West HQ’s Sydney Coliseum Theatre to host debut international ballet gala

West HQ’s Sydney Coliseum Theatre will host the debut of the spectacular Sydney International Ballet Gala - World Stars of Ballet on 16th and 17th July with the architecturally lauded Sydney Coliseum’s state of the art stage anticipated to deliver the highest technical precision.

The world-class program will showcase a cross-section of more than hundreds of years of ballet history. Anticipated are excerpts from the greatest classical ballet works and highlights from the contemporary dance repertoire from around the globe.   

Richard Errington, Chief Executive, West HQ notes “the staging of a Ballet Gala of this calibre represents just one of the wonderful reasons we built the Sydney Coliseum Theatre in western Sydney. The theatrical art form of ballet translates the values of inclusion involving artists and audiences of all age groups, from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders. We are delighted to welcome all to the stage and look forward to continuing West HQ's support of the arts.”

This is an extraordinary chance for audiences to enjoy an exceptional repertoire representing the best of the international ballet world, performed by Principal Dancers and Soloists from The Australian Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Berlin State Ballet, Bavarian State Ballet and Dortmund Ballet with more to be announced in coming weeks.

Slava Tutukin, Artistic Director advises “this gala is a celebration that aims to unite and connect artists and audiences even in the most difficult of circumstances. Local and international artists will share their personal stories using dance as a universal language which for many generations has opened doors for communication across global cultures.”

Having enchanted audiences around the globe, the international performers bring the stage to life through spectacular dance to create a dreamlike universe, featuring three world premieres and three Australian premieres created by internationally acclaimed choreographers.  Gracing the stage are dancers including, Grace Carroll (The Australian Ballet), Bryce Latham (The Australian Ballet), Julian MacKay (Principal Dancer, San Francisco Ballet), and Mayu Tanigaito (Principal Dancer, Royal New Zealand Ballet) amongst others from renowned international ballet companies.

An additional highlight will be, Laura Fernandez.  Born in Switzerland, the international artist is half Ukrainian, half Spanish, and studied at the Dance Academy Zurich and the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg. She is the first Swiss ever to join the Mariinsky Theatre where she danced many solo roles, before heading to Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow as a First Soloist. Due to the tragic situation between Russia and Ukraine she had to make the hard decision to leave her life behind in Russia and move to Georgia, where she is currently engaged as a Principal Dancer at the State Ballet of Georgia under the direction of Nina Ananiashvili.

The Sydney International Ballet Gala will be hosted by special guest, ABC reporter, producer and presenter Nicole Chettle, a news anchor who has hosted the evening news broadcast in more than 40 countries through the Australian Television Network.

The Sydney International Ballet Gala season will be a major drawcard for visitors to Greater Sydney and the west.

Venue: Sydney Coliseum Theatre, West HQ
Dates:  Saturday 16 & Sunday 17 July at 6pm & 3.30pm
Prices:  From $69 (Transaction fees apply)
Bookings:  premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=BALLET22
Duration:  Approximately 2hrs + 20 mins including interval 
Ages:  Open to all