Moonlight Ballet

Ballet in the outdoors - an explosion of music, colour, and rock’n’roll swagger under the stars, inspired by the swinging 60s.

In the freedom of the HOTA parklands backdropped by the Surfers Paradise skyline, travel back to the joyous fun of the 60s with an incredible double bill from Queensland Ballet, exclusive to the Gold Coast.

The program for the evening will feature Christopher Bruce’s Rooster and Jack Lister’s B-Sides, and a special behind-the-scenes experience as the company get ready to groove and warm-up in an open rehearsal on the HOTA Outdoor Stage. With food trucks, and a fully licensed Lawn Bar, this incredible experience is a highlight of the Gold Coast cultural calendar.

With infectious energy and toe-tapping tunes, including music by the Rolling Stones, Christopher Bruce’s Rooster is an ironic look at the 60s and the attitudes of the times. It’s an exploration of male chauvinism, with strutting dancers in vibrant period-era costumes performing innovative solo and breathtaking partner work. With movement motifs woven through the eight distinct pieces, this jubilant celebration of arguably one of the most vibrant decades of all time will leave audiences bopping in their seats.

'An irresistible delight’ Financial Times

‘Exhilaratingly entertaining’ Daily Telegraph

‘Pure genius’ The Scotsman

The swinging 60s theme continues in B-Sides by Jack Lister – a rising star recognised in The Australian as a ‘young choreographer who is going places’. This fusion of colourful kitsch and seamless contemporary choreography is presented to a recording of hit 60s pop songs, with each new song phased in through the sound of a spinning vinyl record. Lister says B-Sides is ‘for the introverted, extroverted, eccentric, neglected, rejected, loved, battered yet joyful soul which ultimately lives in us all.’ Evocative, fun, and a tribute to the classic dance moves of the decade, this work on relationships and exploring sexual identities will sweep audiences away with its engaging effervescence.

‘…pop colour palette, joyous celebration of sixties kitsch, and tongue-in-cheek tribute to those sixties dance moves!’ Bachtrack

Full of humour, colourful kitsch and seamless contemporary choreography, this double bill under the starts and in the outdoors is a tribute to the classic dance moves of the decade and will have audiences bopping along on their picnic rugs and dancing out of their seats.

_{Presented by HOTA, Home of the Arts in association with Queensland Ballet}