Flashback: 1962

The Australian Ballet recently unearthed a series of photographs taken in its very first year of existence, 1962. The black and white images abound with youth and promise, not just of the dancers but the young company too. This snap of Leonie Leahy perched outside The Australian Ballet’s first home in East Melbourne, a disused ladies college, recalls the easy grace of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Hepburn, who trained as a dancer, was instrumental in popularising the ballet flat, and owned hundreds of pairs of the slipper named in her honour by Italian label Salvatore Ferragamo. Over 50 years since the ‘Audrey’ first debuted, ballet flats remain hugely popular amongst the sartorially discerning, inflicting none of the tortures of high heels – or pointe shoes.

Image & text from The Australian Ballet’s 2010 calendar, à la mode: ballet & fashion, now available from The Australian Ballet Shop