Melbourne Dance Theatre has recently officially relaunched itself as the Victorian State Ballet over in down under, with the new name for the Australian dance company announced at a special gala performance. Melbourne Dance Theatre has been performing since 2003 as a pro-am (professional-amateur company). Following lasting success for the company the directors have been able to provide paid employment to an increasing number of professional dancers.
In 2014, Melbourne Dance Theatre was able to pay 16 dancers on around two month contracts, underpinning the hard work and good results of the company. For 2016, the directors anticipate they will be able to employ 15 dancers and two apprentices on season contracts. The success experienced by Melbourne Dance Theatre therefore led to the rebirth of the company through its new name, better reflecting its work and plans for the future. The directors also instilled the rename in order to distinguish the company from the two other Melbourne-based classical companies: Melbourne Ballet Company and Melbourne City Ballet.
The vision for the company is to become the central hub for dance in Victoria, Australia, and to connect people and dance across the state by providing them with an exciting and challenging programme of works. The directors plan to collaborate with leading artists and organisations as part of their mission statement, extending the reach of the company to new audiences. Negotiations are already underway with other performing arts centres in Warrnambool and Benalla in Victoria, and the company also plan to travel interstate to Adelaide for a season.
Other plans by the directors of the Victorian State Ballet are to present their own classical ballet repertoire and contemporary dance works, with three full length ballets and other shorter new ballets being prepared for. The repertoire will include Don Quixote, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Les Sylphides and a children’s season of La Boutique Fantasque.