• Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • LGBTIQ Festivals and Events
    • Aust’ Capital Territory
    • New South Wales
    • Northern Territory
    • Queensland
    • South Australia
    • Tasmania
    • Victoria
    • Western Australia
  • Newsletter
  • Menu Item
Australian Pride Network
South Side Festival 2026
MICF Little Miss Typecast
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business
  • Community
  • Festivals & Events
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Sports
  • Travel & Tourism

Month: December 2014

Community

Tropical Fruits New Years Eve

15 December 2014

Be dazzled. Be delighted. Surrender to the romance of the moment at Tropical Fruits KISS NYE Festival […]

Festivals & Events

Mardi Gras announces 2015 festival program

12 December 2014

From the phenomenal parade to poignant think-pieces, pampered picnicking pooches and parties, parties, parties; the […]

Arts & Culture

Bohemian Melbourne

11 December 2014

A new exhibition at The State Library of Victoria will explore the counter-cultural and creative […]

Events

Step right up for the 2015 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade

5 December 2014

Step right up and don’t miss one of Sydney’s most colourful, outrageous and fantastically fun […]

Mardi Gras Party – photo by Ann-Marie Calilhanna
Events

Play out your passion at the 2015 Mardi Gras Party

4 December 2014

Whatever your passion, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras has announced the first line-up of […]

Posts pagination

1 2 »

Visit Gay Australia

News In Pictures

  • After a critically acclaimed Sydney season, BIG Live brings The Great Gatsby: A Jazz Ballet Odyssey to Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre for a strictly limited 18-performance season from 18 March 2026. Reimagining F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel through ballet, tap and jazz, the production transforms one of literature’s most enduring love stories into a large-scale theatrical event. It is not a nostalgic period piece, but a contemporary retelling driven by movement, music and psychological intensity. The Sydney response confirmed there is a strong appetite for narrative-led ballet at scale. The Melbourne season builds on that momentum, positioning the work as one of the most ambitious independent dance productions currently touring in Australia. Directed and choreographed by Joel Burke, the production reframes Jay Gatsby not as satire, but as a man gripped by belief. “For me, Gatsby isn’t irony,” says Burke. “He is a romantic who genuinely believes the past can be remade. I wanted to remove the wink and let the longing sit front and centre.” Burke’s choreography uses physical contrast to drive the narrative. The excess of Gatsby’s parties unfolds in expansive, rhythm-charged ensemble sequences, while moments of deliberate awkwardness and unexpected stillness expose the character’s vulnerability. Movement is frequently interrupted or restrained, allowing hesitation, imbalance and silence to carry dramatic weight. “I’m interested in what happens when the body resists,” adds Burke. “Sometimes the stillness tells the story more truthfully than virtuosity.” An original score by Emmy Award-winning composer Jason Fernandez, alongside Dominic Cabusi, gives the production cinematic propulsion. Classical ballet technique is interwoven with tap and jazz phrasing, creating a physical language that mirrors the glamour of the Jazz Age while revealing its instability. The cast features alumni of the Mariinsky Theatre, English National Ballet, Queensland Ballet, The Australian Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet. From the wildly thrilling scale of Gatsby’s infamous parties to the stripped-back, exposed intimacy of his longing, the production's pacing is designed to be relentless. Visually, musically, and emotionally, the momentum builds continuously toward the final image of the green light. “Even though it’s a full theatrical experience, I want that sensation of, ‘I can’t believe it’s already over,’” says Burke. “Because theatre should feel transporting. It should sweep you up completely... and when the curtain falls, there should be that slight disbelief - that rare feeling that you’ve just experienced something larger than you expected.” The Great Gatsby: A Jazz Ballet Odyssey Her Majesty's Theatre, 240 Exhibition Street, Melbourne Season: 18 March - 5 April 2026 Bookings: www.ticketek.com.au Following the Melbourne season, The Great Gatsby: A Jazz Ballet Odyssey will play Canberra Theatre Centre (8 - 12 April), Cairns Performing Arts Centre (16 - 19 April), Crown Theatre Perth (25 - 26 July), Newcastle Civic Theatre (22 - 23 August) and Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide (2 - 6 September). For more information, visit: www.bigliveco.com for details. Image: The Great Gatsby: A Jazz Ballet Odyssey - courtesy of BIG Live
  • MARVELous: A Risqué Parody
  • APN ACON Australian Pride in Sport Awards
  • Dolly Diamond
  • The Cast of Trophy Boys - photo by Ben Andrews
  • The Motley WhereHaus
  • Old-Friends-Sing-Sundays-Mark-Mark-Trevorrow-Bev-Kennedy-and-Rupert-Noffs
  • SGLMG Mardi Gala Ball Taste the Love photo by Ash Penin
  • Tracey Yarad stars in All These Pretty Things - photo by Perez Images

Search Australian Pride Network

Follow on Facebook

About Australian Pride Network

The Australian Pride Network exists to promote Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Pride on a national level, encouraging diverse communities in Australia to hold and attend pride events, whilst increasing promotional and networking opportunities among Australian pride organisations.

News in Pictures
  • After a critically acclaimed Sydney season, BIG Live brings The Great Gatsby: A Jazz Ballet Odyssey to Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre for a strictly limited 18-performance season from 18 March 2026. Reimagining F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel through ballet, tap and jazz, the production transforms one of literature’s most enduring love stories into a large-scale theatrical event. It is not a nostalgic period piece, but a contemporary retelling driven by movement, music and psychological intensity. The Sydney response confirmed there is a strong appetite for narrative-led ballet at scale. The Melbourne season builds on that momentum, positioning the work as one of the most ambitious independent dance productions currently touring in Australia. Directed and choreographed by Joel Burke, the production reframes Jay Gatsby not as satire, but as a man gripped by belief. “For me, Gatsby isn’t irony,” says Burke. “He is a romantic who genuinely believes the past can be remade. I wanted to remove the wink and let the longing sit front and centre.” Burke’s choreography uses physical contrast to drive the narrative. The excess of Gatsby’s parties unfolds in expansive, rhythm-charged ensemble sequences, while moments of deliberate awkwardness and unexpected stillness expose the character’s vulnerability. Movement is frequently interrupted or restrained, allowing hesitation, imbalance and silence to carry dramatic weight. “I’m interested in what happens when the body resists,” adds Burke. “Sometimes the stillness tells the story more truthfully than virtuosity.” An original score by Emmy Award-winning composer Jason Fernandez, alongside Dominic Cabusi, gives the production cinematic propulsion. Classical ballet technique is interwoven with tap and jazz phrasing, creating a physical language that mirrors the glamour of the Jazz Age while revealing its instability. The cast features alumni of the Mariinsky Theatre, English National Ballet, Queensland Ballet, The Australian Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet. From the wildly thrilling scale of Gatsby’s infamous parties to the stripped-back, exposed intimacy of his longing, the production's pacing is designed to be relentless. Visually, musically, and emotionally, the momentum builds continuously toward the final image of the green light. “Even though it’s a full theatrical experience, I want that sensation of, ‘I can’t believe it’s already over,’” says Burke. “Because theatre should feel transporting. It should sweep you up completely... and when the curtain falls, there should be that slight disbelief - that rare feeling that you’ve just experienced something larger than you expected.” The Great Gatsby: A Jazz Ballet Odyssey Her Majesty's Theatre, 240 Exhibition Street, Melbourne Season: 18 March - 5 April 2026 Bookings: www.ticketek.com.au Following the Melbourne season, The Great Gatsby: A Jazz Ballet Odyssey will play Canberra Theatre Centre (8 - 12 April), Cairns Performing Arts Centre (16 - 19 April), Crown Theatre Perth (25 - 26 July), Newcastle Civic Theatre (22 - 23 August) and Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide (2 - 6 September). For more information, visit: www.bigliveco.com for details. Image: The Great Gatsby: A Jazz Ballet Odyssey - courtesy of BIG Live
  • MARVELous: A Risqué Parody
  • APN ACON Australian Pride in Sport Awards
  • Dolly Diamond
  • The Cast of Trophy Boys - photo by Ben Andrews
  • The Motley WhereHaus
  • Old-Friends-Sing-Sundays-Mark-Mark-Trevorrow-Bev-Kennedy-and-Rupert-Noffs
  • SGLMG Mardi Gala Ball Taste the Love photo by Ash Penin
  • Tracey Yarad stars in All These Pretty Things - photo by Perez Images
Latest Posts
  • The Great Gatsby: A Jazz Ballet Odyssey
  • MARVELous: A Risqué Parody
  • Finalists Announced for the 2026 Australian Pride in Sport Awards
  • Dolly Diamond: Tits & Teeth (review)
  • Stage sensation Trophy Boys to open State Theatre Company South Australia’s 2026 season
  • Introducing Melbourne’s largest independent Artist-Run festival venue – The Motley WhereHaus
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • LGBTIQ Festivals and Events
    • Aust’ Capital Territory
    • New South Wales
    • Northern Territory
    • Queensland
    • South Australia
    • Tasmania
    • Victoria
    • Western Australia
  • Newsletter

Australian Pride Network © 2014 – 2026 ABN: 52 551 990 041