♦ Location: West End, Queensland – Australia
♦ Artistic Director: Leanne Benjamin
♦ Affiliated School: Queensland Ballet Academy
♦ Founded in 1960 by Charles Lisner OBE
Queensland Ballet 2024 Season
The Queensland Ballet 2024 season has just been announced, marking the final one curated by Artistic Director Li Cunxin who will be stepping down from the role at the end of 2023.
“It is bittersweet to introduce such an incredible 2024 Season filled with colour, vibrancy, and bold athleticism, featuring compelling stories brought to life by dance. Vibrant, textured characters are the focus of my last curated season.
The company will explore an arrestingly beautiful Coppélia in sun-drenched regional Australia; fashion icon Coco Chanel in Jazz Age Paris; whimsical fairy kings and queens in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and so much more in this Season of stories for everyone.”
Li Cunxin, Artistic Director of Queensland Ballet
The “At Home” program which opens the sesaon is a quadruple bill featuring masterpieces by Ben Stevenson, Marius Petipa, Greg Horsman, and Matthew Lawrence – Three Preludes, Le Corsaire pas de deux, A Rhapsody in Motion, and Tchaikovsky Mash.
The company will also take this program on tour to Bundaberg, Cairns, Caloundra, Charters Towers, Goondiwindi, Maryborough and Toowoomba.
Full-length ballets programmed for the 2024 season include Liam Scarlett’s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the aforementioned Coppélia (choreographed by Greg Horsman), Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella (as part of the My First Ballet series), Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Coco Chanel: the Life of a Fashion Icon which delves into the life of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, and the annual tradition of The Nutcracker (Stevenson).
The “Bespoke” program returns for a season of dynamic new works created by renowned local and international talent: Wakka Wakka and Kombumerri choreographer Katina Olsen, award-winning Ukrainian-Dutch choreographer Milena Sidorova, and acclaimed Australian choreographer Jack Lister.
The company will also be presenting Shanghai Ballet in Derek Deane’s The Lady of the Camellias.
“Li’s last curated program with the company is a wonderful gift for audiences with Queensland Ballet’s 2024 program bringing the world’s greatest ballets to our door, sharing stories of fantasy, fashion, romance, and new First Nations contemporary work.
The Queensland Government invests in the Queensland Ballet’s growth and development, supporting its operations and programming, including the company’s home at the refurbished Thomas Dixon Centre, engaging regional communities through touring activities, and nurturing the next generation of dancers at the Queensland Ballet Academy.
This investment enables Queensland Ballet to create employment opportunities for dancers and arts workers, supports Queenslanders’ access to the incredible work of the company and helps deliver the priorities of the Creative Together 2020-2030 roadmap for arts, culture and creativity.
Congratulations Li and Mary for sharing your inspiration, vision and passion for dance and for your artistic legacy showcased during Queensland Ballet’s 2024 season.”
– Leeanne Enoch, Minister for the Arts of Queensland
Source: Queensland Ballet
Queensland Ballet Upcoming Performances
Queensland Ballet: Bespoke
Queensland Ballet: Academy Gala
Queensland Ballet: Coco Chanel: the Life of a Fashion Icon
Queensland Ballet: The Nutcracker
Queensland Ballet Reviews
Queensland Ballet News and Features
