Few ballets occupy our collective cultural consciousness in quite the same way as Swan Lake. Those haunting opening bars of Tchaikovsky's heart-rending melody; the melancholic theme introduced first by the oboe, before being adopted by the rich, sonorous drone of the cellos. The pas de quatres of the cygnets; holding criss-crossed hands, the light patter of the dancers' pointe shoes as they relevé passé, possibly as distinctive as the music itself. It was the perfect choice to herald the first season of the brand-new Australian Ballet company - an indisputable classic, beloved by all, and unparalleled in its romance, spectacle, and technical difficulty.
opened at the now-defunct Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney, on November 2,1962. Sitting in the audience that night was. Five nights later, Marilyn Jones, OBE, also took to the stage as the third prima ballerina to perform for the season.
