| Queensland Ballet | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Name | Queensland Ballet |
| Previous names | Lisner Ballet Company |
| Year founded | 1960 |
| Founders | Charles Lisner |
| Principal venue | Thomas Dixon Centre, West End, Brisbane, Australia |
| Website | queenslandballet.com.au |
| Artistic staff | |
| Artistic Director | Greg Horsman |
| Assistant Artistic Director Ballet Mistress Ballet Masters Music Director | Greg Horsman Mary Li Zenia Tatcheva Jillian Vanstone Matthew Lawrence Nigel Gaynor |
| Other | |
| Associated schools | Queensland Ballet Academy |
| Formation | Principal Artist Senior Soloist Soloist First Company Artist Company Artist Young Artist |
Queensland Ballet, founded in 1960 byCharles Lisner, is the premierballet company ofQueensland, Australia, and is based inBrisbane. It is one of only three full-time, professionalclassical balletcompanies in Australia. The company has had six previous Artistic Directors, and is currently led byIvan Gil-Ortega.
In 2023, the company consists of 60 dancers, including 12 Jette Parker Young Artists.
Queensland Ballet’s founding Artistic Director,Charles Lisner, trained withEdouard Borovansky and danced with the Borovansky Australian Ballet prior to traveling to London to continue his dance studies with theSadlers Wells Ballet School. He later joinedThe Royal Ballet, Convent Garden. In 1953, Charles returned to Australia to open the Lisner Ballet Academy, which became the Lisner Ballet Company in 1960.[1] The company was re-named Queensland Ballet in 1962 and became one of the first ballet ensembles in Australia to tour regionally, a commitment that continues today.[2]
Lisner stepped down as Artistic Director in 1974 and was replaced byHarry Haythorne, who was previously Assistant Director of the Scottish ballet. During his tenure, Haythorne presented works by Australian choreographers includingGraeme Murphy,Garth Welch, and Don Asker, and hadHans Brenaa stageLa Sylphide and otherBournonville ballets.[3] His contract with the company ended in 1978.
A former Principal Dancer of Queensland Ballet, Harold Collins was appointed Artistic Director in 1978, and led the company until his retirement in 1997. During that time, he presented memorable productions, among them Jacqui Carroll'sScheherazade andCarmina Burana and Collin'sSalome,Carmen andRomeo & Juliet. Following Lisner's vision, Collins continued to commission new Australian works in contemporary and classical styles, and forged the enduring relationship between Queensland Ballet and the Queensland Dance School of Excellence.
François Klaus was appointed Artistic Director and Chief Choreographer of Queensland Ballet in 1988. Over fifteen years, Klaus contributed nearly 100 new ballet works to the company's repertoire, from new productions of classic ballets to works designed especially to appeal to families. Included in his repertoire is the immensely popularCloudland, a tribute to Brisbane's post-war era set in the once famousCloudland Ballroom.
Under his directorship, Queensland Ballet undertook three tours to Europe (2006, 2007, and 2009), to great public and critical acclaim. The company also toured to Singapore in March 2007, Japan in 2009, and China in 2011 to performAlice in Wonderland andThe Little Mermaid.
During his tenure, Klaus also established training programs which are now an integral part of the company's operations, providing pathways for talented young people who are committed to a career in dance.
In 2012,Li Cunxin, acclaimed former dancer and author of the best-selling autobiography,Mao's Last Dancer, was appointed as the new Artistic Director. Having no desire to choreograph himself, Li became the first curatorial director in the company's history.
Li has been recognised for his dedication and commitment to growing the size and calibre of the company, having programmed adventurous works into their repertoire, incorporated additional international tours, and founding the development of the Queensland Ballet Academy andThomas Dixon Centre.
In August 2015, the company performedPeter Schaufuss'La Sylphide at theLondon Coliseum.
In November 2018, they embarked on a China tour, performingLiam Scarlett'sA Midsummer Night's Dream to audiences in Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing, and Xi'an.
Li retired for health reasons at the end of 2023.
Rockhampton-born former principal dancer withThe Royal Ballet,Leanne Benjamin was appointed Artistic Director in 2024.[4]
Ivan Gil-Ortega (2025)
Queensland Ballet averages six main-stage productions per season, in addition to smaller, more intimate performances and regional tours. They have performedBen Stevenson OBE’sThe Nutcracker annually from 2013 to 2025. The company regularly performs atQueensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) as well as in the Talbot Theatre at the Thomas Dixon Centre.
List of Queensland Ballet dancers, as of 2023:[5]
| Name | Nationality | Training | Other companies |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucy Green | Australia | Victorian College of the Arts | Royal New Zealand Ballet |
| Alexander Idaszak | Australia | Australian Ballet School | |
| Yanela Piñera | Cuba | Cuban National Ballet School | Cuban National Ballet |
| Patricio Revé | Cuba | Cuban National Ballet School | Cuban National Ballet |
| Joel Woellner | Australia | Houston Ballet's Ben Stevenson Academy | Houston Ballet |
| Neneka Yoshida | Japan | Fundación para la Danza (Spain) Conservatoire de Paris |
Authority control databases: People |
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