Showcase for Australian talent

The Australian Ballet’s first international tour since 2019 is one of the major overseas performances supported through the International Cultural Diplomacy Arts Fund (ICDAF).

The Australian Ballet will head to London as part of its 60th Anniversary celebrations to perform ‘Jewels’, a 3-part ballet celebrating George Balanchine’s vision of Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.

The Fund assisted Perth synth-metal band Voyager become the first group to represent Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest, in Liverpool, United Kingdom, with the song ‘Promise’.

Making sure our stories connect with people at home and overseas is a key focus of the National Cultural Policy, Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place.

The latest ICDAF funding of $541,272 comprises:

• $106,400 to assist Wantok Musik Foundation undertake 2 recording projects in Dili, Timor Leste, and Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea
• $100,000 to The Australian Ballet for their 2023 season in London
• $100,000 to support the Australian Institute of Architects at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy with Australia’s exhibition QUEENSTOWN, about the relationship between people and the environment
• $67,958 to assist the band Voyager, who proudly represented Australia at the Eurovision Song Contest – finishing in the top ten with their song ‘Promise’
• $80,000 for Australian Theatre Live to support the launch of their ATL on Demand platform in the United States
• $57,114 for Slingsby Theatre’s tour to Ireland to perform ‘The Boy Who Talked to Dogs’

$29,800 for the Paradise Palette program of activities in Cairns to bring together artists from Papua New Guinea and Australia to showcase their talent in an exhibition and participate in art workshops.

Amy Harris, Dimity Azoury and Benedicte Bemet of The Australian Ballet. Photo: Simon Eeles.