Ballet Ireland
Irish ballet company, founded 1998 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ballet Ireland is an Irish ballet company, established in 1998 by Günther Falusy and Anne Maher. Presenting a broad repertoire, it has been funded by the Arts Council of Ireland since 1999 and is under the sole patronage of Irish President Michael D. Higgins since 2013.
| Ballet Ireland | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Name | Ballet Ireland |
| Year founded | 1998 |
| Founders | Anne Maher, Gunther Falusy |
| Website | balletireland.ie |
| Senior staff | |
| Director | Anne Maher |
| Company manager | Martin Lindinger |
History
Following various previous ventures, ballet in Ireland had a "home" in the Irish National Ballet, founded in 1973 and overseen by Joan Denise Moriarty.[1] However, following a series of funding cuts, the company was disbanded in 1989 and doubt was expressed whether classical ballet could survive in Ireland.[2] In 1998, Ballet Ireland was founded in Dublin by choreographer and dancer Günther Falusy (1946–2017), and the professional ballet dancer Anne Maher, to re-establish performance of classical ballet in the capital.[3] The opening production was at the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin.[4] The Arts Council of Ireland provided substantial grants from 1999 to 2003, allowing the new company to become established.[5] This funding has continued, allowing annual performances and tours throughout Ireland and to a lesser extent in the UK.[6] Since then, the company has presented over 30 seasons of work and is also involved in educational programmes such as professional workshops and summer schools.[7][8][9] In 2013, the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, a former Arts Minister, became the patron of the company.[10]
Performances
Ballet Ireland began with a conventional repertoire of well-known ballets such as The Nutcracker,[11][12] Swan Lake[13] and The Sleeping Beauty.[5] Once fully established, it started to take works on tour, for example, a production of Giselle from 2017,[14] performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2018 which The Guardian called "part modern murder mystery, part romantic ballet classic"[15] and Anna Winter in The Stage described as a "full-blooded re-imagining staged with zeal".[16] The company has also extended its range of works to include contemporary dance and reinterpretations of classic ballets.[17][18] The company collaborated with the Irish Chamber Orchestra on a 2014 production of Rodion Shchedrin's Carmen Suite (ballet)[19] and with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra on a number of productions.[20]
See also
References
External links
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