Ballets Russes in Australia: Our Cultural Revolution

Ballets Russes resources
Learn more about the Ballets Russes project with special publications, photo galleries, audio and more.

The legendary Ballets Russes
Between 1936 and 1940 the Australian public was introduced to a brilliant and exotic company of dancers, productions, stage designs, costumes and music, the likes of which had never been seen or heard here before. The Ballets Russes, Sergei Diaghilev’s dazzling company of artists (presented in Australia by his successor, Colonel Wassily de Basil) revitalised the art form of ballet and had a profound impact on Australian cultural life. Australians of all backgrounds were captivated by the dancers, who in turn came away with fond memories of Australia and its people. Some dancers elected to remain here during the tours, and thanks to them The Australian Ballet is able to trace a direct link to the Ballets Russes.

A celebration
In 2006, The Australian Ballet embarked on a four-year celebration as the cornerstone to the research project Ballets Russes in Australia: Our Cultural Revolution. The celebration pays tribute to the work and legacy of Diaghilev and de Basil, discovering and further developing the impact of the Ballets Russes companies on Australia through performances, publications, online resources and touring displays.  The performance homage to Ballets Russes began in 2006 with the Mikhail Fokine trilogy Revolutions, and continued in 2007 with Destiny, showcasing two of Léonide Massine’s symphonic ballets.

In The Australian Ballet’s 2008 performances, the Ballets Russes’ international influences will be further explored in two programmes. The first, Jerome Robbins – a celebration, is a tribute to this unique, multi-talented force in American theatre. Robbins joined Balanchine’s New York City Ballet in 1949 where he found a home. Like the artists of the Ballets Russes, Robbins spent his life exploring the many languages of dance and brought a new vocabulary to the world of classical ballet. He was a collaborator par excellence and a worthy successor to the Diaghilevien drive to continually renew the art form.

It is with similar drive that The Australian Ballet embarks upon the second programme, Interplay, supporting relationships and collaborations between choreographers, composers and designers from diverse backgrounds to create three innovative world premiere works. The different creative processes and outcomes of these artists’ collaborations will be the focus of the Ballets Russes project in this period.

Further information
Find out about Australian Ballets Russes collections, the latest discoveries, news, current events and activities from the official Ballets Russes website. For more information on The Australian Ballet’s Ballets Russes seasons to date, click here.