Australia’s fever for ballet was ignited in the early 20th century with the arrival of Anna Pavlova, and later, the Ballet Russes, who enraptured audiences and galvanised the establishment of Australia’s first ballet company – the Borovansky Ballet. Despite resounding success with audiences, the life of the company was short lived – financial troubles and the sudden death of its director threatened the future of professional ballet in the country. It wasn’t until the arrival and foresight of British dancer Peggy van Praagh – who took over the ailing company – that the future of ballet in the country looked certain. A successful campaign to government in 1964 led to the establishment of Australia’s first professional dance company: The Australian Ballet. The company’s debut of adored classic Swan Lake was a resounding success and inspired an industrious period which saw the creation of uniquely Australian works, such as The Display and The Melbourne Cup. But the early decades were far from smooth sailing. A failed tour to New Zealand, over-worked dancers and industrial action threatened the fledgling company as it tried to carve out its own unique cultural identity. It wasn’t just the dancers’ contracts that were being revolutionised. The early seventies saw the celebrated arrival of a new mode of contemporary dance and the company’s iconic production of Rudolph Nureyev’s Don Quixote, a coup that would herald the greatest ballet film of all time. Whilst the company’s new edge pleased adventurous audiences, a division between the artistic and administrative sides was glaringly apparent. A revolving door of artistic directors and tensions with company management would see out a decade marred by instability and the ballet’s struggle to find its artistic voice.
Come the 1980s, the Australian economy was booming. It was a time of excess and consumption, and The Australian Ballet's audience was broader than ever before. But the long simmering tensions between belt-tightening and creative risk were about to come to a head. In 1981 the dancers staged an iconic strike, demanding to be paid according to skill and rank. Shortly after, the artistic appointment of British dancer Maina Gielgud finally brought together the creative and business sides of the company. What followed was a harmonious period of rebuilding and a focus on cultivating the company’s many young dancers, such as David McAllister, Steven Heathcote, Elizabeth Toohey and Fiona Tonkin. Inspired by the company’s youth, the early nineties saw daring, sexy and provocative ballets that pushed the limits of physicality and tradition. Spartacus, and Stanton Welch’s Divergence showed a new edge and revolutionised the ballet’s public image. The period also saw the arrival of Australia’s most highly regarded choreographer Graeme Murphy and the company’s first collaboration with choreographer Stephen Page of Bangarra Dance Company. Ross Stretton took over the artistic direction in 1997. Remote and reclusive, his approach was not endeared by some, though no one could deny his artistic strengths. By the end of the decade, the repertoire was becoming increasingly contemporary, increasingly Australian and increasingly risky.
The Australian Ballet entered the new millennium with a bold creative appointment. Fresh from the dancer's ranks and with no leadership experience, David McAllister took over from Ross Stretton as the artistic director in 2001.