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Three ballerinas seen from the waist down in silhouette wear tutus with one leg pointed behind them.

Études / Circle Electric

3 - 18 May 2024

In the Joan Sutherland Theatre

The Australian Ballet

Dance

In an entrancing double bill, The Australian Ballet presents Études, a beloved classic that shows you the complexity of ballet technique, alongside a spectacular new contemporary commission, Circle Electric by Stephanie Lake.

A double bill of classical and contemporary works

Études
Harald Lander

Choreographed by Harald Lander in 1948 for the Royal Danish Ballet, this one-act ballet is set to piano studies by Carl Czerny, arranged by Knudåge Riisager. Emulating the ballet studio experience, the dancers perform precise exercises at the barre, which become more expansive as they move into the centre, and develop into a grand finale of full-velocity movement in perfect synchronisation. Complemented by spectacular new costumes from Lise Lander, Études will transform you to the inner world of the dance studio with its beauty, grace and immaculate movement.

Circle Electric
Stephanie Lake

Using the full force of The Australian Ballet's dancers, Circle Electric starts as a microscopic investigation of the intricate and the intimate, ultimately expanding to encompass a telescopic view of humanity.

Grappling with the search for meaning, Stephanie Lake in her first full length commission for The Australian Ballet, looks at a fundamental paradox of our existence – how we can be both utterly insignificant and profoundly important at the same time.

Presented by The Australian Ballet

A male ballet dancer in silhouette wears a flowy shirt and his arms are outstretched, one in front of him and one behind.

It is the work of one of our most original, searching, risk-taking minds in dance.

Limelight

Artistic Director David Hallberg on Études and Circle Electric

Artist information

Études

Choreography 
Harald Lander by special permission of Lise Lander

Music 
Knudåge Riisager after Carl Czerny

Designs 
Lise Lander

Circle Electric

Choreography 
Stephanie Lake

Music 
Robin Fox

Costume design 
Paula Levis

Set design 
Charles Davis

Lighting design 
Bosco Shaw

Plan your visit

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