Who Founded WA Ballet?

Ballet

The Western Australian Ballet (WAB) is a highly acclaimed professional ballet company based in Perth, Western Australia. Founded in 1965 by the late and great Dame Margaret Scott CBE, it is one of the oldest professional ballet companies in Australia.

Dame Margaret was born and raised in Melbourne, Victoria and moved to Perth, Western Australia in 1961. She immediately began teaching ballet classes to students at the University of Western Australia and soon after established the ‘Western Australian Ballet Association’. She was largely responsible for the establishment of the company and its success over the years.

Dame Margaret had a passion for dance since she was a young girl and her vision was to create a professional dance company that would bring classical ballet to audiences across Western Australia. To do this she recruited some of the finest dancers from around Australia who were eager to work with her on her goal.

The first performance by WAB took place in 1965 at His Majesty’s Theatre, Perth. The repertoire included Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker Suite, Giselle and Swan Lake – all of which are still staples of WAB’s repertoire today. Since then WAB has gone from strength to strength with performances at venues across WA as well as interstate tours and international tours including Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and China.

Under Dame Margaret’s leadership WAB quickly gained national recognition for its excellence in ballet performance and production. In 1978 Dame Margaret was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for services to ballet which further cemented WAB’s reputation as one of the leading companies in Australia.

Conclusion:

It is clear that Dame Margaret Scott CBE founded WA Ballet in 1965 with a vision to bring classical ballet to audiences across Western Australia. Her passion for dance has been instrumental in making WA Ballet into one of the most acclaimed professional companies in Australia today.