The Australian Ballet Artistic Director David Hallberg will join the Company in a series of special guest appearances during the upcoming seasons of Kunstkamer in Sydney and Melbourne.
Hallberg will appear as a guest artist in the opening night performances in both Sydney (29 April) and Melbourne (3 June), as well as further selected performances throughout both seasons.
Created for the pioneering dance company Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) in celebration of its 60th anniversary, Kunstkamer has not yet been performed by any other company and will have its Australian premiere at the Sydney Opera House from 29 April – 14 May, followed by a season at Arts Centre Melbourne from 3 – 11 June.
A landmark production for The Australian Ballet, Kunstkamer is one of the most ambitious contemporary dance productions ever to appear in the Company’s annual program and will awaken audiences’ imaginations to the endless possibilities of dance.
“This is a new artistic venture for The Australian Ballet, and it feels very appropriate for me to introduce this kind of work both as dancer and Artistic Director,” Hallberg said. “Expressed through my own instrument, my own art, I am thrilled to join the Company in this way and share this sense of communal purpose with the dancers and Australian audiences alike. Kunstkamer will show audiences what else is possible in dance, seen through the most modern and compelling form of expression, and I am thrilled to usher in a new style of dance with everyone on stage and in the theatre.”
He added, “Kunstkamer is a major stamp that I am putting on The Australian Ballet, both for the dancers and our audience, and so the opportunity feels right to join the Company and share, in a unique way, this amazing piece of work with the dancers that I’m nurturing. To embark on this journey, in this undiscovered work, on this one occasion.”
Kunstkamer was conceived by some of the most in-demand choreographers working in ballet today, former NDT House Choreographers Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, and NDT Associate Choreographers Marco Goecke and Crystal Pite.
“Kunstkamer is a colossal work, created in the most modern way by some of the great choreographers of our time,” Hallberg said. “The work shows the immersive power of art by bringing the audience into a world that isn’t immediately obvious but is clearly intriguing. I chose to bring Kunstkamer because it showcases the rich diversity of the dancers of The Australian Ballet. As well, its four creators are the most sought-after choreographers working today. To have them all in one work is a coup; a coup for the dancers of this company, most of whom have only dreamt of working with these creatives but have never been given the opportunity, as well as Australian audiences. It is a work not to be missed.”
The Australian Ballet will present Kunstkamer from 29 April – 14 May at the Sydney Opera House, and from 3 – 11 June at Arts Centre Melbourne State Theatre. For bookings, visit australianballet.com.au/the-ballets/kunstkamer.
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