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The best of the sixties, the seventies and the eighties
Three iconic works that formed The Australian Ballet’s innovative reputation in contemporary dance are given fresh life by a new generation of stars.
Genre: 20th-century classical mixed bill
“Beyond Twelve is a close rival to Glen Tetley’s Gemini as the best short work commissioned by The Australian Ballet” The Age
“Great is not too big a word for this fascinating combination of Australian artistry – Helpmann’s remarkable story and innovative choreography, Malcolm Williamson’s brilliant music and Sir Sidney Nolan’s magical bushland setting.” The Daily Telegraph on The Display
This triple bill features The Display, Sir Robert Helpmann’s first work on the fledgling Australian Ballet. Inspired by a dream in which he saw a naked Katharine Hepburn on a dais surrounded by lyrebirds, and informed by his and Hepburn’s observation of the birds in Victoria’s Sherbrooke Forest, The Display slyly relates mating rituals to the behaviour of men fighting over a woman at an Aussie picnic.
Gemini, created on The Australian Ballet in 1973, is a blazingly original work that still looks contemporary today. Glen Tetley was a pioneer of a style that synthesised classical movement and a modern vocabulary. Set to Hans Werner Henze’s challenging score, this ballet stretches its dancers to the limit.
Graeme Murphy’s Beyond Twelve, commissioned by Artistic Director Marilyn Jones in 1980, is a moving look at a dancer’s life, from larky, football-mad boyhood to young love and early success through to a hard-earnt, lonely maturity.
This trio of Australian classics looks back to our history and forward to our future.
The Display (1964)
Choreography Robert Helpmann
Music Malcolm Williamson
Production design Sidney Nolan
Original lighting design William Akers
Recreation of Sir Sidney Nolan’s scenic backdrops made possible with the support of
The Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation’s Eldon & Anne Foote Trust
Gemini (1973)
Choreography Glen Tetley
Music Hans Werner Henze's 'Symphony No.3'
Set and costume design Nadine Baylis
Original lighting design William Akers
Beyond Twelve (1980)
Choreography Graeme Murphy
Music Maurice Ravel's 'Piano Conceto in G Major'
Set and costume design Alan Oldfield
Original lighting design Christopher Maver
Lighting reproduced by Francis Croese
Venue: Opera Theatre, Sydney Opera House
Dates: 8-26 November
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