MEDIA RELEASE – Funding boost for Australian Ballet School on World Ballet Day

On World Ballet Day 2015, I am delighted to announce an increase in Australian Government support for the Australian Ballet School.

The Australian Ballet School will receive an annual increase of $200,000 through the Cultural Development Program.

This additional funding from 2016 will enable the Australian Ballet School to undertake annual performances at the Sydney Opera House. These performances will raise the profile of the School outside its Melbourne home and build new audiences in New South Wales.

Performances at the Sydney Opera House will provide new opportunities to showcase the internationally recognised achievements and skills of the Australian Ballet School’s students and alumni, and to explore further corporate and philanthropic support.

The Australian Ballet School has been Australia’s preeminent national centre for excellence in classical dance training for more than 50 years, with more than 90 per cent of all graduating students securing professional contracts with the Australian Ballet.

The Australian Government is proud to provide ongoing annual support for the Australian Ballet School as one of Australia’s seven elite performing arts training organisations.

These seven world class training organisations foster excellence and provide the highest quality of training across a number of art forms to Australia’s next generation of performing artists.

This additional funding for the Australian Ballet School builds on funding boosts announced earlier in the year to the National Institute of Dramatic Art, the Flying Fruit Fly Circus and the Australian Youth Orchestra.