For You

After 63 years of performing the world’s most beautiful ballets and collecting repertoire from across the globe, we are celebrating our extensive body of work with a performance of some of our most defining pieces.

From La Bayadère, The Kingdom of the Shades (after Petipa), to Grand Pas Classique pas de deux (after Gsovsky), this gala-style showcase is a perfect introduction for audiences experiencing ballet for the first time as well as a joyful trip down memory lane for our balletomanes who have been by our side over the decades.

With more of the program still to be announced, stay tuned for updates and information as we prepare to showcase our (and your) most beloved pieces from across our extraordinary ballet catalogue. Signature Works runs for a strictly limited three-performance season at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre. Don’t miss the opportunity to start 2026 on pointe with The Australian Ballet.

If you liked Ballet Under the Stars, you’ll love Signature Works.

Thirty years since The Australian Ballet and Bangarra Dance Theatre first came together for Alchemy, the groundbreaking short work by Bangarra’s former Artistic Director Stephen Page, we are reuniting for the world premiere of Flora.

Choreographed by Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director and Co-CEO, Mirning woman Frances Rings, Flora brings dancers from both companies into this profound production that weaves Bangarra’s gift for storytelling into a truly unique work of art.

“From the sleeping yams beneath the earth, to the gums that breathe our air and stand proud over generations, flora is living witness to Australia’s unfolding history.

When the ships brought animals that trample and weeds that choke, flora endured. Through fire, flora renews and regenerates. The resilience of flora parallels the resilience of Australia’s First Peoples.” – Bangarra Dance Theatre

Bear witness to a pivotal moment in Australian dance history with the world premiere of Flora.

If you liked Yuldea, you’ll love Flora.

With his finger on the pulse of ballet’s beating heart, Justin Peck’s innovative choreography is at the forefront of the dance zeitgeist. As New York City Ballet’s Resident Choreographer, Peck is ushering in the next era of ballet to expand its boundaries for modern artists and audiences.

Copland Dance Episodes is Peck’s first full-length ballet and builds on his 2015 production of Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes. The plotless ballet is set to Aaron Copland’s music, composed for choreographer Agnes de Mille in 1942. Peck was drawn to the music that he says “has a fundamentally American attack, buoyancy, and rhythmic pulse. Every time I hear it, it feels both historically significant and brand-new.”

Copland Dance Episodes adds an additional 18 ‘episodes’ to Rodeo and includes Copland’s other ballet scores, Appalachian Spring (choreographed by Martha Graham in 1944) and Billy the Kid (by Eugene Loring in 1938), alongside Fanfare for the Common Man.

It’s a significant work for both the choreographer and New York City Ballet; Copland Dance Episodes is the first full-length plotless ballet created for the company since George Balanchine’s  Jewels in 1967.

As the epic scale of the music is juxtaposed against the stark bright white of the stage, Copland Dance Episodes finds a way to be both revealingly minimalistic and vibrantly maximalist. Whether you’ve been coming to the ballet for years or are brand new, you’ll adore the magic of Copland Dance Episodes, a pressure-free experience that requires no prior ballet knowledge and will wash over you in joyful exuberance in what Peck calls a “ballet binge watch.”

If you liked Everywhere We Go as part of the 2022 triple bill Instruments of Dance, you’ll love Copland Dance Episodes.

You’re invited to the wedding of the year as international guest company, The Stuttgart Ballet, arrives at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre with Marcia Haydee's The Sleeping Beauty. 

More than a fairytale romance, Haydee’s The Sleeping Beauty is an epic battle of good versus evil, as the generous and kind Lilac Fairy squares up against the vengeful Carabosse. The enchanting picture-book-style sets and costumes by Jürgen Rose immerse you in the action as Tchaikovsky’s beloved score swells and the royal love story plays out.

The clear-cut lines of what is pure and what is wicked are blurred as Haydee’s compelling iteration of the classical tale adds new depth to the story, which is about so much more than a missed invite to a christening.

Themes of political power, tradition and the merging of royal dynasties give this centuries-old fairytale a modern edge to delight and enchant a new generation of audiences. We're thrilled to be able to present a classical ballet of this calibre to Melbourne audiences while at our temporary home in the Regent Theatre.

If you liked Swan Lake, you’ll love The Sleeping Beauty.

A love story that spans centuries, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet remains as present in the cultural canon of literature, theatre, film, music and dance as ever. From modern interpretations to musical adaptations, the tragic star-crossed lovers live eternally across the artistic spectrum.

You know the story; maybe you studied it in English class, performed it for your drama exam, or simply shouted those immortal lines from a balcony somewhere, “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” Whether you know the text inside out or just have a hazy memory of the 1996 cinematic masterpiece by Baz Luhrmann, John Cranko’s ballet takes the carefree young lovers to dizzying heights of romance with devastating consequences. An unforgettable ballet of everlasting love, John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet is a glorious retelling of history’s most famous love story.

If you liked Manon, you’ll love Romeo and Juliet.

It’s the Christmas gift that keeps on giving. Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker returns to delight audiences with its fairytale wonder and instantly recognisable score. Be dazzled by the sugar plum fairy and her candy crew as you are whisked away to the land of sweets in the fan-favourite production.

Create your own Christmas tradition this festive season with family and friends and experience the unfiltered joy of John F McFarlane’s magical designs, Tchaikovsky’s score and Wright’s whimsical choreography. A bucket list ballet for any fan, The Nutcracker never fails to imbue audiences with the joy of the holiday season.

If you liked Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, you’ll love The Nutcracker.