Queensland Ballet’s new artistic director Ivan Gil-Ortega’s first task is simple – he will have to rebuild trust and confidence in the company.
Last year QB parted ways with former artistic director Leanne Benjamin after a disagreement over funding her vision for the future of the company. The brevity of her tenure and her exit shocked the arts world.
After 11 years of stellar success under Li Cunxin, that was quite a speed bump, but QB board chair Brett Clark reckons things are back on track and the ballet public hopes so too.
“We are thrilled to welcome Ivan to the Queensland Ballet family following a stellar career on stage, in studio and working alongside some of ballet’s leading lights,” Clark says. “Throughout the recruitment process, Ivan articulated his vision very clearly with a particular focus on our dancers of today and our dancers of tomorrow, through the work of our academy.
“He is brimming with ideas around nurturing home-grown talent here in Australia as well as exploring world-stage collaborations and exchanges which will see him leaning into his international peers and networks. Ivan and his family are very much looking forward to calling Queensland home.”
Gil-Ortega is a celebrated ballet professional with more than 25 years in the field, holding extensive roles with companies and creatives around the world, including principal dancer, assistant director, artistic consultant, freelance rehearsal director, stager and coach.
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Since 2007 he has represented multiple international ballet companies, directing and staging major productions worldwide. His linguistic skills are an asset in the diverse world of international ballet. Born in Spain, he is fluent in Spanish, English, German, Italian and Portuguese.
Gil-Ortega says he is looking forward to taking on the artistic director role, which has been glaringly vacant since the sudden departure of Benjamin.
“I am truly excited to step into the role of artistic director at Queensland Ballet,” Gil-Ortega says. “This is a company I have always admired and one that has dared to dream big. It feels like everything has aligned perfectly to make this the right opportunity for me and for Queensland Ballet.
“This is a dream come true for me and my family, and I am eager to add my energy and passion to the inspiring Queensland Ballet team.”
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“Queensland Ballet has a reputation for creating breathtaking productions including its sell-out seasons of Strictly Gershwin,” says Langbroek. “Ivan’s involvement with this production demonstrates his appreciation and understanding of the talent within Queensland Ballet. He joins at an exciting time, with the company entering a new era.
“Queensland Ballet is a global name and over the next seven years there will be opportunities for our talented performers to shine in the lead up to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
QB board chair Brett Clark thanked acting artistic director Greg Horsman, who took a tilt at the top job and may be disappointed not to continue in it.
“We would like to acknowledge the invaluable contribution of Greg Horsman who, as acting artistic director following Leanne Benjamin’s departure in August 2024, has worked to ensure continued delivery of exceptional and engaging work through our performances, academy training programs, community initiatives and Thomas Dixon Centre offerings,” adds Clark. “It is no secret that we have been through a turbulent time of late and we acknowledge Greg, executive director Dilshani Weerasinghe and the wider Queensland Ballet team’s dedication. Greg will resume his position as assistant artistic director.”
Gil-Ortega is no stranger to the company. He was part of Queensland Ballet’s sell-out production Strictly Gershwin in 2016 and in 2023, acting as right-hand to choreographer and director Derek Deane.
QB executive director Dilshani Weerasinghe says the team “leaned into our inner circles and considered those who have collaborated with us and therefore have an innate understanding of our culture, our business levers and our sustainability strategy”.
“Ivan has worked with us on multiple occasions, knows our team and many of our dancers, and is a friend of our collaborators around the world,” she says. “Given our intense growth and transformation since 2013, we have some unique considerations including the need to continue to advocate for federal funding parity for Queenslanders, Queensland Ballet and arts organisations in Queensland. Ivan joins us with some exciting ideas in all these spaces, is already known to some in our donor family, and we are very much looking forward to his fresh thinking and energy.”
Gil-Ortega says he is “committed to fostering a collaborative and inclusive atmosphere that respects and honours the legacy of ballet while pushing creative boundaries, leading with integrity, respect, passion and dedication”.
“I have long admired Queensland Ballet and Queenslanders and I cannot wait to get started,” he says.
Queensland Ballet’s seventh artistic director will be here from mid-February to oversee a fully programmed 2025. Currently a resident of Zurich, Switzerland, in February Gil-Ortega will join a Queensland Ballet contingent in Switzerland for the Prix de Lausanne – ballet’s pre-eminent international talent showcase – and the bestowing of the prix’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award to Queensland Ballet’s former artistic director Li Cunxin. The award recognises an individual’s exceptional contribution to the world of dance.
Meanwhile Li Cunxin has accepted Queensland Ballet’s invitation to take up the role of inaugural chair of Queensland Ballet’s endowment fund, working closely with the Queensland Ballet team and its family of supporters to build on pledges directed towards academy scholarships, its Jette Parker young artists program and the Van Norton Li Community Health Institute.
“There can be no higher honour than ensuring that QB continues to thrive forever, beyond me and all of us,” says Cunxin.
queenslandballet.com.au