Video by Emily Verdouw
With the Opera House and sparkling Sydney Harbour as their backdrop, the teeny-tiny ballet dancers twirled, jumped, and performed their best plié.
They were dancing as part of the launch of The Australian Ballet’s first program specifically designed for children as young as three.
“I like the running jumps… and twirling around,” five-year-old Isabel told The Huffington Post Australia.
She’s been dancing since she was three, and was one of about twenty young boys and girls performing on the Opera House steps.
“Today we’re announcing the launch of the Australian Ballet’s children’s ballet, a new storytime ballet which has been especially produced and developed for kids,” The Australia Ballet’s executive director Libby Christie told HuffPost Australia.
The ballet, a new production of The Sleeping Beauty, will be performed at 80 different shows across four Australian states, beginning with Melbourne and Sydney in December.
The program will be under an hour in length to help in managing young attention spans, with pre-show opportunities for kids to learn about ballet.
“In recent years, we have been amazed by the growing appetite among younger ballet participants. Over 420,000 children participate in dance activities across Australia every week," Christie said.
She said the program would encourage young people into dance -- and perhaps scout Australia’s next star.
“This will be the first time the Company has toured a children-focused offering of this scale and quality. We hope to nurture our next generation of ballet lovers and who knows, even Principal Artists,” she said.