THERE was a sense of excitement afoot as American dancer and choreographer David Hallberg stepped into the shoes of the Australian Ballet director of 20 years, David McAllister, to announce the 2021 season for the flagship company, themed as “a new era of artistry”. 

Hallberg, who while a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre had become the first American to join the Bolshoi Ballet as a principal in 2011, first visited the Australian Ballet as a guest artist in 2010. In 2016, after more than two years being treated by the Australian Ballet’s artistic health team for an injury, he relaunched his career, partnering the company’s principal artist, Amber Scott, in “Coppélia”, during which time he became deeply immersed in the life of the company. 

“I’m eager to bring the experiences I’ve accumulated around the world and pass them on,” Hallberg said, adding that he’d programmed “a repertoire that exemplifies their versatility”.

Known very much as a “dancer’s dancer” rather than as a choreographer, Hallberg focused firmly on the artists and how they felt about their roles.

Something with a distinctive New York flavour to be seen at Sydney Opera House from April 6-24 will be “New York Dialects”, comprising “Serenade”, and “The Four Temperaments”, both choreographed by George Balanchine, “the great game-changer of ballet”, alongside a brand-new creation from  Pam Tanowitz, described by Hallberg as “one of our generation’s most intelligent creators”, using the male dancers of the Australian Ballet. At the launch, principal artist Amy Harris and Hallberg discussed the emotions involved in dancing “Serenade”.

In a Q&A with Amber Scott, who will dance the title role in “Raymonda”, staged by Hallberg himself, he described the role as “languid and sensitive”. The ballet, with choreography by Marius Petipa, will, with “Artifact Suite” by William Forsythe, form part of the double-bill “Counterpointe”, at the Sydney Opera House from April to May.

Hallberg made a virtual visit to ballerina Robin Hendricks, deep in the costume department where she was examining the nine magnificent gowns she will wear in the starring role of the ballet “Anna Karenina”, choreographed by Yuri Possokhov, playing in Melbourne and Adelaide during June and July but not, alas, closer to home.

“The ‘Russian soul’ is very familiar to me after dancing with the Bolshoi Ballet for 10 years,” Hallberg said. 

A romantic note was struck when Hallberg introduced dancing couple, Ako Kondo and Chengwu Guo, who will dance the title roles in John Cranko’s version of “Romeo and Juliet” to the famous music by Prokofiev which was so detested by Stalin’s officials. For Guo, it was the sword-fighting scene involving Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio, apart from the opportunity to dance with “my real-life Juliet”. 

Serendipitously, Cranko’s popular ballet premiered in 1962, the year the Australian Ballet was founded. It will be seen at the Sydney Opera House from November 5-24.

Another combination of Italian subject matter with Russian artistry will be the 1900 Marius Petipa/Riccardo Drigo ballet “Harlequinade”, a co-production of the American Ballet Theatre and the Australian Ballet, playing from November to December at the Sydney Opera House. Hallberg had danced the role of Pierrot for the American Ballet Theatre in New York City.

Speaking to “Pierrot” dancer Adam Bull about the ballet’s characters from the commedia dell’arte, like Harlequin and Columbine, he hinted at some extraordinary sleeves for Pierrot which would bring the house down.

Although the Australian Ballet opened the Canberra Theatre Centre in 1965 when our theatre was the brightest and the best, Canberrans have rarely been able to see the company here, with the notable exception of “Monument”, Garry Stewart’s new work for the centenary of Canberra, by the building of Parliament House itself. But if plans for a new Lyric theatre-sized Canberra Theatre go ahead, it may not be too long before the glory days will return.

All program and booking details for “New Era” season at australianballet.com.au