Welch, the resident chorographer of the Australian Ballet and the artistic director of the Houston Ballet, is best known for his version of Madame Butterfly, which was also commissioned by Australian Ballet and is performed around the world. His Sleeping Beauty, to the traditional score by Tchaikovsky, will feature sets and costumes by Kristian Fredrikson. It will debut in Melbourne on September 14, 2005.
The tribute to Bournonville, in March and April, will include the choreographer's La Sylphide, the pas de deux from The Flower Festival in Genzano, and Le Conservatoire, as well as Grand Tarantella, a Bournonville-inspired work by Walter Bourke, a former Australian Ballet dancer who died last year.
Other highlights include a program of works by Netherlands Dance Theater choreographer Jir‹ Kylišn, and West Australian Ballet's ballet version of La bohme, which premiered earlier this year.