Queensland Ballet has announced a significant re-visioning of its operations, impacting both artistic and business teams. This decision comes after years of advocating for increased federal funding to align with peer ballet companies in New South Wales and Victoria, an effort that has unfortunately not been successful to date.
Queensland Ballet Chair, Brett Clark AM, has made the following statement:
"Queensland Ballet is proud to have put in place firm foundations that will stand our 65-year-old organisation in strong stead for the future. This includes a world-stage dancer ensemble and associated artistic teams, musicians, performance health experts, costumiers, technicians and business enablers.
We have invested in our infrastructure by building homes for our artists, our next generation of artists, and all in our sector and community. We’ve also grown a culture of support from our family of audience, donors and corporate partners that have sustained us through annual support, capital campaigns and now, our endowment drive.
Over the years, we have worked hard to leverage our base grants from State and Federal Governments and have unapologetically advocated loudly for parity of Federal funding to bring us in line with our peers in New South Wales and Victoria. To date we have been unsuccessful.
In 2025, to ensure our ongoing sustainability, we have made the difficult decision to re-vision our organisation across our Artistic and Business teams which will see us farewell some of our artists and arts workers.
This is not an easy time for us. What we know is that we need to align our teams with the opportunities within a new operating model so that we continue to thrive into the future.
We’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the incredible Queensland Ballet team whose talents and tenacity inspire us all every day."
This news will undoubtedly be felt deeply within the Australian dance community, and our thoughts are with all the talented individuals affected by this re-visioning at Queensland Ballet. It serves as a poignant reminder of the ongoing pressures within the arts sector, particularly the delicate balance between artistic ambition and financial sustainability. Arts organisations constantly navigate a complex landscape of funding limitations, fluctuating economic conditions, and the ongoing need to engage audiences while upholding artistic integrity. This situation highlights the vital importance of consistent and equitable support for the arts to ensure the vibrancy and longevity of our cultural institutions.
Dance Australia will continue to follow this story and stands in solidarity with the wider dance fraternity during this challenging time.