309 stories from deborahjones.me
We have Opera Australia's 2025 program in front of us now, launched this week without the presence of its key architect, former artistic director Jo Davies. As all opera-lovers know, Davies …
When announcing her 2023 season for Royal New Zealand Ballet, then-artistic director Patricia Barker described the returning Romeo & Juliet as "a glorious production made for th…
Opera Australia chose an unusual day on which to announce it had parted ways with its artistic director, Jo Davies. Tomorrow " Saturday, August 31 " is the Sydney opening night for Sunset…
In what will be David Hallberg's fifth year as artistic director of The Australian Ballet, the company's 2025 program offers new works by William Forsythe and Stephanie Lake, the return of J…
Solace is a beautiful, onomatopoeic word. It sits softly in the mouth and the taste of its meaning lingers. It promises comfort, although has little to do with being comfortable. This is com…
Former Royal Ballet superstar Leanne Benjamin arrived at Queensland Ballet in mid-January as the company's sixth artistic director. On August 2 she leaves the building. In a statement releas…
Queensland Ballet's commitment to its Bespoke program is important and necessary for the company, for choreographers and for the QB dancers. Bespoke isn't the only place where new work happe…
How on earth do you keep a bunch of toddlers and babies quiet for more than half an hour? (Well, as quiet as toddlers and babies can be.) Club Origami seems to have the answer. This or…
George Balanchine's Jewels was premiered by the Australian Ballet as part of the company's 60th anniversary celebrations last year and very welcome it was too. It's unlike anythi…
When Bangarra Dance Theatre takes to the stage it is, without fail, in a spirit of generosity. That was true under the long-standing leadership of Stephen Page and feels true with Frances Ri…
Love is love. If you want just three words to sum up Romeo and Juliet Suite, they're the ones. Benjamin Millepied's thrilling dance work, set to selections from Prokofiev's mighty ballet…
The name BIG Live doesn't exactly scream ballet but that's what the organisation does. BIG stands for Ballet International Gala, the arena in which BIG Live started operations in 2022. There…
Ty King-Wall finished his ballet career at the top, retiring from The Australian Ballet as a principal artist. By the time he stopped dancing in 2022 he had two young children, one born just…
Thomas E.S. Kelly's SILENCE has been well travelled since its premiere at the Brisbane Festival in 2020. That's a measure of how well it's been received, which is excellent, and the en…
It was a memorable few days for Royal New Zealand Ballet dancers Ana Gallardo Lobaina and Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson. When they made their debuts as Odette/Odile and Siegfried at the May…
There is a great deal of joy in Liam Scarlett's deliciously funny, sensual A Midsummer Night's Dream. And " always " a great deal of sadness that his life was so short. Yesterday, April 1…
Johan Inger sees Carmen as a nightmare, which it is. In his darker-than-dark version of a story that just won't go away, the Swedish choreographer gets inside the head of the woman's murdere…
In 2018 Greg Horsman choreographed a version of La Bayadère for a trio of commissioners, Queensland Ballet, West Australian Ballet and Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet. His setting was …
Speaking in 1985 at a symposium about the creation of West Side Story, Jerome Robbins said he had wanted to see how far he, Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurents could go in bringing thei…
Amber McCartney's solo dance work Tiny Infinite Deaths was a big success when it premiered in 2022 in an artist development program called Pieces, presented by Melbourne's Lucy Guerin …
Christopher Wheeldon is a ballet choreographer who doesn't stay in his lane. Neither did George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille or Jerome Robbins. Ditto Twyla Tharp, still making new work at the …
In Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1894) the law of the jungle is the furthest thing from anarchy. Social structures built by the animals are adhered to without fail. They give an often v…
By start time of 8pm Perth's temperature had dropped a little from its high of 41°C to something, well, not much below that. But the sky was clear and humidity low " a perfect night, then…
Most of Australia's well-established contemporary dance companies are based in the country's capital cities for obvious reasons. That's where audiences and resources are closest to hand. Ade…
The Australian Ballet's 60th anniversary celebrations came to a close in Sydney with Swan Lake and with promotions for 14 dancers " about 20 per cent of the company. TAB ended 2023 …
