State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne
October 31 2012

By Rebecca Martin.

The Australian Ballet has come a long way since it took to the stage hot on the heels of the Borovansky Ballet back in 1962.  Our national ballet company may only be 50 years old, but it has a rich history of new and old works, and has consistently been comprised of talented and versatile performers.

It is surprising then, that The Australian Ballet chose to commemorate 50 years by holding a gala of international performers rather than showing off our own fantastic company.  Perhaps it was designed more as a treat for audiences to expose them to what the rest of the world has to offer.

The first act of the night comprised a series of modern and traditional pas de deux, starting with Overture, an exhibition piece choreographed by The Australian Ballet’s Artistic Director, David McAllister. It saw the full company on stage in classic white tutus for the women and white tights for the men.  I found myself bursting with pride during that piece as I watched the dancers smiling and resplendent in their strong technique and assured artistry.

Stuttgart Ballet’s Demis Volpi first choreographed a piece for the Noverre Society’s Young Choreographers – which is that company’s version of the AB’s Bodytorque – in 2006 and has been a choreographer on the rise ever since.  His piece, Little Monsters kicked off the international part of the gala, and highlighted the intricate, quirky, physically challenging, and emotionally thoughtful trademarks of Volpi choreography.

The National Ballet of China gave us the Act II Pas de Deux from Giselle.  While ably danced, this pas de deux is one that doesn’t stand well when taken out of context from the rest of the ballet.  The Love Pas de Deux from Carmen Suite was next, performed by Mizuka Ueno and Naoki Takagishi from the Tokyo Ballet.  The role of Carmen is an exciting and seductive one, yet Ueno failed to set the stage alight in her portrayal.

Daniel Carmago and Elisa Badenes of Stuttgart Ballet. Photo by Jeff Busby

Enter, Julie Kent from American Ballet Theatre.  Undoubtedly the star everyone had come to see, she performed the bedroom Pas de Deux from Manon with all the joy of a young woman in love.  Her technique and lines are flawless, and she was ably partnered by The Australian Ballet’s own Adam Bull, who clearly shared Kent’s joy.  The pas de deux was over far too quickly and left us wanting more.

The virtuosic Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux was next and was brilliantly performed by local dancers Lana Jones and Kevin Jackson.  Jones has the right amount of ballon and quick foot work to excel in this piece, and Jackson was all technical perfection and brightness on stage as always.  This was a definite highlight.

The stars of the night, however, were undoubtedly Elisa Badenes and Daniel Camargo from Stuttgart Ballet who returned to the stage after Little Monsters to dance the famous Wedding Pas de Deux from Don Quixote.  Both only corps de ballet members, Badenes and Camargo showed the audience why Stuttgart Ballet is truly one of the greatest companies in the world.  Camargo was flawless in his execution of the many jumps and turns, and was a strong partner.  Meanwhile, Badenes had glorious long legs around her ears and held every balance of the difficult pas de deux with aplomb.  The one-handed presage lifts drew gasps from the audience (myself included) when Badenes hovered at the end of Camargo’s arm in a perfect split in seconde.

After witnessing such a spectacular performance, it was disappointing then that the second act brought us a lackluster performance of Etudes.  The ballet itself has some wonderful moments, particularly the opening scene and the diagonal jetes later in the piece.  The piece seemed to drag on a little and the company looked tired by the end.

Nonetheless, the gala was a fabulous night of diverse dancing and reminded us of the high caliber of our national ballet company.  Bring on the next 50 years!

Top photo: Artists of The Australian Ballet, 50th Gala, photo by Jeff Busby.

By Brian Nolan.

If there is one person who exemplifies a true Classical Diva of Dance then Audrey Nicholls is it. She hails from Townsville in north Queensland, but after training in Sydney and then furthering her training in London, our second diva made her home in Victoria.  (If you didn’t catch my interview with our first diva, Carole Oliver, click here)

In the world of RAD (Royal Academy of Dance) and in the performing arena Audrey Nicholls stands pointe shoes and tutus over the rest. She is renowned throughout Australasia and internationally for her contribution to the RAD and in 2010 was honoured by the board of trustees at the Academy headquarters in England with a Fellowship in recognition of her contribution and remarkable, dedicated service to the Academy.

Audrey Nicholls dances with Robert Pomie in the Pas de Deux from Don Quixote

With a career spanning 61 years, Audrey, along with Colin Peasley,  is one of the longest serving and dare I say one of the more ‘’mature’’ dancers still performing in Australia. As a valued guest artist of the Australian Ballet Company (where she has been guesting since 1992), Audrey is not only constantly performing character roles with them but still has roles created on her!

Audrey has had a very illustrious career and in her day she graced some of the world’s best stages. A soubrette, with a sensitive lyrical and artistic quality, coupled with assiduous attention to detail and a resounding technique, enabled Audrey to perform and portray a huge variety of roles.

Audrey commenced her career in 1950 where at the very young age of 16 she joined the Borovansky Ballet (now the Australian Ballet) as a member of the corps de ballet. In 1951, she won the inaugural Frances Scully Memorial Scholarship and travelled to London to further her studies. In 1952, she joined the Rambert Ballet as a soloist and in 1953 was promoted to a principal dancer. In 1955, she returned to Australia and rejoined the Borovansky Ballet as a senior soloist.  In 1958, the Ballet Guild of Victoria (Ballet Victoria) was her next stepping-stone with some outstanding principal roles especially in Giselle and Coppelia.

Audrey Nicholls performs 'Waltz' in Le Sylphides with the Ballet Rambert in London, 1954

A career in television from 1958 – 68 saw her immortalized on the small screen with both Channel 7 and Channel 2 (ABC). During this time Audrey commenced teaching the RAD Syllabus.

In 1973, Audrey Nicholls was appointed as a Graded Examiner of the Royal Academy of Dance. From 1982 to today, she has taught RAD teaching courses and classes throughout Australia. Audrey instigated the Victorian Grade Awards and was honoured when the awards were named after her this year.

Audrey is a truly remarkable lady, who is forever smiling. Her warmth and passion for the people around her and the art she loves is evident. When taking workshops or courses, teachers specifically ask for Audrey as they know that the students all come out of class beaming.

Audrey Nicholls FRAD ARAD

What influenced you to become a teacher?

I had been a professional dancer since the age of sixteen and continued until I was about 36. During this time at around 23, I was passionate about teaching ballet and wanted to give back to aspiring young students my love and experience in dance. Along with professional dancer Eve King, I began what was to become a long and rewarding journey of teaching ballet.

When you first started teaching what were your aims and ambitions?

To give the students a pure classical technique and to inspire their love of music. When I hear music, I immediately have a physical reaction to move and express myself and to bring out the artistry of the dance step. I also wanted to offer knowledge of other influential teachers and use the expertise of Martin Rubinstein (Maestro), Lynn Golding, Jack Manual and Christine Howard. We were very privileged to be a part of their education.

Have you achieved these goals?

I do feel a sense of achievement and feel rewarded to have trained many students who have gone on to wonderful professional careers not only as classical dancers but also qualified examiners, teachers, actors and stage managers. I have also trained Genee gold medallist Holly Smart and bronze medallist Pamela Smith, as well as several soloists in the Australian Ballet and Royal Ballet Companies including Delia Harrington and James Newman. One former student of note is Christine Howard who is the Character teacher at the Australian Ballet School (30 years).

What is your proudest moment in all your years of teaching?

Being recognized by my peers and having the honour to be awarded the Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Dance (2011). Also the achievement of 40 years of collaboration with Eve King and our teaching together in our ballet school.

Where do you think ballet is headed in the next 10 years?

Supply & demand – we have the supply of many talented dancers, choreographers, designers, composers and of course teachers! Dancers today have the opportunity to receive excellent training with technical ability being pushed beyond their boundaries. Contemporary and classical demands the utmost from the dancer- today there is no limit to where and what will happen in the next 10 years.

What do you think is the most important thing that has happened or influenced dance in the last 10 years?

Televised live broadcasts of performances reach thousands of people who might not normally have the opportunity to see a ballet. In addition, one of the biggest of all: YouTube

What is your favourite ballet?

I am a bit of a traditionalist, so I will say Giselle. I love the first act, the communicative story telling in the demi character style, told with drama and heartfelt emotion especially with Giselle’s acting in the ‘mad scene’.  Then the pure classicalism of Act 11, the choreography raises so many sentiments and reactions that enable the dancers to put their hearts on the line. It is a wonderful vehicle for the dancer.I grew up on Giselle, starting in the corps de ballet, then Pas de Six, Peasant Pas de Deux, Queen of the Willis and eventually the title role of Giselle.

Who is your favourite dancer?

There are three exquisite women and it is impossible for me to choose between them, they are: Natalia Makarova, Darcy Bussell and Natalia Osipova – for me they are the epitome of dance.

You are an RAD examiner. Why did you choose RAD and do you still examine?

My original teachers were Gwen Hardie and Ann Roberts FRAD, ARAD who both taught the RAD syllabi.  I found the syllabi structure and exam preparation beneficial and certainly challenging. Therefore, when I commenced teaching, the transition to RAD was a natural progression. Becoming an RAD examiner seemed to follow automatically.

I will always be grateful to Martin Rubinstein for his mentoring and guidance when I was becoming an examiner in those early days and to this day. I loved examining, meeting the different teachers and exchanging ideas. I enjoyed helping to sort out problems and addressing the needs of the country teachers where little access to examiners or experienced teachers was available. I have travelled internationally and throughout Australasia for 33 years as an examiner. As an examiner, we all were continually updated with education in dance, psychology, syllabus and new methods. It has been a very rewarding career and I continue as an RAD tutor on different faculties for courses, workshops for teachers and students, and as a Juror for RAD events.

How would you like to be remembered?

Fondly – I hope!  But also for my lifelong love of dance and my devotion to my husband David and my family.

Top photo: Audrey Nicholls in the Pas de Trios from Swan Lake – Ballet Rambert 1954.

Published by Dance Informa dance magazine – everything dance in Australia – dance auditions, dance news, dance events and resources for dance teachers.

By Rebecca Martin

“This is something of a golden age at The Australian Ballet … There’s not much it can’t do, and can’t do breathtakingly well” Herald Sun 

It’s hard to believe that The Australian Ballet will be turning 50 next year.  To celebrate, the company will be presenting a blockbuster program in 2012 including traditional ballets, experimental triple bills, the return of audience favourites, an Australian dance party, and special international gala.  Additionally, there will be extensive national and regional tours, education programs, and a free outdoor performance.  The 50^th anniversary season is the culmination of the past three years which has showcased the company’s diverse history and achievements. 

Since the company’s first performance in 1962, The Australian Ballet has defined ballet in Australia thanks to the vision of founding Artistic Director Peggy van Praagh.  With Principal Dancers from the Borovansky Ballet, a Ballet Master from The Royal Ballet and a teacher from the Pavlova Company, the repertoire consisted of international works that were successful overseas in addition to some new works created specifically for The Australian Ballet.  Some of the world’s greatest dancers came to Australia to perform as guests of the company, most notably Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev.  Peggy van Praagh established The Australian Ballet School in 1964 as the official school of the company which was directed by Margaret Scott.  The Australian Ballet School has produced some of the world’s finest dancers.

Madeleine Eastoe, Andrew Killian, Kevin Jackson, Robyn Hendrinks of The Australian Ballet. Photo Georges Antoni

In 2001, former student of The Australian Ballet School and Principal Artist with The Australian Ballet, David McAllister, was appointed as the company’s new Artistic Director.  His tenure as director has seen the company forge a more modern and fashionable image and has worked to broaden its audience both locally and internationally.  The Australian Ballet is now one of the hardest working companies in the world, presenting over 200 performances annually and boasts a varied repertoire that includes works from some of the world’s greatest choreographers.

Colin Peasley joined The Australian Ballet for its inaugural season in 1962 and has remained with the company ever since, becoming one of the audience’s most loved performers.  Born in Sydney, he trained with Valrene Tweedie and spent his early career in musicals and television.  Since joining The Australian Ballet, Colin has been ballet master and principal dancer, and is currently the director of the company’s education program.  In 1996 he was awarded a medal of the Order of Australia, and was inducted into the Australian Dance Awards Hall of Fame in 2005.

I spoke with Colin about the company’s upcoming anniversary and achievements:

Is it hard to believe that The Australian Ballet is 50 years old? 

“In 1962 when the company was founded we were administered jointly by JC Williamson and The Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust. Our first tour of Australia was reasonably successful, however this success wasn’t repeated in New Zealand where the company aborted its tour after playing only the North Island.  The Trust reacted to the financial losses made during the New Zealand tour by blaming and sacking the manager and threatening to close the company. 

Colin Peasley. Photo by James Braund

This obviously made the company feel very vulnerable. So soon after, The Australian Ballet became autonomous with its own board of management.  The careful stewardship of successive administrators has meant that the company has always equalled our artistic success with financial responsibility.  So, to answer your question – except for that first scare, I have always believed that The Australian Ballet was headed for a very long life!” 

When the company commenced all those years ago, did you (or anyone) think it would be as respected on the world stage as it is now?

“One of the saddest aspects of cultural life in Australia during the early 1900s was called the ‘cultural cringe’, where the average person believed that everything from overseas must be better than what we could produce at home.  Strangely in the arts, this actually proved to be beneficial.  Because we thought dancers trained in Europe would have a better technique or more appealing stage personalities, our dancers used this as a challenge and worked harder to become ‘performing artists’.  So much so that when The Australian Ballet first toured overseas in 1965, performing in twelve major cities including London, Paris, Copenhagen, Berlin and Los Angeles (with return seasons in Paris and London) , we were thrilled to receive rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. 

Since then the company has taken 31 overseas tours and visited 37 countries. Not bad for a company that is only a youngster when compared to the Paris Opera Ballet which was 300 years old when we were born!”

What do you think has been the biggest challenge for the company over the years and what remains its biggest challenge today?

“The dreaded tyranny of distance.  One of our major costs is transporting our dancers, staff, scenery and costumes around this big, wide country. Unlike the Royal Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet, we are not resident in one city and our charter requires us to present performances throughout Australia.” 

What sets The Australian Ballet (and its dancers) apart from ballet companies elsewhere in the world?

“Dancing not only reflects the culture of particular areas but also the lifestyle. This can be very easily seen in the dancing of Australians – broad and athletic; of the French – refined and stylish; and the English – well-mannered and exact.  Australian dancers, like Russian dancers, have a breadth of movement that is athletic and expansive reflecting the size of their home countries.  When you marvel at Australian dancers on stage you are not only appreciating their physicality but also the very essence of this wide, sunburnt country.”

Given that you’ve performed with some of the greatest dancers of all time and performed all over the world, is there an absolute highlight from your time with The Australian Ballet?

“My greatest joy, of course, was being selected to be a member of this fantastic company.  Especially as I was not only a late starter, but my only experience had been dancing on television in variety shows.  This highlight was doubled when, during The Australian Ballet’s first season we had two of the world’s most acclaimed stars, Sonya Arova and Erik Bruhn, as our guest artists. The excitement was tripled when Rudolf Nureyev came out to visit them in that Sydney season.  If there is such a thing as ‘ballet heaven’, I was in it.”

How do you see the future of dance in Australia, and more specifically, the future of The Australian Ballet?

“When The Australian Ballet began, they were not many fully professional dance companies around. Now every state has at least one professional company. To service these companies, every state also has full-time training institutions producing dancers who are respected world-wide.

Because our dance students are committing themselves to the profession earlier than in the past, we are developing artists who are both technically proficient and artistically advanced. We’re also seeing more choreographers producing work reflecting an Australian view of the world, which means the future for dance in Australia looks both interesting and exciting.”

Top photo: Kevin Jackson, Madeleine Eastoe, Robyn Hendricks, Andrew Killian of The Australian Ballet. Photo Georges Antoni.