The Australian Ballet School

view photo gallery

For students of The Australian Ballet School, performance is an essential extension of their training. Hours spent refining technique, absorbing corrections and developing artistry in the studio ultimately find their purpose on stage, where dancers must trust their preparation, respond to one another and communicate with an audience. In June, the School’s 2026 Winter Season took its senior students to Riverside Theatres in Parramatta for three performances across 12 and 13 June, presenting a program that moved between classical elegance and contemporary expression.

The program gave Level 7 and Level 8 students the opportunity to experience a diverse range of repertoire across five works. Level 8 opened with Défilé, choreographed by Lucinda Dunn OAM and Andrew Murphy to music by Antonín Dvořák, while Level 7 performed Stephen Baynes’ Le Bal, set to music by Alexander Glazunov. Contemporary repertoire included Lucas Jervies’ Fight or Flight, performed by Level 8 to music by Paul Terracini, and Atlas Waiting, choreographed by Mason Lovegrove to music by Ryan Lott for Level 7. Completing the program was Jervies’ Concerto Anniversary, set to Tchaikovsky and performed by the senior dancers.

For Maya Conn, currently a Level 7 student, one of the most memorable parts of Winter Season happened before she even stepped onto the stage.

“My favourite moment from Winter Season was being backstage just before going on,” Maya shares. “There’s something really special about the energy side stage and being surrounded by people who all share the same passion and are equally driven to perform at their very best.”

That shared commitment is an important part of training at this level. While ballet inevitably asks dancers to focus closely on their individual development, a production requires something more. Individual preparation becomes collective responsibility, with every dancer contributing to what unfolds on stage.

For Georgia Lorange, Level 7, that sense of collaboration was particularly memorable in Mason Lovegrove’s Atlas Waiting, a work performed by the Level 7 cohort.

“Performing with the talented group of ABS dancers was a very special experience,” Georgia says. “A particular highlight was performing our contemporary work Atlas Waiting, choreographed by Mason Lovegrove, for the first time. Seeing the piece come to life made it a performance I’ll always remember.”

The Level 7 students were also entrusted with Stephen Baynes’ Le Bal, giving the cohort the opportunity to move between the differing demands of classical and contemporary repertoire within the same season. It is this breadth of experience that begins to prepare young dancers for the versatility expected of them as professional artists.

For Hamish Pullin, Level 7, travelling to Sydney added another dimension to the experience. His Winter Season included the opportunity to perform Lucas Jervies’ Concerto Anniversary, alongside valuable time in the studio with internationally acclaimed ballerina and coach Leanne Benjamin.
“Touring to Sydney for the Winter Season performances was such an amazing and inspiring experience,” Hamish says. “My favourite part was getting to perform Lucas Jervies’ piece Concerto Anniversary. I found it extremely exciting and inspiring to perform.”

Just as valuable was the opportunity to learn from Benjamin during the performance period. “I also really loved getting the opportunity to take classes and rehearsals with Leanne Benjamin,” Hamish adds. “She had so many insightful corrections and it was a pleasure to learn from her during this period.”

For the School’s Level 8 students, now completing their graduate year, Winter Season carries a particular significance. Their program began with the precision and unity of Défilé before moving into two works by Lucas Jervies, the physically and artistically demanding Fight or Flight and the sweeping Concerto Anniversary. Together, the repertoire asked the dancers to demonstrate not only technical accomplishment, but maturity, individuality and the ability to function as an ensemble.

For Jade Dibley, Level 8, performing Jervies’ works alongside dancers with whom she has shared so much of her training became one of the highlights of the season.

“Performing Lucas Jervies’ Concerto Anniversary and Fight or Flight alongside my friends was one of my favourite moments from Winter Season,” Jade says. “It was so special to see the growth from each show and how we’ve each developed into our own artists through performing these challenging yet rewarding pieces.”

For Jade, having friends and family watching from the auditorium made that development feel even more tangible. “Not only sharing it with my friends on stage but being able to have my friends and family in the audience made it feel so much more special.”

Lucelle Davis, also a Level 8 student, remembers the atmosphere surrounding the performances just as vividly as the performances themselves.
“Feeling the magic and energy backstage would definitely be a highlight of Winter Season,” Lucelle says. “The nerves and excitement are met with overwhelming love and support from one another, dancers and staff included. It’s such a special thing to see the people you love doing what they love, and a very beautiful thing to be a part of.”

Asked to capture Winter Season in just three words, Lucelle chooses “fun, exciting and challenging”, a combination that neatly encapsulates what such a performance season asks of dancers still completing their training.
“With demanding repertoire for three big shows in Parramatta, it was certainly a fun challenge,” she says. “To do such exciting pieces with such a great group was definitely a highlight of the year so far.”

Behind those moments on stage sit years of training, and the lessons being absorbed extend well beyond ballet technique. For Maya, her time at The Australian Ballet School has increasingly been about learning to trust herself and the work she has already put in.

“My time at The Australian Ballet School has helped me grow not only as a dancer but also as a person by giving me greater confidence in myself and my abilities,” she says. “I’ve learned to trust the work I’ve put in, to embrace challenges and to keep believing in myself even when things don’t go perfectly.”

It is perhaps one of the most valuable lessons performance can offer a young dancer. A live performance will never unfold exactly as it did in the studio, and a professional career will inevitably bring challenge, uncertainty and change. Learning to prepare meticulously while having the confidence to respond in the moment is part of the transition from student to artist.

For Maya, Georgia and Hamish in Level 7, and Jade and Lucelle in Level 8, Winter Season was more than an opportunity to present the results of their training. From the anticipation side stage before an entrance to the exhilaration of sharing demanding repertoire with close friends, it offered another opportunity to grow through performance. For audiences watching these young dancers at such a formative point in their training, it also offered an exciting glimpse of the artists they are becoming.