Michelle Potter

How do dance and music fit together in a choreographic work? Even the briefest look at Australian collaborations across the arts suggests that endeavours vary widely. The National Library of Australia’s collections, which are particularly strong in the areas of music and dance, provide some interesting examples of the synergies that exist between these two art forms and that make cross-art form collaboration a richly rewarding area of study.

At certain moments in Australia’s cultural history, dance has been the prime artistic force of the day. At those times, dance and its makers have inspired and enthused a whole generation of people. Dance has changed lives, has allowed careers to blossom in unexpected ways, and has created fanatical audiences. Dance had this power over Australians between 1936 and 1940, when three Russian ballet companies – Ballets Russes companies – toured Australia.