Update 25/01/2022: Summertime Ballet Gala has been cancelled. Ticketholders will be contacted.
The Australian Ballet threw itself into 2021 with big, beautiful stadium show Summertime at the Ballet. It was a more casual way to enjoy ballet, and one that our reviewer described as ushering "in a new era that will build on the best while inviting new ideas". It was such a hit that the company has decided to ring in 2022 in exactly the same way.
Summertime Ballet Gala is a bold, "best hits-style" ballet performance showing for an exclusive season at Margaret Court Arena this February. Over four days, the Australian Ballet's talented dancers will perform some of the discipline's best-known scenes in a relaxed atmosphere. It's the perfect way to ease yourself into ballet if you're unfamiliar, or to see some of the art form's biggest party pieces if you're a dyed-in-the-wool fan.
The Australian Ballet's artistic director, David Hallberg, says Summertime Ballet Gala "highlights some of the best of the classical ballet repertoire, alongside modern contemporary works". During the performance, audiences will be treated to the mesmerising 'Kingdom of the Shades' scene from La Bayadere (imagine 24 white-tutu-wearing ballerinas moving in perfect unison) as well the glittering finale of Raymonda. You'll also get a sneak peek from Kunstkamer, one of the company's most daring contemporary works planned for 2022. "Plus there will actually be two new commissions from Australian choreographers – work no one has seen before," Hallberg adds.
The production also gives audiences a rare insight into what goes on behind the scenes. "Being at MCA, as a tennis centre, there is no curtain, no backdrops and no wings that are present in a theatre. This means it’s an incredibly rare, intimate and behind-the-scenes look into a ballet performance," Hallberg says. "Audiences will see everything in front of their eyes – from the pre-show class and warm-ups to what a dancer does between their time on stage or waiting for their cue to come on."
Tickets to Summertime Ballet Gala start at $40 and go on sale at 10am on Wednesday, December 8.