1 October and we’ll announce the winners here!

Update: After a record-breaking number of comments, we’ve selected five winners who will receive their own copy of My Favourite Tutu! Winners will be contacted via email. Congratulations to these tutu lovers:

Nicole Carrick (the Sugar Plum Fairy’s tutu in The Nutcracker)
Tara (Coppélia)
Jess Hodgkinson (Theme and Variations)
Emirina (Divergence)
Lois Howard (Kitri’s tutu in Don Quixote)

Calendars available at The Australian Ballet Shop

24 September 2010

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“The greatest night of my career”

By Annie Carroll

2011, The Merry Widow

The Merry Widow is often described as a frothy and heady adaptation of the original operetta, with sumptuous sets and costumes accompanying Franz Lehár’s graceful score. What is perhaps overlooked is the intensely human narrative that propels the ballet from being a fluffy three-act romp into a poignant reverie – a vehicle for the principals to explore their maturity. This audience favourite returns to Australian stages in 2011.

First performed at Melbourne’s Palais Theatre in 1975 with choreography by Ronald Hynd, scenario by Robert Helpmann, costume and sets by Desmond Heeley, and music arranged by John Lanchbery, the ballet was the first full-length work The Australian Ballet commissioned in its 13-year history, and remains one of the company’s most popular pieces.

John Meehan, who created the role of Count Danilo, will return to Melbourne in 2011 to help stage the ballet. It will be the first time Meehan returns to work with The Australian Ballet since his departure in the late ‘70s. Meehan remembers the time of The Merry Widow’s creation as “a very good year – Bobby directing, good repertoire and good tours”. (more…)

22 September 2010

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Stephen Baynes & Anna French: two artists working in sync

By Behind Ballet

2011, Elegy

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Designer Anna French and Resident Choreographer Stephen Baynes have been collaborating for over 15 years. During this time they’ve talked endlessly about movement and fabric, drama and expression, and their shared love of music. In 2011 The Australian Ballet performs Elegy, a double bill featuring Beyond Bach and Requiem: two works choreographed by Stephen with costumes designed by Anna. Take a look at our gallery of some ballets the two artists have worked on together, including Molto Vivace which plays in Sydney this November. We also caught up with Anna and Stephen to chat about working in sync with another artist.

Anna French: I have designed costumes for seven of Stephen Baynes’ ballets and they were all very different. Sometimes there was an established narrative, other times we were interpreting the nature of the music. My costume designs are influenced by the choreographer’s style, the choice of music, the size and nature of the performance space, the set design, and the particular dancer who will be wearing the costume. (more…)

17 September 2010

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2011: stepping out

By Kitty Walker

2011

It’s the biggest annual job of The Australian Ballet’s marketing and media teams: launching the company’s season for the following year. A few months ago we spent three days photographing and filming to create imagery and mini-documentaries that aim to tell the story of what’s in store for 2011. It was so cold ice grew on heaters, flights were missed by interstate visitors, sets were built and hearts thumped at the sight of Akira Isogawa and Graeme Murphy weaving their magic in the studio. We can’t wait to do it all again next year for the company’s 50th anniversary.

Watch the 2011 season video

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Behind-the-scenes photography by Kitty Walker

15 September 2010

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The power of a muse

By Behind Ballet

2011, Bodytorque

Ballet choreographers have turned to countless influences including mythical creatures, literary figures, and soaring scores. Bodytorque.Muses allows the choreographers of tomorrow to step into the studio with the ballet stars of today and create works inspired by their muse of choice. Olivia Stewart writes about the classical concept of the muse, and questions: without the muse, would there be no art?

If you’re reading this, chances are you would not only find a world without art unbearable, but also unthinkable. Of course, art and civilisation go hand-in-hand. While the ancient Greeks loved their sport, giving us the basis for the modern Olympics, history demonstrates it was in the arts they exalted. In contrast with our contemporary society, there was no god of sport, yet there were nine goddesses of the arts (and also sciences) – the Muses – led by Apollo, the god of music.
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