Queensland Ballet will premiere a bold new contemporary ballet set to the music of INXS, opening at HOTA, Home of the Arts, on the Gold Coast from 10 to 12 September.
Titled Elegantly Wasted, the 65-minute work is a new commission created in partnership with HOTA and Experience Gold Coast. It will be choreographed by Belgian-Colombian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, who created Queensland Ballet’s 2024 sell-out production Coco Chanel: The Life of a Fashion Icon.
Rather than telling the story of INXS, Elegantly Wasted will use the band’s music as the foundation for a contemporary meditation on image, connection and identity. Set within the polished anonymity of a luxury hotel lobby, the ballet follows a group of impeccably dressed young influencers as they curate their lives through performance, projection and validation.
Lopez Ochoa said the idea of bringing INXS and ballet together was an enticing creative challenge.
“INXS is one of Australia’s most successful musical exports and arguably one of the country’s most influential cultural forces, so I was naturally drawn to the idea of collaboration between what many might consider the most unlikely of partners,” she said.
The creative team includes sound designer Jake Rodriguez, additional music production by Nigel Butler, costume designer Josh McIntosh, and set and lighting designer Jon Buswell.
INXS founding member and composer Andrew Farriss said the project reflects the band’s openness to reinterpretation.
“This ballet is a fresh artistic interpretation that stands in its own space. It’s not about the band’s story but shows how our music can inspire new forms of expression,” Farriss said.
Elegantly Wasted marks Queensland Ballet’s second major contemporary music-led commission to premiere at HOTA, following Elastic Hearts, which paired the music of Sia with choreography by Garry Stewart in 2025.
Queensland Ballet Executive Director Dilshani Weerasinghe said the company’s partnership with HOTA had created space for experimentation and new audiences.
“Through the partnership, HOTA has become a proud launchpad for major new commissions, enabling us to create daring, large-scale works that connect with audiences beyond traditional ballet circles and engage a new generation of arts-goers,” she said.
Performances of Elegantly Wasted will take place at HOTA on Thursday 10 September at 7pm, Friday 11 September at 7.30pm, and Saturday 12 September at 1.30pm and 7.30pm.