Australian Story: July 21

Next week Australian Story presents “Leaps and Bounds” as Lady Deborah MacMillan visits Qld Ballet’s staging of Romeo and Juliet, originally choreographed by her late husband and staged by Li Cunxin.

This episode is introduced by David Wenham.

When Queensland-born Lady Deborah MacMillan arrived in Brisbane from the UK last month, she was returning home bearing a gift and a burden. She was in Australia to approve the production of her late choreographer husband’s famous ballet, Romeo & Juliet.

Kenneth MacMillan’s 1965 masterpiece was made famous by Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev’s debut when they received 46 curtain calls. Now it was to be performed for the first time in Australia by the small Qld Ballet Company.

Since ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’, Li Cunxin, took over the role of Artistic Director 18 months ago, the company has dramatically raised its profile along with box office takings. The headline grabbing Cunxin has relentlessly pushed his company to ever greater challenges. The staging of Romeo and Juliet was the ultimate test.

The lives of Li Cunxin and the MacMillans crossed back in the 1980’s when Cunxin defected to the US and took up a principal role in the Houston Ballet. There he danced MacMillan’s works – except this one.

Australian Story follows the Qld Ballet’s attempts to stage this spectacular production under the critical eye of the MacMillan trust and with three of the world’s most acclaimed ballet stars: Tamara Rojo, Carlos Acosta and Australian-born Steven McRae.

Monday July 21, 8pm on ABC1