Queensland Ballet

5Rosetta Cook and Peter Lucadou-Wells in JacquiCarroll’s The Firebird, 1987.1988Charles Lisner dies from cancer.1989The company undertakes its firstinternational tour, travelling across theTasman to New Zealand.1991Queensland Ballet moves in to the ThomasDixon Centre in West End. Having beenpurchased by the Queensland Governmentin 1975, the former shoe factory wasrefurbished to provide offices and studiosfor Queensland Ballet, the QueenslandDance School of Excellence, and theQueensland Philharmonic Orchestra.Kimberley Davis and Shane Weatherby in HaroldCollins’ Alice – Memories of Childhood, 1994.Photographer: Phil HargreavesANNUAL REPORT 20101994The Charles Lisner Studio in the ThomasDixon Centre is opened for publicperformances, offering a unique experiencein an intimate and relaxed studio space.1996The company embarks on a majorinternational tour, visiting 26 cities acrossthe USA, performing A Midsummer Night’sDream, Scheherazade and Pirates! NewYork Post dance critic, Clive Barnes,declares, “ …the Queensland Ballet isabsolutely packed with dance talent.”1997Collins leaves Queensland Ballet, sayingof his 19 years as Artistic Director, “Itwas a great gift to be able to develop thecompany.”1998French-born François Klaus is appointedArtistic Director and Chief Choreographer,following an impressive career as a dancer,teacher and choreographer in Europe.Klaus had joined Stuttgart Ballet under JohnCranko, and continued working with himin Munich. He spent the greater part of hiscareer as a Principal Dancer of HamburgBallet under the direction of John Neumeier,and had toured extensively in Europe,the Americas and Japan. He had beenthe Artistic Director of Bern State Balletin Switzerland, and established his owncompany, Ballett Art.When François Klaus began his stewardshipof Queensland Ballet, the company wasstill recovering from the recession of theearly 90s and the financial impact of theUS tour. Careful management and creativeprogramming saw a rocky financial patchnegotiated, and the technical and artisticdevelopment of the dancers under Klaus’sguidance led to a resurgence of supportfor the company. Klaus introduced severaldifferent programs which have becomepopular features of the company’s annualprogram, including the International Gala,Vis-à-vis and Soirées Classiques series.François Klaus has continued to nurturethe creative spirit of Queensland Ballet.He has created numerous works himself,and overseen the growth of the company’srepertoire to include many popular classics,story ballets, and new works in a varietyof dance styles. Encouraging emergingchoreographic talent and giving the dancersopportunities to work with internationalchoreographers are also central to hisartistic philosophy.Nicole Galea as the Troll Princess in François Klaus’sPeer Gynt,2004. Photographer: Ken Sparrow1999Klaus and Artistic Associate, Robyn White,establish the Professional Year (PY),an innovative program for gifted youngdancers who are interested in pursuinga professional career in classical ballet.Since its inception over a decade ago, asignificant number of PY graduates havebeen accepted into the company.2001The Junior Extension Program, co-ordinatedby Artistic Associate Robyn White, is offeredto supplement the work of communitydance teachers.