The Australian Ballet
Introduction
With the huge success of its tours to Europe and Asia, The Australian Ballet continues to hold its place among the elite of international ballet. With an ever-developing repertoire, the company is recognised as a major creative force, producing remarkable new versions of classic ballets and inviting the cream of contemporary choreographers to produce exciting new work.
Askonas Holt collaborated with The Australian Ballet for the first time in 2005, bringing Graeme Murphy’s powerful reworking of Swan Lake to Wales Millennium Centre and the London Coliseum – for which The Australian Ballet was named “Best Foreign Dance Company” in the UK’s National Dance Awards. The company returned in October 2008 for further performances of Rites at Sadler’s Wells (in partnership with Bangarra Dance Theatre), and Swan Lake at The Lowry in Salford.
The Australian Ballet opened the 2015 NCPA Dance Festival in Beijing with further performances of Swan Lake and a Gala Programme featuring the choreography of Serge Lifar, Stephen Baynes and Twyla Tharp. The company then continued to Shanghai, to present Alexei Ratmansky’s spectacular production of Cinderella at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. Subsequently, the company returned to China in 2018 for acclaimed performances of David McAllister’s The Sleeping Beauty in Beijing and Shanghai, and of Maina Gielgud’s Giselle in Nanjing.
During the summer of 2016, Askonas Holt – in partnership with Raymond Gubbay Limited – was thrilled to present The Australian Ballet once again at the London Coliseum, with the performances of Swan Lake and Cinderella greeted enthusiastically by critics and audiences alike.
2023 saw the company celebrate its 60th anniversary, and we were delighted to be bringing The Australian Ballet to Covent Garden in August to perform Jewels, in an exciting new era for the company with David Hallberg as Artistic Director. This will be the company’s first return to Covent Garden in 35 years.
2026 will see the company tour to the United States where we will bring their critically acclaimed production of Oscar, by Christopher Wheeldon following the life of Oscar Wilde with music by Joby Talbot. Performances will take place at the Zellerbach Hall in California and the New York City Center. The company will also appear at the 2026 Fall for Dance Festival and a Studio 5 event.
Tours
- Sep 2026USA
Oscar | Christopher Wheeldon Choreography Christopher Wheeldon Orchestra Berkeley Symphony Orchestra (California), Orchestra of St Luke's (New York) Composer Joby Talbot Stage and Costume design Jean-Marc Puissant Lighting design Jon Goldman Video Design David Bergman World premiere September 13, 2024, Regent Theatre, Melbourne, The Australian Ballet. Leadership support for this performance is provided by an anonymous donor. Major support for this performance is provided by Beth DeAtley and by Rockridge Market Hall. Tour Partners of The Australian Ballet: Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer and Macquarie Group. Oscar has been generously funded by Lady Potter AC CMRI and The David Hallberg Fund for Artistic Aspiration, and The Robert and Elizabeth Albert Music Fund. We also extend our sincere thanks to the contributors of the International Touring Fund and our US Tour supporters, whose generosity has made this landmark tour possible. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body. Joby Talbot, composer; published by Chester Music Ltd. Christopher Wheeldon’s Oscar includes extracts from Neil McKenna’s book, The Secret Life of Oscar Wilde, copyright Neil McKenna, with kind permission from the author. Zellerbach Hall, Berkley California | New York City Center, New York
