Jan McNulty Posted January 10, 2023 Share Posted January 10, 2023 Press Release Date of issue: Tuesday 10 January 2023 THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET ANNOUNCES LONDON TOUR IN AUGUST 2023 Returning to the Royal Opera House after 35-Year Absence 2–6 August 2023 / Royal Opera House, London The Australian Ballet today announced that the company will tour to the Royal Opera House in London in August 2023 as part of its 60th anniversary celebrations. The 2023 London Tour will be the first international tour for The Australian Ballet under the leadership of Artistic Director David Hallberg and will see the company perform Kunstkamer - one of the most ambitious contemporary dance productions ever to appear as part of its repertoire. Complementing Kunstkamer will be a one performance only 60thAnniversary Celebration showcasing The Australian Ballet in some of its signature repertoire. The Australian Ballet’s Artistic Director David Hallberg said: “As celebrations for our 60th anniversary get underway and we set our sights on the next decade, we look forward to bringing The Australian Ballet back to our audiences in the United Kingdom (UK) and internationally.” “The Royal Opera House was a special place for me during my career as a dancer and I am so excited to bring The Australian Ballet back to this storied theatre after an absence of 35 years, reinforcing the company’s reputation for excellence on the world stage.” The rich tradition of The Australian Ballet performing in the UK began in 1965, with subsequent tours in 1973, 1976, 1988, 1992, 2005, 2008 and 2016. Embarking on the international tour is set to involve a touring party of up to 100 people, including dancers, musicians, wardrobe, medical, technical, production and support staff, along with 3 shipping containers filled with staging and hundreds of costume items. Federal Arts Minister The Hon. Tony Burke said: “As Australia’s national ballet company, The Australian Ballet has a long history of international touring that has taken the company to 37 countries and 88 cities since it was founded in 1962. This tour to London once again presents opportunities to showcase The Australian Ballet’s position as a great cultural ambassador for Australia, highlighting the skill and talent of Australian artists and creative talent.” The London tour will be supported by The Australian Ballet’s Principal Partner Telstra, Official Airline Partner Qantas and Media Partner Times Media Limited. Created for the pioneering dance company Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) in celebration of its 60th anniversary, The Australian Ballet become the first company outside of NDT to perform Kunstkamer in April 2022 with the company’s performances receiving critical acclaim and standing ovations in Sydney and Melbourne. “Kunstkamer showcases the rich diversity of the dancers of The Australian Ballet, while also highlighting the groundbreaking work of four of the most sought-after choreographers working today - Sol León, Paul Lightfoot, Crystal Pite and Marco Goecke,” Hallberg said. The Australian Ballet – 2023 London Tour 2 – 6 August 2023 Ticketing information will be released in the coming months ABOUT KUNSTKAMER Kunstkamer, which translates from the Dutch as ‘chamber of art’ or ‘art cabinet’, draws inspiration from The Cabinet of Natural Curiosities, a 1734 book in four volumes by Dutch pharmacist, zoologist and collector Albertus Seba. At the intersection of science and art, a cabinet of curiosities brings together fascinating objects from around the world, displaying seemingly disparate items in ways that give them new meaning. The result is a two-act contemporary ballet comprising many short movements, woven elegantly together with key dance motifs and recurring characters. This artfully arranged selection of pieces wittily interrogates the possibilities of dance, from the most poetic pas de deux to the mesmerising, intricately choreographed group scenes, involving the entire company of dancers. An eclectic musical roster includes a mix of live orchestral pieces, recorded songs, and works played at an old upright piano stationed onstage alongside the dancers. Kunstkamer features music by Beethoven, Janis Joplin, Schubert, Arvo Pärt, Joby Talbot and Ólafur Arnalds, among others. Set design by Sol Leon and Paul Lightfoot places the action within a vast space enclosed by grand neoclassical-style facades, with dancers entering and exiting through many different doors on two levels. Elements of song, film, and spoken word add further texture to the world of curiosities created in this mysterious hall. PRODUCTION CREDITS Choreography: Sol León, Paul Lightfoot, Crystal Pite, Marco Goecke Composers: Ólafur Arnalds, Béla Bertók, Ludwig van Beethoven, Benjamin Britten, Christoph W Gluck, Lorenz Hart, Janis Joplin, Arvo Pärt, Henry Purcell, Richard Rodgers, Jose Sandoval, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss Jr., Joby Talbot, Willie Mae Thornton Costume design: Joke Visser, Hermien Hollander Original lighting design Tom Bevoort, Udo Haberland, Tom Visser Set Design: Sol León and Paul Lightfoot Film concept, direction and choreography: Sol León Filmed and edited by Rahi Rezvani World Première 3 October 2019, Zuiderstrandtheater, The Hague, the Netherlands Australian Premiere 29 April 2022, Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, Sydney 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted January 10, 2023 Share Posted January 10, 2023 And may I point out once again that 2023 is not the 60th anniversary - that was 2022. I suppose they're fudging the dates because of not performing for nearly a year between March 2020 and February 2021. Annoyed in Albury 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FionaM Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 6 hours ago, Sophoife said: And may I point out once again that 2023 is not the 60th anniversary - that was 2022. I suppose they're fudging the dates because of not performing for nearly a year between March 2020 and February 2021. Annoyed in Albury in the Uk the 2022/2023 season runs from September 2022 through August 2023. If that helps ‘accept’ the fudging. 🤣 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 Thanks @FionaE but no, AusBallet's season is March to December, and August is slap bang in the middle of the 2023 season. I'm going to grump about this in person next time I see Mr Hallberg 😠 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bangorballetboy Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 14 hours ago, Sophoife said: And may I point out once again that 2023 is not the 60th anniversary - that was 2022. I suppose they're fudging the dates because of not performing for nearly a year between March 2020 and February 2021. Annoyed in Albury Nowhere in the press release does it say that 2023 is the company's 60th anniversary. It refers to the tour being part of the anniversary celebrations. The first performance by TAB was on 2 November 1962 so the tour will take place before the 61st anniversary of the company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 The press release says "As celebrations for our 60th anniversary get underway and we set our sights on the next decade..." That's pretty clear that the 60th anniversary has not yet begun to be celebrated. AusBallet has been promoting 2023 as its 60th anniversary season since the programme in Australia was announced last year. This is disingenuous, misleading, and whatever other words one may care to use. It's also, plainly, wrong. The season, as I also said above, runs during a calendar year, so the 2022 season was the 60th season, ending in Sydney in December 2022. The season that starts in March 2023 is in fact the 61st. No further correspondence will be entered into, as I'm sure most people are bored with my vehemence by now. Thanks mods for your patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanJL Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 This seems to be the difference between the 60th year (ie the one that starts the day after the 59th anniversary and continues until the 60th anniversary) and the year when the company is 60 (which goes from the 60th anniversary up to the day before the 61st anniversary). Comparing to birthdays, it would be natural to celebrate a 60th birthday once someone has turned 60 rather than in there 60th year (whilst they are 59). So if TAB turned 60 just over two months ago, it does make sense to celebrate the anniversary this year. Assuming they've had a season every year, this would indeed be the 61st season. But also the season of the 60th anniversary. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 (edited) This is fantastic news and the coming true of one of my two wishes (not saying what the second wish is yet in case I jinx it) I’d been hoping for ever since the premiere of Kunstkamer by Australian Ballet! I must say I wasn’t actually expecting it to come true so quickly - that’s actually part of this season for us! Big thanks to David Hallberg and the rest of the leadership of Australian Ballet (TAB)! Thanks for posting the press release so efficiently, Janet. There was a flurry of excitement yesterday morning after TAB and ROH both announced it on social media but with no dates. I’ve never seen so much interest declared even from people abroad - wanting to book dates for relatives and friends. (Not even when high profile companies from Eastern Europe or across the Atlantic visit!) I do understand what Sophoife means but I interpreted it as “we celebrate the 60th anniversary at home, and then by taking a [working] holiday abroad, the following year. An extended celebration.” If any consolation to Australian audiences, it will only be a very short visit to London of less than a week, so Australia will have TAB back very soon after that. Am also noticing what a brave decision it is bringing a purely contemporary dance work and just one night (for now) of a mixed bill. No box office safe bets such as the Tchaikovsky classics or famous recognisable story names like Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, etc. I am looking forward to it with great interest. My 2-6 August has now been reserved for TAB. 😊 Edited January 11, 2023 by Emeralds 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alison Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 60th celebrations should, of course, always be extended 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 I’m still waiting to hear back from Oz friend whether she’s actually seen the Kunstkamer Ballet but she initially thought it an odd work for Aus Ballet to bring to UK and to Europe as it’s a totally modern work ( originally for NDT). I think perhaps she feels we are already exposed to and have opportunity to see many more modern works over here. Anyway meanwhile I’ve been reading up about it and one good thing is that although the music is pretty eclectic it looks like all good stuff whether classical composers or more pop/upbeat/ modern pieces so at least it definitely won’t be awful to listen to! So far I’ve not seen a single bad review about the Piece so it could turn out to be a bit of a winner!! The Crystal Pite parts of the Work will probably seem familiar to RB audiences from what I could see from the videos but I hope Hallberg will dance his role in it when they come over. It’s useful looking at the videos to get an idea of who to book to see but if he is dancing I’d definitely want a Hallberg performance. So looks like at least two performances to book as would want to see the other programme which goes with this more modern Piece. A pity the visit is so short so am assuming they are going to other countries besides UK. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 2 hours ago, Emeralds said: I interpreted it as “we celebrate the 60th anniversary at home, and then by taking a [working] holiday abroad, the following year. An extended celebration.” I may have fudged the truth of my intentions earlier, much like the Australian Ballet 😉 No celebrations or commemorations of the 60th anniversary were held at all in 2022. Certainly no gala was held. The company has always celebrated its anniversaries in the year in which the birthday falls, not the year after. Okay I really promise that's it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 (edited) Sophoife ….have you seen the Kunstkamer Piece? Ah Sorry Sophoife I’ve just been on another thread and see you did mention you’d seen it there. Will definitely give it a go as it seems to have impressed most of those who’ve seen it and I know the music won’t be grating!!! Edited January 11, 2023 by LinMM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 (edited) 3 hours ago, Sophoife said: I may have fudged the truth of my intentions earlier, much like the Australian Ballet 😉 No celebrations or commemorations of the 60th anniversary were held at all in 2022. Certainly no gala was held. The company has always celebrated its anniversaries in the year in which the birthday falls, not the year after. Okay I really promise that's it. Very sad to hear that, Sophoife. Mind you, they wouldn’t be the first major company that appeared to miss or forget an important anniversary. But Australian Ballet do have one mitigating reason that no others do, and that’s the pandemic - various ongoing Covid outbreaks and restrictions which would have made it extremely risky to plan any major celebrations in advance. Just as a marker to remind myself, in January 2022 athletes still needed Covid vaccinations and proof of them or a cast iron reason for exemption in order to play in the Australian Open, leading to a few arrivals from abroad deliberately or unwittingly flouting the rules. Weren’t there also a couple of cities where Australian Ballet visits had to be cancelled too, eg 17-19 February 2022 in Melbourne Park? It would have been expensive and too risky to plan a big gala or lavish celebration only to have it cancelled if cases rose and restrictions/lockdowns returned while bills and contracts still have to paid. The difficult thing of course is that Australian Ballet’s seasons, like other performing arts seasons , the school year, the university year, etc in Australia, all begin and end in the same calendar year, so there’s no option of having it the following year like in Europe and saying, “well it’s still the same season”. I think in such uncharted territory such as a global pandemic, they can be forgiven for having to push everything a year later (a bit like the Tokyo Olympics where it was still called the 2020 Olympics although a year late) due to caution and reducing the risk of (further) financial damage to the company and hence its artists and staff. It’s disappointing, I agree, but nobody wants to have to risk firing corps de ballet members or coaches because they weren’t careful enough with the finances. Edited January 11, 2023 by Emeralds 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Q Fan Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 If it's modern I'll give it a miss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angela Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 And you don't know what you're going to miss. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jan McNulty Posted January 12, 2023 Author Share Posted January 12, 2023 1 hour ago, Angela said: And you don't know what you're going to miss. I'm hoping there will be a matinee I can go to. The school summer holidays are awkward for me with kennelling issues for my dog but I've got my fingers crossed. Having seen the reviews from Australia, I am desperate to see it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 10 hours ago, Don Q Fan said: If it's modern I'll give it a miss. As I buy a subscription to the following year's Australian Ballet season in November each year, I don't really have the choice to not buy a ticket for programmes I don't feel keen to see, because 1. the best seats always get bought by subscribers 2. a subscription is either for three or for five programmes, and I'd miss something if I only bought the three 3. buying a subscription is a substantial saving over buying individual tickets (usually five programmes for the price of 3½ individual seats), and 4. individual tickets don't go on sale until after subscribers have had a good long chance to renew or begin. As I've had to pay for it, I give any undesirable programme the courtesy of watching it. Sometimes yes I dislike it, or elements of it. Sometimes I fall in love with it. Sometimes I can appreciate the work that's gone into it even though deciding it's not for me. For example, I actually really don't like most Balanchine (except when done by NYCB), but I'll watch it in case it becomes one of the few I do enjoy. Of course, knowing the company as well as I do, sometimes I'm seduced into a piece because of who dances it! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 4 minutes ago, Sophoife said: As I've had to pay for it, I give any undesirable programme the courtesy of watching it. Well yes, but where it's not a subscription, choices have to be made (at least for most of us, for both financial and logistical reasons). And if someone has a preference for classical ballet over contemporary dance then that's going to inform their choices. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 2 minutes ago, bridiem said: Well yes, but where it's not a subscription, choices have to be made (at least for most of us, for both financial and logistical reasons). And if someone has a preference for classical ballet over contemporary dance then that's going to inform their choices. Absolutely! If that were the system here I'd prioritise as well. As AusBallet uses the subscription model I have to subscribe if I want to guarantee seeing each programme though. The good thing about a subscription is that there are two payment options: all of it up front which is a fair whack, or four equal payments, the first when you click Pay, the other three in December, January and February, so it helps ease the pain and spread the load. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Perregrino Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 Much as I love seeing them, we are awash with Sleeping Beauties, Cinderellas and a veritable ocean of Swans being beautifully danced by our domestic companies this Spring. With that in mind I’m both pleased and excited that we will have the opportunity to see an international company present a highly acclaimed work hitherto unseen in the country. How very refreshing. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peanut68 Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 My dear departed Mum would’ve loved the ‘are they or are they not 60’ debate…. She used to manipulate her age a little & got so angry (to the point of cutting all ties!!) when minor relatives would correct her!! They were similar aged to her so were of course correct… yet we when young kids always thought they were much much older than our glamorous mum!! Back to TAB! So hope I can see them 🤞🏻🤞🏻 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridiem Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 14 minutes ago, PeterS said: Much as I love seeing them, we are awash with Sleeping Beauties, Cinderellas and a veritable ocean of Swans being beautifully danced by our domestic companies this Spring. Well we're also fairly awash with Woolf Works, Creature, a new McGregor, and no doubt other contemporary works of which I'm not aware (including some that may even be danced by contemporary dance companies). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 40 minutes ago, Peanut68 said: She used to manipulate her age a little & got so angry (to the point of cutting all ties!!) when minor relatives would correct her!! My mother tried that on us. Didn't work as her youngest brother was 15 when I was born and she is 10 years older than he is. There are photos of me in attendance at Uncle Paddy's 18th birthday. Made fudging difficult for Mum! 🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
art_enthusiast Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 Just saw this, looks incredible - so when will they go on sale, when summer booking opens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophoife Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 According to ROH socials, in April 2023. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 As far as I know general public booking is on 13th April hope I’ve got that right!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oncnp Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 Summer Season booking dates (+ 5 hours) General: 13 April 2023, 4am Young ROH: 12 April 2023, 4am Friends: 14 March 2023, 5am Young Friends: 14 March 2023, 5am Friends+: 7 March 2023, 4am Supporting Friends: 2 March 2023, 4am Premium 1 Friends: 23 February 2023, 4am Premium 2 Friends: 21 February 2023, 4am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sim Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 20 minutes ago, Sophoife said: My mother tried that on us. Didn't work as her youngest brother was 15 when I was born and she is 10 years older than he is. There are photos of me in attendance at Uncle Paddy's 18th birthday. Made fudging difficult for Mum! 🤣 My mother fudged by saying (whenever we asked her how old she was) 'as old as my gums and a little bit older than my teeth'. We finally found her passport in a drawer one day and learned the truth!! When we told her, she smiled at our tenacity. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 2 minutes ago, Sim said: My mother fudged by saying (whenever we asked her how old she was) 'as old as my gums and a little bit older than my teeth'. We finally found her passport in a drawer one day and learned the truth!! When we told her, she smiled at our tenacity. Almost exactly what my mother said, except she used to say 'as old as my mouth and a little older than my teeth'. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 I’ve never manipulated nor rounded down my age. Better to be spoken of as “you look good/young for your age” than thought of (if not said out loud) “gosh, you umm, look quite old/run down considering you say you are only x years old”. Actually, I’m past caring what people think of my age or appearance 😂😆 .....being older or old means you haven’t died yet, which is always a bonus (more opportunities to see ballet!) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinMM Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 Ha ha that last sentence made me laugh Emeralds!! The most likely scenario I’m likely to tell a white lie in is if I want to do some ballet workshop ( which is not very often at all these days as involves more than just an hour and a half class 😳) and think if I tell them my real age they might think I’m too old etc and start demanding Doctors Certificates etc. …. so knocking about 5 years off (can just about get away with it) maybe something I’d be prepared to do! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emeralds Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 (edited) The doctor would probably say that anyone still dancing at the age of 50, 60, 70 or 80 is likely to be more fit and physically suited for a ballet workshop than a 30 or 40 year old who spends every day at a desk and at the pub/in front of the tv/playing Xbox for recreation and no exercise. I think most workshop organisers would be more impressed than apprehensive that you’re continuing to dance, LinMM. 😊👍 Edited January 12, 2023 by Emeralds 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scheherezade Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 3 hours ago, Emeralds said: being older or old means you haven’t died yet, which is always a bonus Or as my grandmother used to say: “There’s only one thing worse than getting old, and that’s not getting old.’ 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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