Haunted? Locating the Spectral in Australasian Ballet

Join us for two special events on Halloween, October 31, 2025, as we gather to explore the spectral in Australasian ballet.

PANEL DISCUSSION

Reckoning and Reflection: Intergenerational Voices in Australasian Ballet

How do we reckon with ballet’s past to imagine its future? A free evening panel discussion featuring Janet Karin, Lynette Wills, Tammi Gisell, Serena Graham and Nicole Corea. Join us as we reflect on the place of ballet in Australian cultural life.

Hosted by Gareth Belling, with Yvette Grant, the conversation will invite personal reflections and critical perspectives on where ballet in Australia has come from, where it now stands and what futures might be imagined for it.

This is a free event, but please register your intention to attend. If you would like to attend ONLY this panel event — and not the symposium — please select the 'Afternoon Panel ONLY' free ticket option when registering.

Discussion will begin at 5:30pm and run through to 7:00pm. It will be held on Wurundjeri land at the University of Melbourne’s Parkville Campus, in the Arts West Building.

SYMPOSIUM

Locating the Spectral in Australasian Ballet

A one-day symposium bringing together experts from around the country to investigate how ballet remains haunted by its past — by ghosts, spirits, colonial histories and fraught absences.

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 also features an interview with former Australian Dance Theatre dancer Kialea-Nadine Williams and a boutique exhibition of ballet ephemera.

The symposium is ticketed and includes morning and afternoon teas, as well as admission to the panel discussion (above).

All registered symposium attendees will receive a discount code for one production in The Australian Ballet 2026 Melbourne season. The discount code will be emailed to attendees after the symposium. The production title will be announced at a future date. Our thanks to The Australian Ballet for this generous offer.

For more information, including abstracts, speaker biographers and the current program schedule, visit the 'Haunted?' website: https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/e/symposium-haunted-locating-the-spectral-in-australasian-ballet

We regret that the planned interview with Garry Stewart is no longer able to go ahead. We know many of you were looking forward to this, and we appreciate your understanding.