A mesmerised audience filled the QPAC Playhouse theatre on Friday night, as Queensland Ballet premiered its new triple bill, Strings.
The blend of hypnotic movement and music, performed with precision across three distinct ballets, cast a spell over an appreciative crowd of dance and music lovers alike.
Most Queensland Ballet seasons feature a triple bill, often showcasing daring or thought-provoking works combining classical with a contemporary edge. The Company also often collaborates with the always-impressive Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra. Strings continues this tradition.
What is exceptional (and fun!) about this production is the interplay between the string musicians and dancers onstage.
While it is woven throughout the choreography, the artists also react to each other’s energy. This is what makes this performance particularly special.
Created by three European choreographers, the works in this triple bill share common threads of human connection, rhythm, and synchronicity. The dancers’ attention to detail as they work with partners and in patterns across each piece is stunning to witness.
Edward Clug’s Chamber Minds opens and sets the tone for the evening. There is a playfulness to the minimalist movement and intricate partner-work, while elements of mischief and humour drew laughter and delight from the audience.
Its wit shines through in small moments: a shift of weight, a striking shape, or configuration. A beautiful, stark set design by Marko Japeli invites interplay as the performance evolves.
Costumes, designed by Leo Kulaš, allow the dancers’ lines to remain the focus. The duo of musicians, centred in front of the stage, are a joy to watch.
Equally compelling is Christian Spuck’s The Seventh Blue. The haunting work draws its storytelling from Franz Schubert’s Death and the Maiden. This is interwoven with music by György Kurtág as well as rich, atmospheric sound textures that whisper evocatively, like spirits around the theatre.
This piece feels transportive, restless, and mesmeric. Dancers move with speed and agility, often in unified patterns. The musicians performing onstage are as much a part of the performance as the dancers themselves.
Remarkable lighting design by Martin Gebhardt adds texture and shadow, heightening the work’s otherworldly atmosphere. As one of the German choreographer’s earlier works, Brisbane audiences are fortunate to experience it within this bill.
With intervals between each work, anticipation was high for the final piece. It delivered beautifully. Goyo Montero’s Chacona was this reviewer’s personal standout. Layered renditions of Bach’s Chaconne are performed onstage by a violinist, guitarist, and pianist.
The interaction between dancers and musicians was a highlight. Blending classical and contemporary technique, the piece unfolds like a marathon. Dancers respond physically and emotionally to the music with poetic, collective movements that exude energy and urgency.
Costume design by Verena Hemmerlein and Goyo Montero is sleek and understated. The work is staged by Queensland Ballet’s Artistic Director Ivan Gil-Ortega.
The dancers on opening night ranged from principal artists to soloists and company artists, performing and partnering together. Many have risen through the Company’s Academy, highlighting the strength of its programs.
Camerata’s playing, accompanied by Queensland Ballet artists Roger Cui and Muyu Liu on piano and harpsichord, is magnetic.
Gil-Ortega says in his welcome note that these three choreographers are reshaping what ballet can be today. Stripped back, unexpected, and sophisticated, Strings is a captivating production showcasing this evolution.
And by the end of the performance, it felt as though the spell had been cast over dancers, musicians, and audience alike.
Strings A Triple Bill is presented by Queensland Ballet and runs to 30 May at the Playhouse, QPAC in Brisbane.
Tickets: https://www.qpac.com.au/whats-on/2026/queensland-ballet-strings-a-triple-bill
Website: https://www.queenslandballet.com.au/performances/2026/strings
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/qldballet/
Hero image: Still from Chamber Minds by Edward Clug featuring Alisa Pukkinen and Taron Geyl. Photos by David Kelly
