Identity

For the Australian Ballet’s diamond anniversary, the company has commissioned two ambitious, unique takes on the meaning of identity; on the idea of community and the concept of art itself—past present and future.

THE HUM is a new work by the Australian Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director, Daniel Riley. It evokes the search for cultural perpetuity while centering on the tangible-yet-invisible connection between performers, the orchestra and audience. With a score by celebrated composer and soprano Deborah Cheetham AO and costumes by Taungurung fashion designer Annette Sax, it’s a never-before-seen collaboration between the Australian Dance Theatre artists and The Australian Ballet. Together, they’ve created a celebration of the resonance between our musicians, our dancers and the swell of our land.

Paragon, from The Australian Ballet’s resident choreographer Alice Topp, is a tribute to the company’s origins, strength and evolution. Starring an intergenerational mix of emerging talent and masters from past decades, it celebrates the tapestry of artists who’ve delicately thumped the stages and shaped Australia’s ballet landscape. It explores the pursuit of perfection and the idea that pressure can form diamonds.