It’s taken three generations and almost 70 years to finally bring GOLD – a new narrative ballet set in Australia’s gold rush era - to the stage. Back in the 1950s, choreographer/director/producer Simonne Smiles’s grandmother wrote a detailed synopsis for GOLD as a full-length, two-act ballet that would celebrate the then centenary of the gold rush era. Complete with set and costume designs, the proposal was entered into a competition and presented to Edouard Borovansky (then director of the Borovansky Ballet) but was not selected for further investment and development as it was deemed to be "too Australian" for the cosmopolitan audience tastes at that time.
The idea lay unfinished for decades until Smiles revived it as a passion project – using crowd funding raised in 2019 to pay most of the costs involved in choreographing and filming several short sections onstage with the hope of generating interest in the work. In 2024, after gaining some financial support through a private donor and Riverside Theatres Parramatta, the ballet GOLD finally had its debut at Parramatta Riverside’s Lennox Theatre from August 15 to 17.
Now presented as a 45-minute ballet aimed at children (but which can still be enjoyed by adults of all ages), GOLD has a beautiful new score composed by Me-Lee Hay and sets and costumes based on the original 1950s designs. The scenic backdrops are digital projections of three original Australian landscape paintings, with two painted by Una Hollingsworth in the 1950s and the third by Lexie Smiles (Simonne’s mother – an artist, teacher and former ballet dancer) in 2024.
The narrative of GOLD takes place in Bendigo during the Gold Rush era of the 1850s. As Bendigo is on the traditional lands of the Dja Dja Warrung people, Smiles contacted quite a few Djaara community members and spoke with Kerri Douglas (Aboriginal woman, Elder, traditional owner, artist, teacher, KESO worker with the education department, previously on board of Dja Dja Wurrung) to seek an Indigenous perspective in relation to the ballet’s storyline. They discussed the characteristics Smiles’s grandmother had given the animals and plants in the original synopsis and how these aligned with the Aboriginal perspective. Interestingly, they aligned very well.
At the heart of the ballet are encounters between three immigrants of different cultural backgrounds: Sheena, Alwyn and Loong – a romance ensues between Sheena and Alwyn which culminates in a bushland wedding graced by Australian flora and fauna. The attainment/loss of gold and worldly allures it symbolises seems to have the potential to upend their happiness while endearing interactions between human and animal characters throughout the ballet reveal their individual traits and characters.
At the 1pm matinee on Saturday August 17, a cast of 15 pre-professional and early career dancers brought the story to life. In the leading roles of Alwyn and Sheena, Callum Hendry-Hodsdon and Mia Zanardo danced with great charm and generosity of spirit. Callum has a lovely buoyant jump and Mia is wonderfully expressive, moving with an expansiveness that belies her small stature. Across three roles (Magpie/Platypus/Barmaid) Samantha Wong showcased her ability to embody a diverse range of characters while Keira Rowe (Will-o-wisp) was extremely elegant with an otherworldly charm and style all her own. Excellent performances were also given by Kai Taberner (Loong), Bella Collishaw (Cockatoo), Luke Tabbernal (Thief/Kangaroo), Aliya Bernado (Snake) and Ava Micallef (Blue Wren).
In a Q&A just after the performance and facilitated by Smiles with the full cast (still in costume). Children were encouraged to ask questions, and the conversation ranged from ideas around how dancers tell a story onstage, tales of super quick costume changes, the challenges of seeing through your costume under the stage lights and the ages at which the respective cast members began learning to dance. It was fun, light, entertaining and educational for all.
Producing a new ballet without the support or backing of a company is no small or easy task and if GOLD is to continue on to new venues and new audiences it will need further support. The fundraising campaign for GOLD launched in April through the Australian Cultural Fund is open until the end of August, and you can follow this Instagram page for further updates and more information about the project.
- GERALDINE HIGGINSON
Note: Geraldine Higginson is a former ballet/pilates student of Simonne Smiles.