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Articles by Yvette Grant
Copland Dance Episodes: Americana music, contemporary dance and the Australian Ballet Original
In Justin Peck’s Copland Dance Episodes, 30 dancers of The Australian Ballet move through 22 episodes to music by legendary American composer Aaron Copland, performed by Orchestra Victoria. Born in 1900, Copland created a new American classical music idiom earning him the title of “Dean of American Composers”. The ballet features his orchestral work Fanfare for the Common Man (1942) and excerpts from his ballets Rodeo (1942), Appalachian Spring (1944) and Billy the Kid (1938).
Copland Dance Episodes: Americana music, contemporary dance and the Australian Ballet
© 2026 Tolerance.ca ® Inc. All reproduction rights reserved. All information reproduced on the Web pages of www.tolerance.ca (including articles, images, photographs, and logos) is protected by intellectual property rights owned by Tolerance.ca ® Inc. or, in certain cases, by its author. Any reproduction of the information for use other than personal use is prohibited.
The theatre of war: how the Anzac story has been retold through dance for 80 years
The story of the Anzacs has been represented through art from the beginning. The film Hero of the Dardanelles (1915) recreates the landing at Gallipoli. Official war artists were commissioned to document the conflict. One of the most powerful paintings was the ghostly Midnight at Menin Gate (1927) by Will Longstaff. Banjo Paterson penned an ode to Gallipoli, We’re All Australians Now, in 1915, and novels abound exploring the impacts of war on soldiers and society. What about dance?
Flora captures the Australian environment. It is something bold and new in Australian dance
In 1950 Australian writer and dancer Jean Garling argued: Dance reflects [a people’s] reaction to environment, for it is every art, and in its quality can be read the characteristics of a nation. She could have no idea what that would look like in 2026. Flora, a collaboration between The Australian Ballet and Bangarra Dance Theatre, is an embodiment of our Australian environment.
Flora captures the Australian environment. It is something bold and new in Australian dance
In 1950 Australian writer and dancer Jean Garling argued: Dance reflects [a people’s] reaction to environment, for it is every art, and in its quality can be read the characteristics of a nation. She could have no idea what that would look like in 2026. Flora, a collaboration between The Australian Ballet and Bangarra Dance Theatre, is an embodiment of our Australian environment. It optimistically and lavishly captures the characteristics and complexities of our contemporary nation.
The Australian Ballet’s flawless, breathtaking Prism is a significant coming of age for the company
When Alicia Alonso was establishing the National Cuban Ballet in the 1950s she was faced with interrogation from the communist regime as to how a European art form could represent and serve the Cuban people. Historian Lester Tome has written extensively about Alonso. Tome says she argued ballet as an art form must be thought of in the same way as music, painting or sculpture. Cubans should dance Cuban dances but must also have the freedom to engage with international cultural forms and trends.
Two profound but different ballet legacies: vale Colin Peasley and Garth Welch
© 2025 Tolerance.ca ® Inc. All reproduction rights reserved. All information reproduced on the Web pages of www.tolerance.ca (including articles, images, photographs, and logos) is protected by intellectual property rights owned by Tolerance.ca ® Inc. or, in certain cases, by its author. Any reproduction of the information for use other than personal use is prohibited.
Two profound but different ballet legacies: vale Colin Peasley and Garth Welch
September has seen the passing of two of Australia’s ballet legends, Colin Peasley and Garth Welch. Their passing signals the end of an era – but not the end of their influence. An examination of their lives shows us how much has changed for men and ballet in Australia. Both born in the mid 1930s, their long lives have shaped ballet dancers, ballet dancing and ballet companies across Australia and beyond. However, while both were extensively influential their paths were very different.
Sydney Dance Company’s momenta - a breathtaking study in perpetual motion
By Yvette Grant, PhD (Dance) Candidate and Dance History Tutor, The University of Melbourne Sometimes dancers in the Sydney Dance Company production momenta suggest atoms under a microscope. They collide and react, constantly forming new molecules and compounds. Read complete article © The Conversation -
Sydney Dance Company’s momenta - a breathtaking study in perpetual motion
Artistic director Rafael Bonachela’s latest work for the Sydney Dance Company, momenta, had its Melbourne premiere on October 8 at the Playhouse Theatre in the Arts Centre. Bonachela says that he wanted the full-length work to represent both momenta – the plural form of momentum from the Latin movimentum – and moments. And it does exactly that. The work is a maelstrom of macro and microcosmic momentums, capturing mundane and monumental moments.
Oscar: the tragedy and beauty of Wilde’s life, and an historic moment on the ballet stage
Christopher Wheeldon and The Australian Ballet’s Oscar, which had its world premiere in Melbourne on September 13, is based on the story of Oscar Wilde: the writer, the man, the protester. Combining key life events with two of Wilde’s well-known works – The Nightingale and the Rose, and The Picture of Dorian Gray – Wheeldon has created a complex and highly cinematic ballet about a literary genius who was also a gay martyr.
Oscar: the tragedy and beauty of Wilde’s life, and an historic moment on the ballet stage
Christopher Wheeldon and The Australian Ballet’s Oscar, which had its world premiere in Melbourne on September 13, is based on the story of Oscar Wilde: the writer, the man, the protester. Combining key life events with two of Wilde’s well-known works – The Nightingale and the Rose, and The Picture of Dorian Gray – Wheeldon has created a complex and highly cinematic ballet about a literary genius who was also a gay martyr.
How to watch dance
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How to watch dance
Watching dance is watching an extraordinary and fleeting artistic creation that uses an instrument we all have: the human body. The dancing body communicates a unique sense of being human as it speaks to us through its bones, its muscles, its skin, its cells. But have you ever been to a dance performance and wondered what it was all about? Or wanted to go see some dance, but been unsure of where to start? For the uninitiated, dance can be difficult because, like music, it uses a non-verbal language.
How to watch dance - The Australia Today
By Yvette Grant Watching dance is watching an extraordinary and fleeting artistic creation that uses an instrument we all have: the human body. The dancing body communicates a unique sense of being human as it speaks to us through its bones, its muscles, its skin, its cells. But have you ever been to a dance performance and wondered what it was all about? Or wanted to go see some dance, but been unsure of where to start?
How to watch dance
Watching dance is watching an extraordinary and fleeting artistic creation that uses an instrument we all have: the human body. The dancing body communicates a unique sense of being human as it speaks to us through its bones, its muscles, its skin, its cells. But have you ever been to a dance performance and wondered what it was all about? Or wanted to go see some dance, but been unsure of where to start? For the uninitiated, dance can be difficult because, like music, it uses a non-verbal language.
How to watch dance
Watching dance is watching an extraordinary and fleeting artistic creation that uses an instrument we all have: the human body. The dancing body communicates a unique sense of being human as it speaks to us through its bones, its muscles, its skin, its cells. But have you ever been to a dance performance and wondered what it was all about? Or wanted to go see some dance, but been unsure of where to start? For the uninitiated, dance can be difficult because, like music, it uses a non-verbal language.
How to watch dance
© 2024 Tolerance.ca ® Inc. All reproduction rights reserved. All information reproduced on the Web pages of www.tolerance.ca (including articles, images, photographs, and logos) is protected by intellectual property rights owned by Tolerance.ca ® Inc. or, in certain cases, by its author. Any reproduction of the information for use other than personal use is prohibited.
what we're streaming this October Original
If you’ve made your way through our September picks and are looking for something new, this month’s streaming picks have something for everyone. There is a classic romantic comedy, some British crime drama and even some contemporary dance. The weather might be turning, and the sun might be shining – but these picks will have you wanting to spend some more time on the couch.
Do we really need another Swan Lake?
Last year when, The Australian Ballet announced their 2023 season and I saw a “new” Swan Lake on the list, I asked myself: did we really need another Swan Lake? I love Swan Lake.
Do we really need another Swan Lake?
Last year when, The Australian Ballet announced their 2023 season and I saw a "new" Swan Lake on the list, I asked myself: did we really need another Swan Lake? I love Swan Lake.
Do we really need another Swan Lake?
© 2023 Tolerance.ca ® Inc. All reproduction rights reserved. All information reproduced on the Web pages of www.tolerance.ca (including articles, images, photographs, and logos) is protected by intellectual property rights owned by Tolerance.ca ® Inc. or, in certain cases, by its author. Any reproduction of the information for use other than personal use is prohibited.
Do we really need another Swan Lake? Original
Last year when, The Australian Ballet announced their 2023 season and I saw a “new” Swan Lake on the list, I asked myself: did we really need another Swan Lake? I love Swan Lake.
60 years of The Australian Ballet and 90 years of 'Australian' ballet: Identity asks us to reflect on Australian dance today
© 2023 Tolerance.ca ® Inc. All reproduction rights reserved. All information reproduced on the Web pages of www.tolerance.ca (including articles, images, photographs, and logos) is protected by intellectual property rights owned by Tolerance.ca ® Inc. or, in certain cases, by its author. Any reproduction of the information for use other than personal use is prohibited.
Identity asks us to reflect on Australian dance today
When The Australian Ballet was founded in 1962, its charter stated that, alongside international repertoire and visiting international choreographers, it must engage Australian choreographers and produce Australian works. But what does “Australian” look like in ballet? In 1989, dancer, teacher, choreographer and director of The Ballet Guild (later Ballet Victoria) Laurel Martyn was asked about what it meant for ballet to be Australian: Martyn had choreographed her first Australian ballet in 1941.
Identity asks us to reflect on Australian dance today
Wed May 3 Written by Yvette Grant, PhD (Dance) Candidate and Dance History Tutor, The University of Melbourne When The Australian Ballet was founded in 1962, its charter stated that, alongside international repertoire and visiting international choreographers, it must engage Australian choreographers and produce Australian works. But what does “Australian” look like in ballet?
FRAME is a joyous festival of dance
Staying true to its objectives of representing dance artists from across practices and lineages, the inaugural FRAME Dance Festival offered a diversity of performance styles and forms in locations around Melbourne and beyond. The program included shows, films and workshops in venues ranging from courtyards to galleries to dance studios. Some offerings were political and academic, some were celebratory. Some told us personal or cultural stories; some had 100 dancers, some had one.
Choreographic legacies, human connectivity, and a psychedelic rainbow celebration: FRAME is a joyous festival of dance
© 2023 Tolerance.ca ® Inc. All reproduction rights reserved. All information reproduced on the Web pages of www.tolerance.ca (including articles, images, photographs, and logos) is protected by intellectual property rights owned by Tolerance.ca ® Inc. or, in certain cases, by its author. Any reproduction of the information for use other than personal use is prohibited.
Choreographic legacies, human connectivity, and a psychedelic rainbow celebration: FRAME is a joyous festival of dance
Staying true to its objectives of representing dance artists from across practices and lineages, the inaugural FRAME Dance Festival offered a diversity of performance styles and forms in locations around Melbourne and beyond. The program included shows, films and workshops in venues ranging from courtyards to galleries to dance studios. Some offerings were political and academic, some were celebratory. Some told us personal or cultural stories; some had 100 dancers, some had one.
FRAME is a joyous festival of dance
Staying true to its objectives of representing dance artists from across practices and lineages, the inaugural FRAME Dance Festival offered a diversity of performance styles and forms in locations around Melbourne and beyond. The program included shows, films and workshops in venues ranging from courtyards to galleries to dance studios. Some offerings were political and academic, some were celebratory. Some told us personal or cultural stories; some had 100 dancers, some had one.
The modern women of Australian ballet
It’s a Saturday night in Melbourne in the 1950s and you’re on your way to see some ground-breaking modern theatre. Where are you going? To a ballet created by a woman. Many women, and in particular Australian women, were making interesting and modern work at this time and four stood out. They were Louise Lightfoot, Joanna Priest, Laurel Martyn and Valrene Tweedie.
5 Australian women choreographers you should know (and where to see them in 2023)
Fri Jan 6 Written by Yvette Grant, PhD (Dance) Candidate and dance history tutor, The University of Melbourne “Ballet is woman” claimed the legendary New York choreographer George Balanchine. But “where are all the women ballet choreographers?” asked researchers Oellen A. Meglin and Lynn Matluck Brooks in 2012. They found only 23 articles on women ballet choreographers in the New York Times’ 171-year history.
5 Inspiring Australian Women Choreographers You Should Know
“Ballet is woman” claimed the legendary New York choreographer George Balanchine. But “where are all the women ballet choreographers?” asked researchers Oellen A. Meglin and Lynn Matluck Brooks in 2012. They found only 23 articles on women ballet choreographers in the New York Times’ 171-year history. In Australia, even the keenest ballet fan will struggle to recall a dozen ballets by women in The Australian Ballet company’s 60-year history.
5 Australian women choreographers you should know (and where to see them in 2023)
Open banking is coming to New Zealand – here’s what we can learn from countries already doing it Traditional banks in New Zealand have long served as gatekeepers of customers’ data. This is about to change with the arrival of what’s called “open banking”, set to arrive in New Zealand by 2024. In essence, open banking is where a traditional bank makes client and transaction data available to another financial service provider.
5 Australian women choreographers you should know (and where to see them in 2023)
“Ballet is woman” claimed the legendary New York choreographer George Balanchine. But “where are all the women ballet choreographers?” asked researchers Oellen A. Meglin and Lynn Matluck Brooks in 2012. They found only 23 articles on women ballet choreographers in the New York Times’ 171-year history. In Australia, even the keenest ballet fan will struggle to recall a dozen ballets by women in The Australian Ballet company’s 60-year history.
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