The National and The Australian Ballet get to the pointe in major sponsorship - 18 March 2005

Friday, 18 March 2005

The Australian Ballet and National Australia Bank are tonight launching a three-year partnership.

The National will be a Lead Sponsor of The Australian Ballet and as a part of the arrangement will also be Major Sponsor of the national Education Programme to promote ballet through classes and workshops across metropolitan and regional Australia.

The National’s CEO Australia, Ahmed Fahour, will officially announce the sponsorship this evening following the opening night of The Australian Ballet’s production of La Sylphide in Melbourne.

The Australian Ballet Education Programme is designed to promote ballet and the performing arts to people of all ages. It offers opportunities to learn by observation and participation in a variety of educational classes and workshops each year around Australia, including regional areas. Sessions offered range from performances to informative talks, question and answer sessions with dancers and management, and master class workshops for ballet students.

As Major Sponsor of the Education Programme, the National will help bring ballet to Australian communities at a grass roots level. In partnership with The Australian Ballet it will provide lifelong learning opportunities and increase access to the arts across the country, building strong audiences into the future.

Mr Fahour said: “The National shares a lot more than this sponsorship with The Australian Ballet. We each are committed to excellence and are acutely aware of how much it takes behind the scenes to achieve the perfect performance.

“The National’s support of the Education Programme strengthens our involvement in and contribution to Australian communities. At the same time it will open new opportunities for us through relationships with families and young people involved.”

 The Australian Ballet’s Artistic Director, David McAllister said, “Education is extremely important to us. Giving people – of all ages – the opportunity to learn more about the art form will not only increase their enjoyment of ballet in the short term, but will also help to strengthen our audience and grow them into the future. It is very exciting to form a partnership with the National to help us spread the word to the widest possible audience, and to promote the value of ballet and the performing arts throughout Australia.”

An estimated 300,000 young people attend private ballet lessons each week throughout Australia, demonstrating the mainstream appeal of ballet. And over 11,000 people around the country attend an educational programme presented by The Australian Ballet each year.

David McAllister said “Ballet is an art form that is beautiful and embodies wholesome values. It transcends the barriers of language, culture, economy and geography. The Australian Ballet and the National look forward to sharing the magical world of ballet in 2005 with the Australian community.”

For further information, please contact:

Vanessa Duscio                                                            Geoff Lynch
The Australian Ballet                                                      National Australia Bank
vanessad@australianballet.com.au                               geoff_c_lynch@nab.com.au
Tel: (03) 9669 2771                                                        Tel:  (03) 8634 1564
Mob:   0409 977 312                                                       Mob: 0405 319 819

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