“It’s not lost on me, the significance of taking on this role,” says Stephanie Lake, the new resident choreographer at The Australian Ballet. After stepping into the position in January of this year, the prolific, award-winning artist is set to premiere Circle Electric, her first full-length commission for the company. “It’s a phenomenal opportunity, and I’m thrilled to work alongside the amazing David Hallberg [artistic director of The Australian Ballet] and be part of his exciting vision for the company.”

Performed as a double bill with Harald Lander’s classic Études, Lake’s work will see the dancers moving in daring ways. “The dancers are incredible artists with so much range,” she says. “They’re not only brilliant classical dancers with razor sharp technique, but they’re also creative, collaborative and incredibly skilled in other styles, including contemporary.”

Those skills will be on full display in the double bill, which explores both ends of the stylistic spectrum. “I think it was very clever of the company to contrast the two works alongside each other,” Lake says.

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A stage adaptation of ballet dancers’ morning classes, Lander’s Études is an exercise in rigorous technical precision and intricate movements. Meanwhile, Lake’s Circle Electric features explosive, modern choreography, with the dancers moving in fascinating rhythms and patterns, all set to an original score that blends orchestral and electronic music.

That score has been composed by Robin Fox, Lake’s creative (and life) partner. A leading audio-visual artist with several albums under his belt, Fox has collaborated with Lake on multiple works, including acclaimed shows commissioned by leading Melbourne dance studio Chunky Move. He’s also known for creating dazzling light and laser works to accompany his music, working across live performance and exhibition spaces.

A true passion project for the couple, Fox started recording the score in the middle of last year, while Lake developed her vision for the piece. With a full orchestra at his disposal for the first time, Fox was able to delve into unexplored soundscapes over several months, resulting in a dramatic score that amplifies the work’s themes.

“The original concept was looking at the essential paradox of the human condition,” Lake says. “That we are both utterly insignificant on the one hand, just tiny dots in a universe of billions of galaxies, but also profoundly important on the other, especially to those we love and who love us.

“I’m taking a microscopic and telescopic view of humanity, homing in on tiny details and intricacies, and then zooming out on the big picture.”

Prior to coming on board as resident choreographer , Lake made her debut with The Australian Ballet on the The Australian Ballet On Tour 2023 program, which toured to regional towns across the country. She’s also been artistic director at the Stephanie Lake Company for a decade, touring critically acclaimed shows around Australia and the world.

One of those shows, Manifesto, saw rave reviews and a sell-out season across Australia just last year. The creative team behind it has reunited for this Australia Ballet premiere, designing a striking, minimalist set that’s a perfect backdrop to Lake’s distinctive choreography.

The dancers make up the largest cast Lake has worked with to date. “I’m both nervous and excited,” she says, as the Sydney Opera House premiere approaches. “The work has really crystallised in the past few rehearsals, and it’s amazing to feel the world of the show take shape.

“We’ve been working really hard behind the scenes on all of the design and compositional elements as well. Rehearsing with over 50 dancers is electric and busy – there’s never a dull moment.”

While sharing such an enormous creative project has been a creatively enriching experience for the couple, both Lake and Fox acknowledge it can be hard to switch out of work mode during production week. “I think I was probably asking him something about the schedule right before we went to bed last night,” Lake says.

“There is no work-life balance at the moment,” Fox adds, jokingly. “I think we’ll need a holiday after this.”

Circle Electric and Études is on at the Sydney Opera House from May 3 - 18 and then showing at Melbourne’s Regent Theatre from October 2 - 9. More information here

Broadsheet is a proud media partner of The Australian Ballet.