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Australia Ballet

2012 Fifty Cent

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The Australian Ballet 50 year history commenced on the 2nd November 1962. The Australian Ballet staged its very first performance at Her Majesty's Theatre in Sydney and over the next five decades, hundreds of dancers, choreographers, designers, teachers, composers, costumiers and a passionate supporting cast would make the company what it is today. In recognition of this achievement, the Royal Australian Mint produced this fifty cent in cupro-nickel. The reverse was designed by Wojciech Pietranik and shows the artists impression of a pair of ballet dancers in action. The denomination 50 is present and the background comprises of large italic print "Fifty years of the Australian Ballet". The obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of HM Queen Elizabeth II along with the legend ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2012.

The Australian Ballet gave its first performance on the 2nd November 1962 at Her Majesty's Theatre, Sydney. The performances were such that it had gained admiration from many quarters and was a tribute to the pioneers of ballet in Australia. Since that time it has performed with such names as Sonia Arova, Erik Bruhn, Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev who were all thrilled to be guests of the young company (Australian Ballet, 2014) . The Australian Ballet has performed in 83 cities in 36 overseas countries since its first tour in 1965. Much of the success can be attributed to the company's founding Artistic Director Peggy van Praagh. She made two particular requirements essential for the ballet company. Firstly that it must have its own school, this was established in 1964, the second was that each performer would be offered an annual contract easing any tension and offering a form of security and trust within the company. The 50th birthday party for the Australian Ballet was as much a reunion as a celebration. Former dancers flew in from around the world to attend this landmark event. They celebrated giving over 7,200 performances over the years as well as reaffirming the importance of the company. Since its early years, it has established itself at the pinnacle of world ballet as many of its stars now perform across the globe.