West Australian Ballet

rdf:langString West Australian Ballet

rdf:langString West Australian Ballet is the State ballet company of Western Australia and is based in Perth, at the Western Australian Ballet Centre in Maylands. The company was founded in 1952 by Madame Kira Bousloff (formerly of the Ballets Russes) and the oldest ballet company in Australia. Artistic directors have included Garth Welch (1979–83) and Ivan Cavallari (2007–12). The current artistic director is Belgian Aurelien Scannella. Choreographers who have produced dances for the Ballet include: Krzysztof Pastor, David Nixon, Greg Horsman, Graeme Murphy, Stephen Baynes, Adrian Burnett, Gideon Obarzanek, Stephen Page and Natalie Weir, Jacqui Carroll, Chrissie Parrott and Garth Welch. The company performs with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. At present the company consists of 34 full-time dancers and six 'Young Artists' (a full-time year-long development programme), structured since 2014 with Principal Dancers, Soloists, Demi-Soloists and Corps de Ballet. WAB performs three to four major seasons in Perth a year, one at The Quarry Amphitheatre in City Beach the others usually at His Majesty's Theatre, Perth and Heath Ledger Theatre (although Burswood Theatre and Regal Theatre have also played hosts). They also tour throughout regional Western Australia, nationally and internationally, and provide choreographic workshops, an education program and other community activities.