Never before has The Australian Ballet delivered contemporary dance of this scale and ambition as it presents Kunstkamer at the State Theatre – Arts Centre Melbourne from 3 June 2022.
Commissioned for the 60th anniversary of Nederlands Dans Theater, the world’s most celebrated contemporary company, and now presented for the first time outside of the Netherlands by The Australian Ballet.
Kunstkamer is the joint creation of four choreographers: frequent collaborators Paul Lightfoot and Sol León; Marco Goecke; and the Canadian prodigy Crystal Pite. The choreography, moving from the intimacy and humour of solos and pas de deux to intricate waves of ensemble movement, references dance theatre traditions while exploring new frontiers of expression.
Inspired by the 18th-century cabinet of curiosities, this work draws together diverse elements – stark movement, song, film, spoken word – into an eclectic and fascinating whole, bound together by recurring motifs and characters and featuring music by a vast array of composers from Beethoven to Bach to Britten, Janis Joplin to Joby Talbot.
“As The Australian Ballet approaches its 60th anniversary celebrations, it seems fitting to perform a work created as a 60th anniversary celebration,” says Artistic Director, David Hallberg.
“Kunstkamer is dance at its most surprising, seen through the lens of some of the most inventive choreographers working today. This work takes The Australian Ballet in a new direction, exploring new movements and nuances. What unfolds is a world of curiosity and beauty.”
Like a modern museum curated with wit and incisive intelligence, Kunstkamer invites you to wonder at the endless possibilities of art.
Choreography: Paul Lightfoot, Sol León, Crystal Pite, Marco Goecke | Featuring: Artists of The Australian Ballet, Orchestra Victoria | Costume Design: Joke Visser, Hermien Hollander | Original Lighting Design: Tom Bevoort, Udo Haberland, Tom Visser | Film: Rahi Rezvani | Composers: Ludwig van Beethoven, Janis Joplin, Arvo Pärt, Béla Bertók, Franz Schubert, Benjamin Britten, Henry Purcell, Joby Talbot, Johann Strauss Jnr, Christoph W Gluck, Chavela Vargas, Ólafur Arnalds
Kunstkamer
State Theatre – Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Season: 3 – 11 June 2022
Information and Bookings: www.australianballet.com.au
Image: Kunstkamer – courtesy of The Australian Ballet