AUSTRALIAN DANCE THEATRE AND SOUTHBANK CENTRE PRESENTS

THE UK PREMIERE OF G

Friday 28 and Saturday 29 November 2008, Queen Elizabeth Hall, 7.45pm,

Tickets: £25/20/15

Australian Dance Theatre returns to Southbank Centre to perform Artistic Director,

Garry Stewart’s powerful reworking of the time-honoured classic Giselle, titled simply as

G. Sex, death, hysteria and jealousy – the central themes of the work – are expressed

through Stewart’s distinctive choreographic approach which tests the possibilities of the

human body through full-tilt athleticism. The score by long term ADT collaborator Luke

Smiles is accompanied by a running commentary that toys with language codes on

hovering screens, reconfiguring the story of the original ballet and its themes.

This Southbank Centre Co-commission is the second of Stewart’s classical ballet

reconstructions. Birdbrain – a wry, action packed deconstruction of Swan Lake earned

critical praise and remains the performed piece of Australian contemporary dance with a

global audience of tens of thousands.

Choreographer, Garry Stewart said: “It's fascinating reworking a classical iconic ballet.

As a director I draw together threads that show the universality of the narrative and how

the themes might embody a relevance to our current conditions. Simultaneously I am

portraying the distinctions and differences between contemporary values and morals and

that of a previous era. Giselle is referred to as the Hamlet of the classical ballet canon so

certainly it is very rich territory encompassing sex, death, hysteria, gender, class and the

supernatural. Like Swan Lake it is at the pinnacle of the art form and has been integral in

forming the conventions that constitute the bedrock of classical ballet tradition. As such,

there is much to uncover and G is the richer for it.”

Larissa McGowan, ADT award-winning dancer and assistant choreographer said: “This

is an incredible opportunity for me…As a dancer and a young choreographer I’ve been

privileged to participate in the creation of all of Garry’s works for ADT over the past eight

years. The extremely diverse physicality of G draws on many different movement forms

including gymnastics, ballet, breakdance, even Butoh!”

For further information and press images contact:

Jenny Brown, HYPERLINK "mailto:jenny.brown@southbankcentre.co.uk"

jenny.brown@southbankcentre.co.uk 0207 921 0926

Miles Evans on 020 7921 0676, email miles.evans@southbankcentre.co.uk

Ticket Office 0871 663 2500 / Book online www.southbankcentre.co.uk

Notes to Editors:
G has been co-commissioned by The Joyce Theater’s Stephen and Cathy Weinroth Fund for
New Work (New York), Southbank Centre and Merrigong Theatre Co. at Illawarra Performing
Arts Centre (Wollongong)

Southbank Centre is the UK’s largest arts centre, occupying a 21-acre site that sits in the
midst of London’s most vibrant cultural quarter on the South Bank of the Thames. The site
has an extraordinary creative and architectural history stretching back to the 1951 Festival of
Britain. Southbank Centre is home to the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell
Room and The Hayward as well as The Saison Poetry Library and the Arts Council Collection.
The Royal Festival Hall reopened in June 2007 following the major refurbishment of the Hall
and redevelopment of the surrounding area and facilities.
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