Founded in 1962, The Australian Ballet is one of the country’s flagship arts companies, and for fifty years it has been the defining face of ballet in Australia.

The company presents a broad range of repertoire, honouring the traditions of ballet as well as looking towards its future with contemporary works by major Australian and international choreographers, and new commissions that explore the development of this dynamic art form.

The Australian Ballet’s founding Artistic Director Peggy van Praagh brought with her initiative, exacting standards and dedication, enabling The Australian Ballet to flourish and achieve international status early in life.

Each year, The Australian Ballet presents approximately 200 performances in both cities and regional areas around Australia, and has a long history of high-profile international touring. It’s also an ambassador for Australian culture on the world stage, having undertaken 33 international tours to 37 countries.

Over 50 years, The Australian Ballet has:

– Invested in $40 million worth of costumes and sets

– Sold over 12 million tickets to its performances

– Danced through 250,000 pairs of pointe shoes

– Accrued more than 29,000 costumes

– Performed 7379 shows

– Used 7000 metres of fabric netting to make over 700 tutus

– Employed over 550 dancers

– Amassed a repertoire of 389 ballets by 144 choreographers

– Funded 237 new commissions