The Australian Ballet unveils a 2027 season of extraordinary scale
The Australian Ballet today unveiled one of its biggest and boldest seasons yet. Season 2027 brings together grand-scale storytelling, landmark Australian premieres, classics returning to The Australian Ballet repertoire for the first time in nearly 50 years, and some of the most influential contemporary works of our time, creating an extraordinary season of scale and ambition.
The Australian Ballet’s Artistic Director, David Hallberg :
Season 2027 is about the breadth of scale of what we offer our audiences. Each ballet shares an insight into a world that only this company and these dancers can show in Australia. Whether it is one of the greatest fairy tales ever created, or a world that stretches the imagination, 2027 brings storytelling to the heart of performance.
Across five productions, Australia’s national ballet company brings its full force to the stage, where effortless dance meets athleticism and storytelling. Accompanied by the country’s premier orchestras, the season is set to some of the greatest music ever written for ballet, spanning the iconic melodies of Tchaikovsky, magnetic Liszt and mesmeric contemporary minimalism.
Season 2027 is a significant milestone for The Australian Ballet, with every mainstage production supported by philanthropy. Made possible through the remarkable generosity of the company’s donors, the season is a testament to what can be achieved when artists and audiences come together to realise a shared creative vision.
Melbourne audiences will welcome The Australian Ballet home to the refurbished Ian Potter State Theatre for the company’s first full Melbourne season in the revitalised venue, marking a new chapter for both the company and one of Australia’s most iconic performing arts spaces.
The curtain rises on 2027 with David Hallberg’s reimagining of Anne Woolliams’ original Swan Lake, returning to Melbourne and Sydney. Celebrating 50 years in The Australian Ballet’s repertoire, this landmark production brings together Tchaikovsky’s soaring score performed by a full live orchestra, exquisite sets and costumes, and Australia’s finest dancers in one of the world’s most beloved ballets.
Back by popular demand following its acclaimed Australian premiere in 2022, Kunstkamer returns to Melbourne and Sydney in 2027. Created by four of the world’s most groundbreaking choreographers, the work is a major artistic collaboration that has become a standout in The Australian Ballet’s contemporary repertoire.
Melbourne audiences will experience the long-awaited Australian premiere of Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling. Created at the height of MacMillan’s career, this acclaimed work is one of his most significant full-length ballets, renowned for its dramatic intensity and raw emotional power. The production will be exclusively performed in Melbourne.
For the first time in 47 years, Sir Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella returns to The Australian Ballet, joining the global Ashton Worldwide Celebration, honouring the influential choreographer’s life and legacy. The Australian Ballet is the only company in the Southern Hemisphere performing Cinderella across the five-year event. Made possible by the generosity of its supporters, this major revival brings a masterwork of the 20th-century ballet canon back to Australian audiences, premiering in Adelaide before touring to Melbourne and Sydney.
Season 2027’s Mixed Bill: Modern Masters will feature George Balanchine’s classical masterpiece Duo Concertant, Jerome Robbins’ vibrantly comedic The Concert and William Forsythe’s groundbreaking The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude.
Together, the program brings together classical precision, contemporary athleticism and theatrical wit. Melbourne audiences will also experience Balanchine’s Kammermusik No. 2, while Sydney audiences will see Ballet Imperial.
The 2027 season is proudly supported by The Australian Ballet’s Principal Partner, Telstra, whose longstanding commitment continues to help bring the company’s extraordinary work to audiences across Australia. The launch of Season 2027 is also proudly presented by Lexus Australia, marking the beginning of an exciting new partnership with The Australian Ballet.
The Australian Ballet’s Artistic Director, David Hallberg :
Season 2027 is one of the biggest seasons we’ve ever presented; a year of grandeur, rich storytelling and masterful choreography. I believe this season reflects the diverse tastes of our audiences, offering something that resonates with every person who walks through our doors.
The scale of this season would not have been possible without the commitment of our philanthropic community. Their belief in what this company gives audiences allows us the confidence to realise our artistic hopes, take creative risks and continue to share our artform across the country. I am profoundly grateful for their support in making this season possible.
Swan Lake has been performed by The Australian Ballet more than 710 times, cementing its place as one of the company’s most enduring and celebrated productions. Reimagined by Artistic Director David Hallberg in 2023, the production honours Woolliams’ original vision while bringing renewed dramatic intensity to the timeless story of love, betrayal and redemption. More than 250 costumes have been created for the production, including over 500 metres of tulle used to craft its iconic tutus.
This production of Swan Lake has been made possible through the generosity of hundreds of ballet lovers, led by the Sarah and Lachlan Murdoch Foundation and the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation.
A bold celebration of artistic collaboration, Kunstkamer pushes the boundaries of contemporary dance by combining theatre, film, spoken word and music into one extraordinary theatrical experience.
Originally created by Sol León, Paul Lightfoot, Crystal Pite and Marco Goecke for Nederlands Dans Theater’s 60th anniversary, the production is visually daring, emotionally provocative and unlike anything else in The Australian Ballet’s repertoire.
Kunstkamer has been made possible through the generous support of Peter Clemenger AO and the late Joan Clemenger AO, Linda Herd, and Shane Lloyd & Alan Joyce AC.
Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Mayerling is a gripping psychological masterpiece exploring the tragic final days of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria. Set to the music of Franz Liszt and arranged by John Lanchbery, the ballet delves into themes of obsession, despair and royal scandal. The role of Rudolf is a marathon test of artistic and athletic endurance. Mayerling is regarded as one of the defining works of 20th-century dance.
Mayerling has been made possible through the generous support of Lady Potter AC CMRI and The David Hallberg Fund for Artistic Aspiration.
Sir Frederick Ashton’s enchanting full-length Cinderella returns 55 years after The Australian Ballet first performed the production outside The Royal Ballet, originally presented as part of the company’s 10th anniversary celebrations.
Faithful to Ashton’s beloved original, the revival brings Prokofiev’s radiant score to life through tender pas de deux between Cinderella and her Prince, alongside the famously comic stepsisters. Kristian Fredrikson’s exquisite 1972 costume designs will be recreated, while a new set by Richard Roberts pays homage to Fredrikson’s original designs, honouring the production’s legacy while bringing it into a new era.
This production of Cinderella has been made possible through the generosity of The Australian Ballet’s giving community, led by Dr Pamela Wall AO and the James & Diana Ramsay Foundation.
The Season 2027 Mixed Bill: Modern Masters celebrates the breadth of three choreographic giants. George Balanchine’s Duo Concertant is one of his most intimate creations, exploring the relationship between dance and music as dancers perform alongside musicians on stage.
Melbourne audiences will also experience Balanchine’s Kammermusik No. 2, a display of his trademark speed, precision and musicality, while Sydney audiences will see Ballet Imperial, his tribute to the grandeur of Imperial Russia and the classical legacy of Marius Petipa.
William Forsythe’s The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude reimagines classical ballet for the 21st century, combining breathtaking speed, physicality and technical brilliance. Jerome Robbins’ The Concert returns to The Australian Ballet’s repertoire for the first time since 2008, bringing its playful wit and comic brilliance to the stage.
The Season 2027 Mixed Bill: Modern Masters has been made possible through the generous support of Lady Potter AC CMRI and The David Hallberg Fund for Artistic Aspiration.
Beyond the mainstage season, The Australian Ballet will continue to connect with audiences across Australia through Storytime Ballet, and its annual On Tour program, bringing ballet to communities including Shepparton, Taree and Wagga Wagga, while the company’s Education and Outreach program continues to inspire young audiences with performances and workshops in schools across the country.
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