Airdate: And We Danced

The Australian Ballet has become of one our most treasured cultural institutions.

Lisa McCune narrates And We Danced, a three-part series look back on what has shaped this iconic company and made it uniquely ours.

For the first time in its history the ballet opens its remarkable archive. As well as rarely seen historical footage, this features interviews from past and present dancers, celebrity fans, choreographers, artistic directors and ballet historians.

Episode 1: The Sixties & Seventies

Australia’s fever for ballet was ignited in the early 20th century with the arrival of Anna Pavlova, and later, the Ballet Russes, who enraptured audiences and galvanized the establishment of Australia’s first ballet company – the Borovansky Ballet. Despite resounding success with audiences, the life of the company was short lived – financial troubles and the sudden death of its director threatened the future of professional ballet in the country. It wasn’t until the arrival and foresight of British dancer Peggy van Praagh – who took over the ailing company – that the future of ballet in the country looked certain. A successful campaign to government in 1964 led to the establishment of Australia’s first professional dance company: The Australian Ballet. The company’s debut of adored classic Swan Lake was a resounding success and inspired an industrious period which saw the creation of uniquely Australian works, such as The Display and The Melbourne Cup. But the early decades were far from smooth sailing. A failed tour to New Zealand, over-worked dancers and industrial action threatened the fledgling company as it tried to carve out its own unique cultural identity.

It wasn’t just the dancers’ contracts that were being revolutionised. The early seventies saw the celebrated arrival of a new mode of contemporary dance and the company’s iconic production of Rudolph Nureyev’s Don Quixote, a coup that would herald the greatest ballet film of all time. Whilst the company’s new edge pleased adventurous audiences, a division between the artistic and administrative sides was glaringly apparent. A revolving door of artistic directors and tensions with company management would see out a decade marred by instability and the ballet’s struggle to find its artistic voice.

Production credits: Executive Producer, Veronica Fury. Director, Andy Southwell. Writer & Story Producer, Samantha Dinning. Lead Editor, Hilary Balmond. Narrator, Lisa McCune.

Wednesday, 14 July, 9pm on ABC.