Elegantly Wasted Review: Queensland Ballet's INXS Collaboration Is a Gutsy, Full-Throated Triumph

When the curtain lifted on opening night at HOTA, the set alone drew a genuine gasp. A wall of gold-lit cymbals, rows of them locked into a rigid black grid, anchored one side of the stage; a metallic staircase wound through the centre; a sleek lobby wall closed the space off to the right — together conjuring the exact hushed, polished anonymity of a luxury hotel lobby before a single dancer had moved.

The stage filled slowly, dancers emoting the night's central preoccupations: image, notoriety, and the isolation that hides behind the mask of popularity. It's a contentious world, one where celebrity stands in for value and validation — a point the production drives home all night through shopping bags scattered and tossed across the stage, stamped with single words and icons ("Follow," "Like," "Click," "Curate," "Amplify," "Platform," "Alone," a heart, a thumbs-down), an unfussy wink at the exact culture the piece is built to interrogate. Staging and lighting worked in genuine harmony throughout, and the choreography moved fluidly between contemporary and classical vocabulary — dancers showcasing both their athleticism and their technique, each register in service of the evening's themes rather than showing off for its own sake.

The music of INXS was, unsurprisingly, breathtaking — treated not as a soundtrack but as an equal performer alongside the dancers. Most, if not all, of the tracks were deliberately extended, giving the company more room to play the themes out in full. Moments of near-solitude gave way to the full ensemble in explosive unison, all of it riding a musical undercurrent steeped in the pop rhythms of INXS's 80s and 90s catalogue.

A standout, and clear crowd favourite, came during "Need You Tonight" — three dancers moving in tight synchrony, the moment reading as a staged celebration of queer identity that drew genuine cheers and delight from the audience. It was one of several points across the evening where the crowd came alive in rapture; this was a charged, vocal house from start to finish.

Choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa put it best in the show's program: "For me, Elegantly Wasted isn't about looking backwards. It's about capturing that timeless search for identity, belonging and authenticity that every generation experiences." That's exactly what landed on stage — contemporary in movement, in staging, in theme, and anchored by music that never once felt like nostalgia for its own sake. Lopez Ochoa received a powerful, well-earned ovation as she and the company took their bows.

This is a brave step into contemporary ballet — one that will delight longtime ballet-goers while offering an easy way in for anyone experiencing the form for the first time. A gutsy, unashamed performance that pushes ballet's deeply classical roots into the present. Congratulations, Queensland Ballet.