Stripping Back to the Soul: Queensland Ballet’s Strings

Following the monumental success of the monumental Messa da Requiem, Queensland Ballet has shifted focus toward a more distilled, rawer, and immediate offering with its latest triple bill, Strings. Taking the stage at the Playhouse, QPAC, from 22–30 May 2026, this program brings together three of the world’s most compelling choreographic voices—Edward Clug, Christian Spuck, and Goyo Montero—to explore the intense relationship between movement and string music.

The evening is a masterclass in discipline, featuring live accompaniment by Camerata – Queensland’s Chamber Orchestra. Artistic Director Ivan Gil-Ortega noted that these contrasting works demand an extraordinary technical, musical, and artistic range from the dancers, pushing them to reveal dance in its purest, most visceral form.

The Performance

The evening opens with Edward Clug’s Chamber Minds, a work defined by subversive humour and an inventive use of the body. As a harpsichordist and solo violinist take their places, the stage is set with a striking visual of criss-crossed strings. The choreography is playfully eccentric, utilising limbs as “levers” to propel dancers into surprising shapes that appear spontaneous yet demand extraordinary control. It is a charming satire of ballet traditions that commands attention through its clever visual mischief and “razor-sharp comedic timing”.

Following a short interlude, the tone shifts to a haunting meditation on mortality with Christian Spuck’s The Seventh Blue. Drawing inspiration from the relentless energy of Schubert’s Death and the Maiden, Spuck constructs a world of shared fragility using rapid-fire tableaux and unison patterns. The work is surgical and precise, stripping dancers of their individual identity to emphasise the collective human condition. The result is classically beautiful in execution, charged with a breathless pacing and a deep psychological charge.

The program concludes with Goyo Montero’s Chacona, an “urgent and alive” fusion of athleticism and contemporary sensibility. Set to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor, the choreography reflects the score’s repeating musical patterns through intricate sequences performed in canon. Dancers are driven to the “tip of falling,” exploring off-balance tension and momentum with a relentless intensity that feels both epic and all-encompassing. It is a visceral journey that resonates long after the final note.

Artistic Excellence and Technical Mastery

This triple bill highlights the extraordinary range of the Queensland Ballet company, with each choreographer employing a unique vocabulary that challenges the limits of the tradition:

“What excites me most is bringing these celebrated works to Brisbane… experiencing creations that are actively shaping the world of ballet today,” Artistic Director Ivan Gil-Ortega added.

Reviewer’s Note

“This is a triple bill that commands your presence. From the subversive, avant-garde wit of Clug’s Chamber Minds to the profound, existential weight of Spuck’s The Seventh Blue, the evening is a masterclass in versatility. Closing with Montero’s Chacona—a relentless exploration of kinetic energy and structural symmetry—the program leaves the audience in a state of shared reflection. Elegant, sophisticated, and technically flawless, Queensland Ballet has once again proven that the most minimal stagings can often deliver the most expansive emotional impact. It is an essential experience for anyone seeking to see the future of the art form.”

Performance Details

• Dates: 22–30 May 2026
• Venue: Playhouse, QPAC
• Duration: 1 hour and 35 minutes, including one 20-minute interval and one 15-minute interval
• Tickets: Available via queenslandballet.com.au

Photographs by: David Kelly, Johan Persson / Birmingham Royal Ballet
Cover image by: Gregory Batardon