The fairest of them all: Young dancers breathe new life into Snow White
Ballet Theatre Queensland is bringing back its acclaimed production of Snow White, with shows slated for the Gold Coast and Brisbane.
Fairy tales and helping dreams come true has been at the heart of Ballet Theatre Queensland for almost 90 years. Now, leading up to that 2027 milestone, this youth company is celebrating a Cinderella-like transformation, thanks to its own fairy godmother, of sorts.
While a generous and dedicated community of donors and volunteers have ensured the ongoing success of Australia’s oldest continuously running dance company in preparing young dancers for professional careers, a seven-figure philanthropic boost has substantially expanded BTQ’s scope.
One of several grand developments facilitated by the anonymous donation debuts this week – BTQ’s first mid-year tour.
Fourteen performances of Snow White, its acclaimed 2025 original production choreographed by artistic director Clare Morehen – to executive and music director Lucas D. Lynch’s bespoke score – will be split between The Star Gold Coast, July 2-5, and regular Brisbane venue QPAC’s Concert Hall, July 9 -12. Until now the company has only presented an annual season at QPAC each January. It performed mid-year for the first time on the Gold Coast last year.
Artistic director Morehen is “super-excited” that this expanded performance schedule heightens the level of professional process and environment experienced by BTQ’s 80 dancers.
“Because it’s so many performances, we’ve been able to share opportunities more, so we have three casts, where we would normally have two,” Morehen explains.
“Two of the casts get five shows and the other gets four, so they have a decent run to do it again and learn from it. Company members improve and discover things across a season. Having the opportunity to do 14 shows means that they will get comfortable, the nerves will disappear, and then they start to play.”
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The funding windfall has enabled dramatic growth toward the company’s ambitious goals over the past 12 months. Establishing a permanent home base for the first time in the northern Brisbane suburb of Stafford, with professional studios of its own, has been the most significant and consequential development.
“We’ve never had our own home,” Morehen says. “Through this incredible support our company, with this long legacy, now has a home that we can stay in.”
The Stafford premises’ fit-out, including offices and a wardrobe department, provides more than a rehearsal space. Its four studios enable BTQ to offer full- and part-time training programs for its junior and senior dancers, who range in age from eight to 22, as well as introductory pre-school and professional classes.
Because the company only rehearses Sundays and holidays, offering training opportunities to complement that was a natural evolution, according to Morehen, a former principal dancer with Queensland Ballet who has been with BTQ for eight years.
She says a holistic model augments classical and contemporary classes with strength and conditioning components undertaken in the centre’s pilates studio and gym.
“I did a lot of investigating about what we wanted to offer in a different way. There are incredible schools all around Brisbane and Queensland doing wonderful things, and I looked at ‘what is the BTQ difference?’
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“We have been very much about stage and storytelling, and the holistic nature (of the profession). So, I wanted it to have a syllabus that was inclusive of the technique, the artistry, the storytelling, and also the strength and conditioning. We do repertoire classes, and there’s drama and mime sprinkled in there.”
One of BTQ’s cornerstones has been its independence, allowing students from any dance school in the state to audition and join on merit, regardless of affiliation. That won’t change now BTQ has its own training arm, Morehen declares.
“The company has not changed, so the company opportunities for the big productions are still the same,” she says. “The dancers that participate in (BTQ’s) regular part-time training still have to audition like everybody else. We have an external panel for the audition for that reason too, to keep the opportunities for everybody.”
New initiatives are extending those opportunities further. Young regional dancers can now audition and join, thanks to a combination of in-person Brisbane intensives and remote online coaching, and creative exchanges have expanded additional developmental opportunities offered through bursaries and scholarships.
“This season we have our first regional dancer joining us from northern NSW,” she says. “And we actually have a dancer from Rockhampton who travels down every week to do company, so even though she could have been a regional dancer she chose to be a full company member to get the full experience.”
The company’s motivation and goal remains, “what’s best for the dancers”, Morehen reaffirms.
“At the end of the day, it’s their journey and it’s about what they’re trying to achieve – and that’s the same with all the (dance) studios. Everything we’re doing is about trying to provide more opportunities for Australian dancers and to build those pathways and open those doors where we can.”
Snow White plays at The Star Gold Coast, July 2-5, and the Concert Hall, QPAC, Brisbane, July 9-12.
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