The Australian Ballet Reveals Lineup For 2024 Season

The Australian Ballet has announced its 2024  season, a diverse and captivating program of works which  honour the Company’s commitment to classical greats and  future masterpieces. The Company dancers will have the  opportunity to flex their technical and dramatic talents in the  season that features two world premieres by globally  acclaimed choreographers, two abstract masterworks of  modern ballet, a searing contemporary retelling of an iconic  story, and two family-friendly storybook favourites. 

In an exciting coup for the Company, Christopher  Wheeldon returns with Oscar©, a brand-new full-length  ballet about the life and works of Oscar Wilde. A new commission from Australian choreographer  Stephanie Lake, Circle Electric, appears on a double bill  with Harald Lander’s modern classic celebrating the  precision of ballet technique, Études. George Balanchine’s  showcase of ballet form and history Jewels, makes a  glittering return to the stage and Johan Inger’s  contemporary retelling of Carmen is an emotionally  charged tale of passion and jealousy. The 2024 season is  bookended by two charming stories of young heroines on  magical adventures: Christopher Wheeldon’s Alice’s  Adventures in Wonderland© and The Nutcracker by Sir Peter Wright.  

Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet David Hallberg  said, “Our 2024 season is brimming with ambitious  repertoire that exemplifies our vast artistic versatility. This season brings creation to our core with exciting world  premieres from acclaimed choreographers, alongside some  of the most beloved ballets in the classical canon. Season  2024 has works that will provide the dancers with variation  and depth to explore their artistry and equally provides  audiences with a chance to witness the greatest creative  talents in the world of dance.” 

Executive Director of The Australian Ballet Lissa  Twomey said, “We have a compelling selection of works  for our 2024 season including thrilling new commissions  and beloved favourites – we are immensely excited to see  these come to life. Beyond our mainstage season, we have  a substantive range of so many fantastic audience  engagement programs, education workshops as well as another season of The Australian Ballet On Tour, which will  see the Company travel through Victoria, South Australia  and New South Wales.” 

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland© opens the 2024  season with a burst of vivid colour and an unforgettable  cast of characters. Acclaimed choreographer Christopher  Wheeldon channels all the wit and charm of Lewis Carroll’s  celebrated tale in this enchanting production, which has  captured the hearts of audiences the world over with its  immersive visual design and delightful storybook musical  score. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland© opens in  Sydney in February, before arriving in Melbourne in March for our final season at the State Theatre before it closes for  renovations until 2027. 

Carmen takes the 2024 season into a darker realm, shining  a stark light on the dangers of excessive passion and  jealous rage. The story of the defiant seductress murdered  by her former lover is propelled into the 21st-century in this  powerful production by Johan Inger, an alum of Nederlands Dans Theater. Contemporary movement, original musical additions and inventive design bring new depth to the  familiar tale, playing exclusively at Sydney Opera House in  April. 

Two technically virtuosic modern works are paired in a  double bill titled Études / Circle Electric. The world  premiere of Stephanie Lake’s Circle Electric charts  moments of emotional acuity and relationship dynamics in  her most ambitious project to date. A modern classic, 

Études by Harald Lander offers a tonal counterpoint, taking  audiences on a journey through dancers’ daily ballet class  and culminating in a grand-scale display of precision and  technique. Honouring the ballet past while exploring the  next iteration of the art form, Études / Circle Electric plays  in Sydney in May before a season in Melbourne in October.  

Emeralds, rubies and diamonds glitter in Jewels, a modern  abstract masterpiece by ballet icon George Balanchine.  Showcasing the distinctive movement and tone of three  different balletic eras, each signified by different precious  stones, Jewels will delight aficionados and newcomers  alike when it plays exclusively at Adelaide Festival Centre  in July, following a sell-out season in London’s Royal  Opera House in 2023.  

A portrait of wild wit, consummate celebrity and literary  genius comes to the stage in the world premiere of  Christopher Wheeldon’s Oscar©. This exciting commission  brings together a formidable creative team to tell the story  of the great Irish humorist, with moments from Wilde’s life  interwoven with his best-known characters and stories. The  production will mark the Company’s first performance at the  Regent Theatre with a world-premiere season in  September, before taking to the stage in Sydney in  November. 

A beloved Christmas tradition, Peter Wright’s The  Nutcracker returns to the stage to close out the season with  magic and festive cheer. The classic story of young Clara’s  adventures through the Magical Forest to the Land of  Sweets is brought to life through sumptuous designs and  Tchaikovsky’s incomparable score. The Nutcracker will  delight audiences at Sydney Opera House from November. 

The Australian Ballet’s 2024 activities will also include a  range of audience engagement events such as The  Australian Ballet On Tour travelling to Victoria, South  Australia and New South Wales and an education program  which tours to schools across the country. 

Sydney Principal Packages are on sale from 3 October  2023. Melbourne Principal Packages are on sale from 28  November 2023.