With its ongoing partnership with The Australian Ballet and home to institutions like Lisa Clark Dance Centre and MAKS Ballet Studios, Canberra is a ballet hotspot in Australia. But it doesn’t end there. The city welcomes new and innovative ballet productions every year, but few shine as bright as ‘Ballet of Lights Canberra’ — a series of luminous ballet shows featuring graceful ballerinas wearing glimmering costumes adorned in fibre-optic lights.
What is Ballet of Lights?
‘Ballet of Lights’ is a unique dance and light show that retells timeless stories including The Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. It maintains the foundations of classical ballet—the choreography and the emphasis on line and form—while introducing a contemporary visual element through costumes embedded with glimmering fibre-optic lights.
As six talented dancers glide and pirouette, their movements activate these lights, creating a dynamic interplay between the human form and illumination, making the centuries-old art form accessible to all audiences.
Ballet of Lights in Canberra: Which story is being performed now?
Sleeping Beauty
The saga of Sleeping Beauty hails from the timeless fairy tales of Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, celebrated for its motifs of enchantment, slumber, and renewal. Ballet audiences have always been captivated by its dreamlike aura, and in Ballet of Lights, the narrative glows anew. The choreography brings fresh perspective to slumber and awakening, set against the unforgettable strains of Tchaikovsky’s score. This musical backdrop, fused with on-stage illumination, underscores every twist of fate and moment of hope. Fibre-optic costumes underscore the drama, affirming the ballet’s traditional magic while adding a modern pulse to each movement.
Cinderella
Cinderella’s journey is as enduring as it is enchanting, with roots stretching back to Charles Perrault’s 1697 adaptation—a story etched into cultural memory through its themes of hope and transformation. In the ballet tradition, Cinderella’s tale is known for spectacle and emotional nuance, qualities that flourish in this illuminated reinvention. The costumes’ gentle glow lighting heightens every magical moment, especially Cinderella’s midnight flight from the ball. The use of fibre-optic effects weaves new wonder into each classic scene and deepens the emotional connection between characters and audience.
Discover a ballet performance featuring classical choreography and traditional costumes fitted with fibre-optic lights for a new experience of the famous art form at Gungahlin Theatre. At ‘Ballet of Lights’ in Canberra, with two back-to-back performances scheduled, you can choose the show that best suits your schedule. Each show takes place over the course of 60 minutes and doors open 30 minutes before the show starts.