Queensland Ballet's 'Giselle' rerises

23 March 2023

Qld Ballet is about to present 'Giselle'. Pictured are Hayley Thompson (left) and Yanela Pinera.

The Queensland Ballet is finally about to stage its production of Giselle this year. This quintessential Romantic ballet was meant to be performed last year, but was cancelled due to the Brisbane flood disaster, which caused the Playhouse Theatre, QPAC, to close. The QB’s production is staged by Ai-Gul Gaisina, the company’s ballet teacher and coach. It will run from April 14 – 29.

Giselle is the first of a packed year's program for the company. In June, the company is presenting the premiere of Miles Franklin’s My Brilliant Career. Ballets based on Australian stories are hard to find, but this one is a classic. The one act ballet is the creation of UK choreographer Cathy Marston, whose specialty is narrative ballets. “To have Cathy Marston, one of the world’s most highly regarded choreographers, create My Brilliant Career as an original work for us is truly amazing. Her unique works are story-driven with incredible protagonists and have been commissioned around the world in companies such as the Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet, and Danish Royal Ballet,” artistic director Li Cunxin says.

Principal artist Yanela Pinera in a promotional image for 'My Brilliant Career'.

My Brilliant Career will form part of a triple bill, “Trilogy”, alongside Christopher Bruce’s Rooster and A Brief Nostalgia, by Brisbane choreographer Jack Lister, which premiered in London in 2019 as a co-production with Birmingham Ballet. This season will be held at the new Talbot Theatre in the Thomas Dixon Centre from June 16 to 25.

Another new ballet on the program is The Little Mermaid, to be choreographed by Australian Paul Boyd to sublime music by Sibelius. (June 22 to July 1). Boyd’s choreography will also be featured in the company’s always thought-provoking "Bespoke", an annual triple bill of contemporary ballet. His new ballet will be featured alongside an all-Australian line-up including QB’s choreographer-in-residence Natalie Weir and Remi Wortmeyer, former principal dancer with the Dutch National Ballet (July 27 to August 5.)

From September 28 to October 7 the company is bringing back Derek Dean’s Strictly Gershwin. This ballet was choreographed for the English National Ballet in 2008 and has been embraced by adoring audiences across the world. QB last performed it in 2016 to rave reviews.

The year will finish with The Nutcracker (December 1 to 20).

For details, go here.