Signature Works

Twenty-four dancers in ghostly white tutus slowly perform sweeping port de bras and deep arabesques in unison. It is a hypnotic display of control and grace, and one of classical ballet’s most memorable images. The Kingdom of the Shades scene is taken from Marius Petipa’s 19th-century ballet La Bayadère, a fantasia about a temple dancer, Nikya, in love with a warrior, Solor. After Nikiya is killed by her rival, the heartbroken Solor has a vision of Nikiya and her fellow ghosts descending the Himalayan mountains.

Celebrated for its dynamic choreography, blending classical and character dance, this pas de deux with choreography after Vasili Vainonen is reminiscent of Marius Petipa’s choreographic manner, though is distinctly more modern and heroic for the danseur. The pas de deux showcases raw strength with powerful lifts and fouettés in concert with soaring jetés capturing the fervour of revolutionary France.

This Moment expresses the feeling of being completely present. When we are on stage as dancers, we are attuned to each moment - listening to our bodies, each other and the audience. This Moment is a celebration of that sense and of these beautiful dancers performing exactly as they are now.

Grand Pas Classique is a challenging and virtuosic pas de deux that pays homage to the classical ballet style and aesthetic that was pioneered by the ‘father’ of ballet, Marius Petipa, in the 19th century. Gsovsky’s Grand Pas Classique combines the structure of one of Petipa’s traditional grand pas’ from The Nutcracker or The Sleeping Beauty, offering entrances for both dancers alongside an adagio and thrilling finale that reunites the pair and adds an exhilarating level of technicality and precision.

Sultry piano music by Keith Jarrett meets the vocal stylings of Lady Gaga in this edgy duet, which originally premiered at the Stuttgart Ballet in 2021. The work was renamed Morpheus’ Dream and premiered at The National Ballet of Canada in 2025. Oscillating between serenity and a fitful energy unique to Goecke, Morpheus’ Dream presents a fraught relationship within the uncertain context of dreams. The movement unfolds on an empty stage until an unexpected twist changes everything. 

A joyous dance duet perfectly capturing the lively and spontaneous music of Gottschalk, generally considered the first major American composer. Grande Tarantella was initially created and performed in 1973 when Walter Bourke and his Swedish-born wife Maria Lang (both former Principal Artists of The Australian Ballet) were Principal Artists of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. First performed in Australia in 1975, it has become an integral part of the company’s repertoire of divertissements. Further international acclaim came for Grande Tarantella when it was performed in 1985 by Elizabeth Toohey and David McAllister at the Fifth International Ballet Competition in Moscow.

George Balanchine’s tribute to the Russian Ballet, its ‘father’, choreographer Marius Petipa and the brilliance of composer Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky. Ballet Imperial is set against a grand backdrop, evocative of the splendour of Imperial Russia’s Winter Palace. Premiering for the American Ballet Caravan in 1941, The Australian Ballet first performed the work in 1967, making it the first Balanchine piece to ever be staged by the company.