Australia Dancing - Hamilton, Gordon (1918

Hamilton, Gordon (1918 - 1959)

Ross, Nikolai: Moya Beaver as Columbine and Gordon Hamilton as Harlequin in 'Le Carnaval', First Australian Ballet, 1937

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Born in Sydney, Gordon Hamilton trained with Mischa Burlakov and later Leon Kellaway. He began his stage career partnering Moya Beaver in the First Australian Ballet's production of Le Carnaval in 1937. Other roles with the First Australian Ballet included the title role in Louise Lightfoot's Le Dieu bleu

Hamilton left Australia to pursue a career overseas and studied in London with Marie Rambert and in Paris with Lubov Egorova and Olga Preobrajenska before joining Les Ballets de la jeunesse in Copenhagen in 1939. Hamilton subsequently performed with Ballet Rambert, Sadler's Wells Ballet, Ballets des Champs-Elysees, and Ballets de Paris. He created many roles with these companies. They included roles in three ballets created by Robert Helpmann for the Sadler's Wells company - Polonius in Hamlet (1942), Street Boy in Miracle in the Gorbals (1944) and the Dog in Adama Zero - and roles in two of Roland Petit's works for his Ballets de Paris - the Baron in Les Demoiselles de la nuit (1948) and the Leading Bandit in Carmen (1949).

Hamilton was appointed ballet master at the Vienna State Opera in 1954. His work with the company over the following few years included a staging of Giselle in 1955.

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Photographer unknown: Gordon Hamilton as Avarice in 'The Quest', Sadler's Wells Ballet, ca. 1944

Photographer unknown: Gordon Hamilton as Avarice in 'The Quest', Sadler's Wells Ballet, ca. 1944 (Picture): Location:; National Library of Australia; MS 9803 Series 1 item 146
nla.ms-ms9803-1-146

Ross, Nikolai: Gordon Hamilton as Harlequin in 'Le Carnaval', First Australian Ballet, c. 1937

Ross, Nikolai: Gordon Hamilton as Harlequin in 'Le Carnaval', First Australian Ballet, c. 1937 (Picture): Carnaval, Le ; First Australian Ballet, The; Location:; National Library of Australia; MS 9803/1/41
nla.ms-ms9803-1-41

Gordon Hamilton with female colleague in Norwegian mountains, c.1939

Gordon Hamilton with female colleague in Norwegian mountains, c.1939 (Picture): Location:; National Library of Australia; MS 9803/1/59
nla.ms-ms9803-1-59

Gordon Hamilton, Alla Shishkina and Oenone Talbot at Cheltenham, c.1939

Gordon Hamilton, Alla Shishkina and Oenone Talbot at Cheltenham, c.1939 (Picture): Location:; National Library of Australia; MS 9803/1/60
nla.ms-ms9803-1-60

Moya Beaver and Gordon Hamilton as Columbine and Harlequin in 'Le Carnaval', the Lightfoot-Burlakov First Australian Ballet, c.1937

Moya Beaver and Gordon Hamilton as Columbine and Harlequin in 'Le Carnaval', the Lightfoot-Burlakov First Australian Ballet, c.1937 (Picture): Beaver, Moya ; First Australian Ballet, The; Location:; National Library of Australia; MS 9803/1/40
nla.ms-ms9803-1-40

Photographer unknown: Moya Beaver and Gordon Hamilton in 'fish-dive' pose at 'Old Barn Cottage', c. 1939

Photographer unknown: Moya Beaver and Gordon Hamilton in 'fish-dive' pose at 'Old Barn Cottage', c. 1939 (Picture): Beaver, Moya; Location:; National Library of Australia; MS 9803/1/62
nla.ms-ms9803-1-62

Ross, Nikolai: Moya Beaver and Gordon Hamilton in 'Variations from Swan Lake', First Australian Ballet, c. 1937

Ross, Nikolai: Moya Beaver and Gordon Hamilton in 'Variations from Swan Lake', First Australian Ballet, c. 1937 (Picture): Beaver, Moya ; Swan Lake ; First Australian Ballet, The; Location:; National Library of Australia; MS 9803/1/42
nla.ms-ms9803-1-42

Ross, Nikolai (?): Moya Beaver and Gordon Hamilton in costume, First Australian Ballet, c. 1937

Ross, Nikolai (?): Moya Beaver and Gordon Hamilton in costume, First Australian Ballet, c. 1937 (Picture): Beaver, Moya ; First Australian Ballet, The; Location:; National Library of Australia; MS 9803/1/43
nla.ms-ms9803-1-43

Photographer unknown: Moya Beaver, Chris (?) and Gordon Hamilton (left to right) on deck en route for Denmark, 1939

Photographer unknown: Moya Beaver, Chris (?) and Gordon Hamilton (left to right) on deck en route for Denmark, 1939 (Picture): Beaver, Moya; Location:; National Library of Australia; MS 9803/1/64
nla.ms-ms9803-1-64

Moya Beaver, Gordon Hamilton, Joy Camden and Aimee Saxlund (?) in Copenhagen, 1939

Moya Beaver, Gordon Hamilton, Joy Camden and Aimee Saxlund (?) in Copenhagen, 1939 (Picture): Beaver, Moya; Location:; National Library of Australia; MS 9803/1/63
nla.ms-ms9803-1-63

Yvonne : Portrait (head and shoulders) of Gordon Hamilton, c. 1940

Yvonne : Portrait (head and shoulders) of Gordon Hamilton, c. 1940 (Picture): Location:; National Library of Australia; MS 9803/1/143
nla.ms-ms9803-1-143

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Find more about Hamilton, Gordon in:

Internet - Google
Articles - New York Public Library Dance Collection
Pictures - Picture Australia