Partners in Progress

In a coming together of two brands with shared values and passions, Audi Australia and The Australian Ballet have announced a multi-year partnership. Both recognised as leaders in their respective fields, the exciting collaboration between the two future-focused brands will see them work together across a number of significant projects and performances over the coming years.

The significant announcement comes in a year that sees The Australian Ballet celebrate its 60th anniversary – renowned as one of the country’s premiere artistic institutions and for its willingness to continually push the art form in its search for artistic excellence.

It is “a unique partnership built upon a shared passion for pushing the limits of creativity and innovation,” says Jeff Mannering, Director of Audi Australia. 

“The opportunity for us to come together as two partners with the same outlook and ideals for how we shape the future came naturally.” 

It is a powerful alignment that will not only see Audi become the official automotive partner of The Australian Ballet, but will also see the two brands collaborate on a number of performances, commencing with The Australian Ballet’s production of Identity. 

This double-bill contemporary season features two world-premiere works from two of Australia’s leading choreographers – The Australian Ballet’s Resident Choreographer, Alice Topp and Australian Dance Theatre’s Artistic Director, Daniel Riley. 

The two works that make up this groundbreaking production will bring together the finest dancers, musicians and designers in the country, bringing to life works which explore the creative visions of these two outstanding choreographers.

This is a unique approach for The Australian Ballet and fits perfectly with the company’s ethos of pushing creative boundaries and exploring ‘what it means to be The Australian Ballet’ – a particularly important area of self reflection as the company celebrates six decades of setting the standard.

Daniel Riley and Alice Topp are two of Australia’s leading choreographic voices,” says David Hallberg, Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet.

“They both explore what identity means to them, whether it be the identity of Australia, the identity of community, or the identity of art. In honour of our 60th anniversary, we look at the sense of identity in today’s artists.

“Audi Australia’s support of our Identity season demonstrates a joint vision to nurture deep connections through the power of creativity, storytelling, and collaboration,” he says.

This exciting production will open in Sydney in May (2nd – 20th) before moving to Melbourne in June (16th  24th).

Of course this is not the first time that Audi Australia and The Australian Ballet have worked together. Audi’s long history of commitment to the arts in Australia has seen previous collaborations with the celebrated dance company, affording Audi owners exclusive opportunities to interact with The Australian Ballet through the brand’s Audi Experience program. 

“Audi both globally, but most importantly on a local level, has a long standing history of investment in the arts and iconic Australian cultural institutions,” says Jeff Mannering.

This new partnership between the two brands will see that history of working with the arts reach new heights and heralds an exciting new era for both brands as Partners in Progress.