With most of their productions of the Tchaikovsky ballets having new storylines, new choreography and, most noticeably, being shorn of their tutus; any tulle-loving balletomane will appreciate this mixed programme from The Australian Ballet, which features classics and a George Balanchine Tchaikovsky homage.

Iconic to some, ironic to others, tutus and tiaras are back with a vengeance in this double bill featuring the greatest of dance duets, the Grand Pas de Deux from The Sleeping Beauty. Another famous dance duet that’s included in the programme is Victor Gsovsky’s combination of early 19th century ballet and modern virtuosity, Grand Pas Classique, which showcases The Australian Ballet’s newly appointed principal dancer, Adam Bull.

The main attraction, Balanchine’s Ballet Imperial, dating from 1941, harks back to great era of ‘imperial’ Russian Ballet. Using Tchaikovsky’s second piano concerto and a scenario not unlike the famous second act of Swan Lake, the work both recreates and re-invents the classical dance of Tchaikovsky’s time.

Costumed in deep blues, purples and greens, like a 1940s Technicolor movie, Ballet Imperial is mostly plotless, save for an underlying romantic theme between the female and male principals. At one point Balanchine changes the conventional formation, having the female soloist dance to the side of the corps de ballet rather than in front of them. In the romantic middle sequence, the male soloist first dances within the chorus line before the female enters and the corps depart, so they can perform the main duet together. This is where the choreography most recalls Swan Lake, even in the music, which at this point becomes chamber-like, with a violin and cello joining the piano solo.

Ballet Imperial looks the best prepared work on the programme, with the exacting crossed lines performed by the corps de ballet more precisely than in their work in the first half of the evening. The casts vary with each performance, but Bull is definitely worth seeing, as is Rachel Rawlins in Ballet Imperial. Remi Wörtmeyer is the other standout male soloist, circumnavigating the stage in the Esmeralda pas de deux.

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