Australia Dancing - Lisner, Charles (1928

Lisner, Charles (1928 - 1988)

Charles Lisner was the founder and first artistic director of the Queensland Ballet. Born in Paris, Lisner emigrated to Australia with his parents in 1937 and began taking ballet lessons with Edouard Borovansky in 1943. Shortly afterwards he joined the Borovansky Ballet. A period of working in England followed, which included performances with Sadler's Wells Ballet and an appearance in the film The Red Shoes.

On his return to Australia, Lisner established the Lisner Ballet Academy in Brisbane in 1953. This school provided a nucleus of dancers for Lisner's company the Lisner Ballet, a privately-owned company established in 1960 and the forerunner to the Queensland Ballet. The company gave its first performance under the name the Queensland Ballet in 1962.

Lisner created over thirty ballets for the Queensland Ballet including Danses sacrees et profanes, mounted in 1972 for the Australian Ballet under the changed title Images classique (sic). After his resignation as artistic director of the Queensland Ballet, Lisner wrote a number of dance books including an autobiography, My Journey through Dance (1979), and a brief history of and commentary on the first twenty-one years of the Australian Ballet: The Australian Ballet: Twenty-one years (1983).

Bibliography:

Lisner, Charles. My Journey through Dance (St Lucia: Queensland University Press, 1979). This autobiography contains a list of Lisner's choreography for the Queensland Ballet from 1960 to 1974 at pp. [182]-[183]

Research Materials

[Dances by Charles Lisner], 1968-1974 (Moving picture): Choreography: Charles Lisner; VHS videotape; colour and black and white, sound, PAL, 83 mins; This tape is a compilation of four works choreographed by Lisner for the Queensland Ballet. The works are Grand pas de six (22 mins), Idyll (25 mins), Chopin pas de deux (7 mins), Images classique (sic) (28 mins).Very poor vision quality. Material has suffered from generational loss due to many transfers. Original films no longer in existence.; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Collection; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 398089

Stringer, Walter: Scene from Charles Lisner's 'Images classiques', the Australian Ballet, 1972

[Images classiques], 1971 (Moving picture): Choreography: Charles Lisner; Music: Debussy/Ravel; VHS videotape; black and white, sound, PAL, 27 mins; A ballet created by Lisner for the Queensland Ballet in 1971 when it was originally called Danses sacrees et profanes. It was taken into the repertoire of the Australian Ballet in 1972 when it was renamed Images classiques. Poor vision quality. Material has suffered from generational loss due to many transfers. Original films no longer in existence. Sometimes called Images classique.; Australian Ballet, The ; Queensland Ballet, The; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Collection; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 398073

Lynkushka, Angela: Portrait of Harold Collins, 1992 or 1993

Interview with Harold Collins, 1986; 1991 (Oral history): Interviewee: Collins, Harold; Interviewer: Bill Stephens; Audiotape, 300 mins; In this interview recorded in two parts, Harold Collins speaks at length about his directorship of the Queensland Ballet including his appointment, the company's repertoire and the works he has choreographed himself. He also discusses his family background and childhood his career as a dancer outside Australia and in Queensland. Some of the artists he refers to in the course of the interview are Charles Lisner, Graeme Murphy, Walter Gore and Harry Haythorne.; Queensland Ballet, The ; Murphy, Graeme ; Gore, Walter ; Collins, Harold ; Haythorne, Harry; Location:; National Library of Australia; TRC 2048
nla.cat-vn2220244

Interview with Mary Heath, 2007 (Oral history): Interviewee: Heath, Mary; Interviewer: Lee Christofis; Audiofile; 3 sound files; Summary not yet available; Heath, Mary ; Queensland Ballet, The; Location:; National Library of Australia; ORAL TRC 5820
nla.cat-vn3998651

Interview with Ray Cook, 2003 (Oral history): Interviewer: Michelle Potter; Interviewee: Cook, Ray; Sound file; 221 mins; Ray cook begins this interview with a discussion of his family backgound and early experiences, including his dance training and his early work as a school teacher. He talks about his dance teachers including Charles Lisner and Margaret Scott and about working with Ballet Guild and the Borovansky Ballet, commenting especially on the role of Peggy van Praagh with the Borovansky company. He goes on to discuss the time he spent in New York studing notation and dancing with various companies. He gives an analysis of the nature of Laban notation and discusses his career as a notator.; Cook, Ray ; van Praagh, Peggy ; Scott, Margaret ; Borovansky Ballet; Location:; National Library of Australia; TRC 4929
nla.cat-vn2339330

Interview with Valerie Lisner, 2007 (Oral history): Interviewee: Lisner, Valerie; Interviewer: Lee Christofis; Audiofile; 2 sound files; Summary not yet available; Queensland Ballet, The; Location:; National Library of Australia; ORAL TRC 5822
nla.cat-vn3998681

Newspaper clippings, Charles Lisner, 1972-1979 (Ephemera): A small selection of press articles from various Australian newspapers relating to Lisner's career, including articles on his involvement with the Queensland Ballet, the awarding of a Churchill Fellowship, and his 1979 publication My Journey Through Dance.; Queensland Ballet, The; Location:; National Library of Australia; Access through Newspaper/Microform Reading Room

Newspaper Clippings, Queensland Ballet, 1979 (Ephemera): The National Library's collection of biographical cuttings contains a small, random selection of clippings relating to artists with connections to the Queensland Ballet. Clipping files exist for Harold Collins, Bill Haycock, Harry Haythorne, Charles Lisner and Mary McKendry.; Queensland Ballet, The ; Haythorne, Harry ; Collins, Harold; Location:; National Library of Australia; Biographical clippings(Access through Petherick Room)

Papers of Jean Garling, 1897-1998 (Manuscript): This extensive collection includes diaries, correspondence, genealogical papers, notebooks, literary papers, scrapbooks, newsclippings, school exercise books, programs, musical scores and miscellaneous items relating to the career of Jean Garling. Literary papers include notes and research materials on ballet in Australia. Correspondents include Edouard Borovansky, Kira Bousloff, Joyce Graeme, Leon Kellaway, Charles Lisner, Noel Pelly and Joanna Priest. This manuscript material is part of the Jean Garling Collection at the State Library of New South Wales, which also contains pictorial and and oral history materials. For further details see Jean Garling Personal Papers.; Garling, Jean ; Borovansky, Edouard ; Bousloff, Kira Abricossova ; Graeme, Joyce ; Kellaway, Leon ; Pelly, Noel ; Priest, Joanna; Location:; State Library of NSW; MLMSS 7020

Stringer, Walter: Scene from Charles Lisner's 'Images classiques', the Australian Ballet, 1972

Stringer, Walter: Scene from Charles Lisner's 'Images classiques', the Australian Ballet, 1972 (Picture): Stringer, Walter ; Australian Ballet, The; Location:; National Library of Australia; PIC6558/5305, Album 1016/17
nla.pic-an24732601

Research Materials Top

Other resources

Find more about Lisner, Charles in:

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