By Deborah Jones A conventional production would have been the safe way to go when staging the first Swan Lake in West Australian Ballet’s 70-year history. Artistic director Aurélien Scannella had other ideas. His company is based in Perth, a city strung along the Swan River in Noongar country. How might local Aboriginal stories and
By Deborah Jones Queensland Ballet’s premiere of Ben Stevenson’s Swan Lake had a 42nd Street quality to it as junior company member Joel Woellner was chosen to dance Prince Siegfried alongside principal artist Yanela Piñera’s seasoned Odette-Odile. Piñera laid out her credentials within seconds of taking to the stage with a pure, extended balance on pointe that was an eloquent expression of the Swan Queen’s