“Baynes, Topp and Harbour show the diversity of choreographic talent in Australia, and the vast capability of the company’s dancers to adapt so fearlessly to each choreographer’s vision.”
Daily Review
A voyage through contemporary Australian dance
Alice Topp’s Aurum moved critics and audiences to superlatives, tributes and tears when it premiered in 2018. Inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi – repairing cracked pottery with precious metals – the work explores damage, healing and the beauty of our flaws. The dancers’ powerful movement and profound emotion are framed in a breathtaking staging by Jon Buswell, featuring a reflective golden floor and ripples of burnished light. This acclaimed work will have its New York premiere at the Joyce Theater in May.
Stephen Baynes’ Constant Variants mirrors the elegant classicism of Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme with velvet-soft, delicate dance. Gliding airborne, captured in warm light and vast picture frames, his dancers conjure the mesmerising beauty of Renaissance paintings.
Verve ends with a bang: Tim Harbour’s Filigree and Shadow, the hit of our 2015 contemporary program. The stripped-back clarity of its set, designed by Sydney architect Kelvin Ho, contrasts with the ferocious complexity and speed of the choreography and the drama of the specially commissioned electronic score by German duo 48nord. Adrenaline tingles all the way to the explosive finale.
In this Sydney-exclusive season, Verve takes the pulse of Australian contemporary dance– and finds it beating strong.
Presented by The Australian Ballet.
The Australian Ballet 2019 Season
In 2019, The Australian Ballet takes you beyond the everyday and into magical worlds, capturing your imagination with passionate love stories, timeless fables and dancing that will take your breath away.
Artist Information
CONSTANT VARIANTS
Choreography Stephen Baynes
Music Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Set and costume design Michael Pearce
Lighting design Jon Buswell
AURUM
Choreography and costume design Alice Topp
Music Ludovico Einaudi
Staging and lighting design Jon Buswell
Aurum was created with the support of a Rudolf Nureyev Prize for New Dance, awarded by The Joyce Theater, with major funding from the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation.
FILIGREE AND SHADOW
Choreography Tim Harbour
Music 48nord (Ulrich Müller and Siegfried Rössert)
The score for Filigree and Shadow was commissioned by The Australian Ballet in 2015.
Costume concept Tim Harbour
Set design Kelvin Ho
Lighting design Benjamin Cisterne
The 2019 season of Verve is generously supported by The Robert Southey Fund
The Music of the Dance
Pre-show talk
Free with your performance ticket
Date: 13 April
Time: 6pm (before the 7.30pm performance)
Location: Joan Sutherland Theatre Northern Foyer
Duration: up to 60 minutes
What is dance without music? Music Director and Chief Conductor of The Australian Ballet Nicolette Fraillon gives you the view from the pit as she illuminates the scores for the company's 2019 productions, telling vivid stories of the composers’ lives, giving cultural context and bringing in the musicians’ perspective.
Post-show Q&A
Free with your performance ticket
Date: 8 April
Time: after the 6.30pm performance
Location: Joan Sutherland Theatre
Duration: up to 30 minutes
How long do dancers rehearse for a performance? How do they change their costumes so quickly? Do they follow the conductor, or the other way round? Stay on after the show to put your burning questions to Artistic Director David McAllister, the conductor and two of the dancers from the performance.
Make the most of your experience...
Add a drinks voucher or drinks with a cheese platter to your purchase and redeem it at any of the foyer bars inside the Opera House – perfect for a pre-show or interval refreshment.
Join us for a meal at Opera Bar before or after your guided Sydney Opera House Tour. We’ve picked our favourites - beer battered fish & chips, rump steak or a seasonal vegetarian meal option*. No reservations needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
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