International Works
A Wordly Perspective

The individual efforts of each artistic director to include international works in The Australian Ballet's repertoire have contributed to the company's overall development. Peggy van Praagh's early career in England with the Sadler's Wells Ballet was evident in her selection of works such as Frederick Ashton's La Fille mal gardée in 1967 and Cinderella in 1972.

Robert Helpmann's background with the Old Vic Theatre Company in London infused The Australian Ballet with a sense of theatre. This is exemplified in works such as English choreographer Ronald Hynd's The Merry Widow, which premiered in 1975. Helpmann's recognition of the company's theatrical capacity led to international exposure for The Australian Ballet in Rudolf Nureyev's film of Don Quixote, released in 1973.

Anne Woolliams built on Helpmann's legacy by introducing more full-length story ballets by German choreographer John Cranko. Woolliams had previously assisted Cranko in his role as artistic director of The Stuttgart Ballet in the early 1970s. This association enabled her to reproduce Cranko's Romeo and Juliet for The Australian Ballet in 1974 and Onegin in 1976.

Works of European origin such as Songs of a Wayfarer by French choreographer Maurice Béjart were of particular significance to Maina Gielgud in her time with The Australian Ballet. Béjart had influenced Gielgud's development as a dancer by creating several works for her while she was a member of his company in the 1960s. Forgotten Land by Czechoslovakian Jirí Kylián and Jardí Tancat by Spanish Nacho Duato were also introduced to the company under Gielgud's directorship in the 1980s and 1990s.

American masters of contemporary choreography such as George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp and William Forsythe were a focus for recent artistic director Ross Stretton. These works have challenged The Australian Ballet both technically and artistically.