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International Guest Artists |
International Commissions | Interational
Works The Australian Ballet opened its inaugural season with Swan Lake featuring Danish dancer Erik Bruhn and Bulgarian Sonia Arova in the principal roles. The casting of these high-profile international dancers ensured that the launch of The Australian Ballet was noted with interest both at home and abroad. The 1964 visit of England's Margot Fonteyn and Russia's Rudolf Nureyev helped to consolidate the company's reputation on the world stage. In 1965, the fledging company embarked upon its first international tour, visiting Europe and the United Kingdom for the first Commonwealth Arts Festival. Performing initially at the Baalbek International Festival in Lebanon, the company was then joined by Fonteyn and Nureyev in Nice for a series of performances. In subsequent visits throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Fonteyn and Nureyev each continued to boost the profile of the company both nationally and internationally. Nureyev's decision to film his Don Quixote with The Australian Ballet in 1972 broadened the company's audience. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the company undertook numerous international tours, with destinations including South America, South-East Asia, the United States, the Soviet Union, Europe, China and Japan. The company continues to attract leading international dancers, such as Darcey Bussell of The Royal Ballet, who starred in The Australian Ballet's 1998 season of La Bayadère. French ballerina Sylvie Guillem introduced Australian audiences to Béjart's Bolero in 2000, a work she has made famous around the world. In 2001 she returned to perform the title role in Manon with the company, to much acclaim. |
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