Prism

An earth-shattering experience from three of the world’s most inspired choreographers, Prism will leave you breathless with its raw intensity and revolutionary design. Inspired by the three sides of a prism, each work is a reflection of the visionary choreographer behind it.  

Prism encompasses the spectrum of contemporary dance and demonstrates The Australian Ballet’s commitment to commissioning new works and collaborating with local and international creatives. Featuring scores composed by some of the world’s most popular artists, Prism reflects a new frontier in dance. 

Blake Works VI (The Barre Project) - William Forsythe 

A kaleidoscope of movement.

The Barre Project was conceived at the height of the pandemic as an homage to the legions of dancers who, while holding on to any available piece of domestic furniture, attempted to sustain their professional abilities with at-home barre exercises. 

The project’s choreography contains no traditional arrangement of academic barre sequences. Rather, it is a rigorous display of the winding and unwinding kinetic logic that underlies the most fundamental elements of classical ballet’s vocabulary. 

Traditionally, the musical accompaniment for barre work has consisted of regularly metered excerpts of classical music repertoire. The composer, James Blake, also uses familiar time signatures to frame diverse facets of classic composition in his densely counterpointed structures. Blake’s musical erudition allows him to navigate between traditional compositional conventions and contemporary genres with sophisticated ease, delighting and exciting performers and audiences alike. 

New Work - Stephanie Lake 

After astounding audiences with Circle Electric in 2024, The Australian Ballet’s Resident Choreographer Stephanie Lake takes you beyond ballet’s boundaries with this brand-new work. 

Glass Pieces - Jerome Robbins 

Ballet’s urban heart. 

Dancer, choreographer, and storyteller Jerome Robbins captured the world’s attention with his ground-breaking choreography on the hit Broadway musicals West Side Story and Fiddler on the Roof. Known for his evocative style, Robbins spoke his truth through his ballets. With Glass Pieces, Robbins extends across genres, fusing slick urban movement with traditional ballet to create a style that is uniquely its own. 

Accompanied by Phillip Glass’ music from Glassworks and the opera Akhnaten, Glass Pieces is an expansive work of art that moves at an electrifying pace, embodying the pulsing heartbeat of New York City. 

Blake Works VI (The Barre Project)  

Choreography: William Forsythe 
Music: James Blake, Lindisfarne I, Buzzard & Kestrel, Lullaby for My Insomniac, 200 Press and others. 
Lighting design: Tanja Rühl, based on original design by Brandon Stirling Baker 
Stage and costume design: William Forsythe 

Première 25 September 2025, The Australian Ballet, Regent Theatre, Melbourne, Australia. 
Originating from The Barre Project (Blake Works II), created and filmed in 2020 for its first broadcast on 25 March 2021, on the CLI Studio Digital Platform.

Glass Pieces  

Choreography: Jerome Robbins 
Music: Philip Glass, excerpts from Glassworks and Akhnaten 
Costume design: Ben Benson 
Set and lighting design: Ronald Bates 

New Work 

Choreography: Stephanie Lake