Haunted? Locating the Spectral in Australasian Ballet

Join us for a one-day symposium on Halloween, October 31, 2025, as we gather to explore the spectral in Australasian ballet.

This event brings together experts from around the country, along with artists and passionate amateurs, to investigate how ballet remains haunted by its past — by ghosts, spirits, colonial histories and fraught absences. Expect a day of thought-provoking discussion, performances of memory and glimpses of ballet’s hidden and forgotten stories.

The symposium will be held on Wurundjeri land at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville Campus. The program will feature multiple sessions showcasing original research from across the country. Presentations will trace how ballet’s traditions are unsettled by the ghosts of colonialism, gendered conventions and migrant exchange, while also exploring ballet’s spectral presences in contemporary dance, art objects and archives.

The day will close with a panel discussion featuring intergenerational voices in Australasian ballet, including current and former members of The Australian Ballet. We will also host an interview with former Australian Dance Theatre Artistic Director Garry Stewart, alongside a boutique exhibition of ballet ephemera.

The symposium is ticketed and includes morning and afternoon teas. Join us for a day of conversation, scholarship and spooky discoveries as we bring Australia’s haunted ballet histories into the light.

Visit the 'Haunted?' website for updates and the program schedule: https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/e/symposium-haunted-locating-the-spectral-in-australasian-ballet