HOTA and Queensland Ballet deliver a new sensation this September with Elegantly Wasted
This September, HOTA is teaming up with Queensland Ballet to bring a bold new contemporary ballet to the Gold Coast. Elegantly Wasted will bring the work of INXS, one of Australia’s most successful musical acts, to the stage with the blessing of one of the band’s founding members. Running from Thursday September 10 to Saturday September 12, the 65-minute commission will honour the work that earned the band 75 million albums sold worldwide and numerous accolades.
Elegantly Wasted will bring together an acclaimed team of Australian and international creatives including sound engineer Jake Rodriguez, costume designer Josh McIntosh and set and lighting technician Jon Buswell. Belgian-Colombian choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa – the creator of Queensland Ballet’s 2024 sell-out hit Coco Chanel: the Life of a Fashion Icon – will lead the team, saying the opportunity to reinterpret INXS through ballet was irresistible.
Set within the polished anonymity of a luxury hotel lobby, Elegantly Wasted follows a group of young influencers curating their lives through performance, projection and validation, Annabelle explains. Beneath the glamour, seduction and excess lies a deeper meditation on identity, loneliness and the human desire to connect.
INXS founding member and composer Andrew Farriss blessed the project, praising its reflection of the band’s openness to reinterpretation and creative solution.
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“This ballet is a fresh artistic interpretation that stands in its own space. It’s not about the band’s story but shows how our music can inspire new forms of expression. It’s exciting to see the work approached from a completely new perspective,” Farriss explained.
The project drops after INXS were recently awarded the Ted Albert Award at the 2026 APRA Awards for their outstanding service to Australian music, and marks Queensland Ballet’s second major contemporary music-led commission to premiere at HOTA.
Elegantly Wasted will run for four showtimes – Thursday September 10 at 7:00 pm, Friday September 11 at 7:30 pm, and Saturday September 12 at 1:30 pm and 7:30 pm. Tickets are now available on the HOTA website.
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