23-649: Queensland Ballet , founded in 1960 by Charles Lisner , is the premier ballet company of Queensland , Australia, and is based in Brisbane . It is one of only three full-time, professional classical ballet companies in Australia. The company has had six previous Artistic Directors, and is currently led by Greg Horsman . In 2023, the company consists of 60 dancers, including 12 Jette Parker Young Artists. Queensland Ballet’s founding Artistic Director, Charles Lisner , trained with Edouard Borovansky and danced with
46-469: A commitment that continues today. Lisner stepped down as Artistic Director in 1974 and was replaced by Harry Haythorne , who was previously Assistant Director of the Scottish ballet. During his tenure, Haythorne presented works by Australian choreographers including Graeme Murphy , Garth Welch , and Don Asker, and had Hans Brenaa stage La Sylphide and other Bournonville ballets. His contract with
69-621: A pupil of Borovansky, and later joined his company. In 1947, Lisner traveled to London where he spent time with the Sadler's Wells Ballet and dance with The Royal Ballet. In 1953, Lisner returned to Queensland after the death of his father, and established the Lisner Ballet Academy with virtually no money. From that academy grew Lisner's privately owned company, the Lisner Ballet, which was established in 1960. The company
92-584: Is a former ballet dancer with Britain's Royal Ballet and English National Ballet , co-director of National Ballet of Washington, D.C. (1971–1974), artistic director of Chicago Ballet (1974-1975), artistic director of Houston Ballet (1976–2003), and artistic director of Texas Ballet Theater (2003–2022). A native of Portsmouth , England, Stevenson received his dance training at the Arts Educational School in London. Upon his graduation, he
115-608: Is the immensely popular Cloudland , a tribute to Brisbane's post-war era set in the once famous Cloudland 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 perform Alice in Wonderland and The Little Mermaid . During his tenure, Klaus also established training programs which are now an integral part of
138-664: The 1976 New Year Honours . Many photographs of the academy were taken by Grahame Garner , as a regular photographer for the Queensland Guardian newspaper. 911 negatives from his collection of the Lisner Academy were lodged with the National Library of Australia in 2009. This article about an Australian entertainer is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ben Stevenson (dancer) Ben Stevenson OBE (born 4 April 1936),
161-677: The Harkness Ballet . After choreographing Cinderella in 1970 for the National Ballet of Washington, D.C. , he joined the company in 1971 as co-director with Frederic Franklin . That same year, he staged a new production of The Sleeping Beauty in observance of the inaugural season of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. After a brief association with Ruth Page's Chicago Ballet , in 1976, Stevenson
184-738: The Varna International Ballet Competitions of 1972, 1982, and 1986. In addition, he has staged his ballets for the Harkness Ballet , English National Ballet , American Ballet Theatre , the Paris Opera Ballet , La Scala in Milan , Rome Opera House , the Munich State Opera Ballet , The Joffrey Ballet , London City Ballet , Ballet de Santiago , The Perm State P. I. Tchaikovsky Opera and Ballet Theatre and for many companies in
207-670: The Borovansky Australian Ballet prior to traveling to London to continue his dance studies with the Sadlers Wells Ballet School . He later joined The Royal Ballet , Convent Garden. In 1953, Charles returned to Australia to open the Lisner Ballet Academy, which became the Lisner Ballet Company in 1960. The company was re-named Queensland Ballet in 1962 and became one of the first ballet ensembles in Australia to tour regionally,
230-628: The English National Ballet asked him to stage his first ballet, the highly successful production of The Sleeping Beauty, which starred Dame Margot Fonteyn . A year after staging the ballet in England, Stevenson arrived in the United States, lending his vast talents and experience to productions across the country. At the request of Rebekah Harkness , he journeyed to New York where he assumed the position of Artistic Director of
253-856: The National Ballet at the Kennedy Center, the Joffrey Ballet in New York, and La Scala in Milan, among other locations. He worked with Margot Fonteyn , one of the 20th century's great ballerinas. He taught Jane Seymour dance when the Hollywood star was 13. In 2003, he was named Director Emeritus of Houston Ballet and the company's academy was renamed the Ben Stevenson Academy . In July 2003, Stevenson accepted
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#1732776069229276-672: The Talbot Theatre at the Thomas Dixon Centre. List of Queensland Ballet dancers, as of 2023: Charles Lisner Charles Maurice Lisner OBE (1928 - 1988) was a French-Australian dancer and the founder and first artistic director of the Queensland Ballet . Charles Lisner was born in Paris in 1928 and emigrated to Australia with his parents in 1937. He started dancing late in life, first becoming
299-487: 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's Scheherazade and Carmina Burana and Collin's Salome , Carmen and Romeo & Juliet . Following Lisner's vision, Collins continued to commission new Australian works in contemporary and classical styles, and forged
322-448: 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
345-455: The end of 2023. Rockhampton -born former principal dancer with The Royal Ballet , Leanne Benjamin was appointed Artistic Director in 2024. Queensland Ballet averages six main-stage productions per season, in addition to smaller, more intimate performances and regional tours. They have performed Ben Stevenson OBE’s The Nutcracker annually since 2013. The company regularly performs at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) as well as in
368-493: 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
391-517: The future of ballet through education, collaboration, and his artistic vision. In 2022, Stevenson was named Artistic Director Laureate in recognition of his lengthy tenure. Stevenson was succeeded as Artistic Director by Tim O'Keefe. In the Bruce Beresford 2009 film Mao's Last Dancer , Stevenson was portrayed by Canadian actor Bruce Greenwood . Stevenson has received numerous awards for his choreography, including three gold medals at
414-550: The position of artistic director of Texas Ballet Theater in Fort Worth . As the longest-serving artistic director in Texas Ballet Theater history, Stevenson has been instrumental in elevating Texas Ballet Theater (TBT) from a regional troupe to an internationally acclaimed ensemble. Since joining TBT, he has established himself as a prominent member of the local arts community, demonstrating his commitment to
437-724: 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 and Thomas Dixon Centre . In August 2015, the company performed Peter Schaufuss ' La Sylphide at the London Coliseum . In November 2018, they embarked on a China tour, performing Liam Scarlett 's A Midsummer Night's Dream to audiences in Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing, and Xi'an. Li retired for health reasons at
460-609: Was a trustee of the company, in 1978 Stevenson visited Beijing and offered the Chinese dancer, Li Cunxin a six-week scholarship to America and later on his defection, offered him a position with the company. Cunxin returned where he danced at the gala at Stevenson's retirement after 27 years with the Houston Ballet. Stevenson has been called "a master of the traditional story ballet." He's choreographed in Paris and Beijing,
483-497: Was appointed artistic director of the Houston Ballet , which he developed into one of America's leading ballet companies. During his tenure, he expanded the company's repertory by acquiring the works of the world's most respected choreographers, commissioning new works, staging the classics and choreographing original works. During this time as artistic director of America's fifth-biggest ballet company, and when Barbara Bush
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#1732776069229506-607: Was awarded the prestigious Adeline Genée Gold Medal, the highest award give to a dancer by the Royal Academy of Dancing . At the age of 18, Stevenson was invited to join the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet by Dame Ninette de Valois . A few years later, Anton Dolin invited him to dance with the London Festival Ballet , where, as a principal dancer, he performed leading roles in all the classics. In 1967,
529-402: Was the first professional state company in Australia to tour regional centres throughout the country. In 1962, the company was renamed Queensland Ballet . Lisner stepped down as Artistic Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company in 1974. Lisner married Valerie, one of his dancers. He was an uncredited dancer [1] in the film, The Red Shoes (1948) [2] He was appointed OBE in
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