Adelaide Ballet, South Australia’s only professional ballet company, is making their season debut this Friday with the Australian premiere of Murray Whispers – a stunning new work that beautifully blends performance and technology.
Choreographed by Co-Founders and Artistic Directors of Adelaide Ballet, Sarah Humeniuk and Rejane Garcia, Murray Whispers draws inspiration from the Murray River’s ever-changing flow, brought to life on stage through original choreography, a powerful live score and breathtaking LED visuals created by local artists Thomas Oates and Scott Baskett.
The Scoop had the chance to sit down with Sarah and Rejane ahead of the season. They talk all things Murray Whispers, including their hopes for the company and what audiences can expect from the show. Read the interview below.
How did the two of you meet and come to create the Adelaide Ballet company?
Rejane: We met back in 2022 over a coffee. We were just networking as colleagues in the dance industry. And then, we realised that we both shared the same vision for classical ballet in the state. Anyone can see that there is a gap in the classical industry, and we decided to do something extraordinary. Then, Adelaide Ballet was born.
Sarah: That’s exactly right, that’s why we are here. To provide opportunities for dancers to have full-time employment in a state where they can live. We have it in every other state in Australia, and we deserve to have a company here. And we thought, it had to be now.
You’ve got a fantastic studio, built in 1836. What can you tell us about the space that you’ve discovered?
Sarah: We have a beautiful historic building, the Masonic Centre in Tusmore. It is a wonderful studio floor. We’ve got mirrors, we’ve got barres. We’ve been able to create Murray Whispers there. We love being so close to the city, being able to provide parking for our dancers and then take them quickly into the theatre for the evening. It’s a wonderful space and we’re very fortunate to be there.
Rejane: It’s a place to call home.
What type of ballet are you looking at developing as a company, and where do you see your identity?
Rejane: Well, we want to bring technical excellence and artistry while delivering bold, innovative and stunning, breathtaking performances. We want to bring world-class artists and performances to South Australia. And until we launched our company, that was non-existent.
When I arrived here six years ago, it struck me. I couldn’t believe there were no professional ballet companies in the state, no continued professional development for local artists. And coming from London, where I was living before, it was a huge shock to the system. So I thought, I must do something about it. I cannot allow myself to live in such a beautiful state that gives so much to me and my family.
Your 2025 program touches on tradition in the form of The Nutcracker in December, but Murray Whispers is a new work, inspired by South Australia and the River Murray. Do you think that’s another area where a gap has existed, that we’re not telling new stories about the places that we live and create art in?
Rejane: Yes. We want to honour Murray River as it is such an iconic landscape. So it’s a love letter to nature, to the river, to South Australia. We want South Australians to be proud of this company bringing innovative works, and at the same time, we will keep the tradition that they expect from our classicals like The Nutcracker.
But we want to be innovative, bold, collaborate with artists, visual artists, composers, photography and fashion designers. Kira Bayliss worked at the Adelaide Fashion Week last year, and now she’s working with us. So this is the beauty about being here and being proud to work with South Australian artists.
Can you tell us a little bit about Ashley Hribar who has created the original score for Murray Whispers?
Sarah: Yes, incredible man, magical with his fingers on the piano. He’s created a 45-minute orchestral score that is stunning. Ashley’s performed at Sydney Opera House with some of the biggest names in the world. He is amazing. Every time we hear his music, Rejane and I are carried away even further. We hear more. We want to do more and it works so beautifully with our choreography that it was just meant to be. You have to hear it. You have to see it. It’s something that we want to touch the very audience’s soul.
How exciting has it been to be able to have this performed at ILA with the screen visuals?
Rejane: The Immersive Light and Art is a great venue. The light room where we will perform is an intimate venue with some beautiful LED screen curves, and you can just immerse yourself in those visuals. Then we get to see the dancers, the technical excellence, the artistry, and it’s very intimate. You get to see up close, which is different from the classical repertoire that you usually go to see in a big theatre. This venue allows us to put classical ballet in a different context, and that’s what becomes interesting and innovative.
What was the process like developing the choreography alongside the audio visual elements?
Sarah: We worked with the amazingly vigilant Scott Baskett and Thomas Oakes. And we told them from the beginning, we want a full day at the Murray: sunrise, sunset. They’ve been going out on location and getting the shots from nature. The opportunities were endless for what we could get.
We’ve put it together with the choreography and the music, and it just works. You’re in the Murray. You feel like you’re there. You look to the right and you can see the trees moving. You look straight ahead and the water’s going. You can smell the eucalyptus. You’re part of it.
We have to talk about the fantastic troupe of dancers. They’ve studied all around the world, from Russia, the United States, Europe. What can you tell us about the dancers performing in this new work?
Sarah: We’re very fortunate to have dancers who are really dedicated to us and to their art. We have three female dancers that we’re using for this performance, of different experiences and ages, some from across the world, and some emerging artists. Elia Noon is only 17 years old. And then we have Aki Pargaliti, who is our beautiful Japanese artist with many years’ experience on stage. And Jackie Valente, who is also well-experienced. We also have Matthew, who is our male dancer, who is strong, charismatic, and moves and throws these dancers with such grace that you are not going to want to miss this close-up.
Murray Whispers runs from 15 to 17 August at ILA, Immersive Light & Art, 63 Light Square Adelaide SA 5000.
Tickets: https://immersivelightandart.com.au/event/murray-whispers-adelaide-ballet/
Website: https://www.adelaideballet.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/adlballet/
Photo credits: Alexander Waite Mitchell
