Australia Dancing - Moreland, Barry (1940

Moreland, Barry (1940 - )

Stringer, Walter: Portrait of Barry Moreland in make-up for an unidentified production, 1970s

Barry Moreland was born in Melbourne, where he studied at the Box Hill Technical School, before beginning his career at J. C. Williamson Ltd., at age fourteen, as an office boy for Frank Tait. After taking drama and movement classes with Gertrude Johnson at the National Theatre, Moreland began his dance training at the Borovansky Ballet Academy.

Moreland's first professional engagement as a dancer was with the Borovansky Ballet in 1960 under Peggy van Praagh. He subsequently joined the Ballet Guild for a season touring country Victoria, before joining the Australian Ballet as a foundation member in 1962. In 1964 Moreland travelled to London, where he performed in a number of West End musicals, including Hello Dolly with Gar Champion and Fiddler on the Roof with Jerome Robbins. He also studied drama with George Devine at the Royal Court Theatre. Moreland launched his choreographic career with his first work, based on Anton Chekov's Three Sisters, at the London Contemporary Dance School. Later Moreland became a foundation member of this company, which was renamed the London Contemporary Dance Theatre. Moreland choreographed a number of works for the company include Nocturnal Dances to a commissioned score by Maxwell Davies. After leaving the company, Moreland was invited by Glen Tetley to perform in Circles, for the Hamburg Opera Ballet in 1971.

Later in the 1970s Moreland joined the London Festival Ballet under Beryl Grey, initially as a soloist, before developing his choreographic career with the company. Choreographic works by Moreland during this period included Summer Solstice, lit by John B. Reid, In Nomine, designed by Nadine Bayliss, to the music of Peter Maxwell Davies, Dark Voyage designed by Moreland to music by Erik Satie, and Prodigal Son (in Ragtime) (1974) to music by Scott Joplin and Hossack, which Moreland toured to Australia with the company in 1975.

In 1976 he began a freelance career as a choreographer in England, Europe and the United States, returning periodically to Australia to create works such as Sacred Space and Trocadero (1979) for the Australian Ballet, and Dialogues (1980) for Sydney Dance Company.

Moreland returned to live in Australia during 1982 and worked with Sydney Dance Company for whom he choreographed Daisy Bates. He was appointed artistic director of West Australian Ballet in 1983 and directed that company until 1997. As director of West Australian Ballet he commissioned work from many Australian choreographers, composers and designers including Jacqui Carroll, Elizabeth Hill, Carl Morrow, Chrissie Parrott, Edmund Stripe, and Garth Welch. Moreland also made a significant opus of works himself for West Australian Ballet including Spindrift (1983), Alice in Wonderland (1984), Romeo and Juliet (1985), Afternoon of a Faun (1985), Seven Deadly Sins (1987), Orpheus (1987), Celestial Mirror (1988), Lady of the Camellias (1989), A Midsummer Nights Dream (1991), and Hamlet (1993). Since 1997 Moreland has worked as a freelance choreographer.

Bibliography:

Extracts from Barry Moreland's oral history interview for the National Library are published as 'Brief thoughts' in Brolga 16 (June 2002), pp. 45-48.

Research Materials

Ephemera | Moving picture | Oral history | Picture | All

Interview with Barry Moreland, 1990 (Oral history): Interviewee: Moreland, Barry; Interviewer: Shirley McKechnie; Audiotape; 190 mins; Barry Moreland considers his career in dance and the theatre across a broad time frame although he focuses especially on his years as director of West Australian Ballet. Throughout the interview Moreland explains his approach to choreography and refers to a number of specific pieces including Summer Solstice, Prodigal Son in Ragtime, Dialogues, Lady of the Camellias and Afternoon of a Faun. He also pays particular attention to his attitude to collaboration across the arts and reflects on the nature of dance and dancers in Australia. Edited extracts from this interview have been published as 'Brief thoughts: from an interview recorded in Perth in 1990' in Brolga 16 (June 2002), pp. 45-48.; West Australian Ballet; Location:; National Library of Australia; TRC 2642
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McMurdo, Don: Mary Duchesne in rehearsal for Barry Moreland's 'Daisy Bates', Sydney Dance Company, 1990

Interview with Mary Duchesne, 1985

Interview with Mary Duchesne, 1985 (Oral history): Interviewer: James Murdoch; Interviewee: Duchesne, Mary; Audiotape; 95 mins; Mary Duchesne speaks about returning to Australia after eight years of performing with overseas companies, her subsequent experience with the Borovansky Ballet and her later regret in not going back to England. She talks about her involvement with dance and operas on ABC TV while based in Melbourne, the innovative dancers on Channel 9's Graham Kennedy Show and her involvement with Channel 7 in ballet productions. She disucesses the period immediately prior to the formation of the Australian Ballet in 1962 and some of the dancers who formed the first company of the Australian Ballet under Dame Peggy van Praagh. Duchesne then talks about her career after leaving the Australian Ballet in particular her involvement with contemporary dance, guesting with various companies, teaching and directing. Specific companies and productions she discusses include Stars of World Ballet, and the Sydney Dance Company productions of Graeme Murphy's Homelands and Barry Moreland's Daisy Bates.; Murphy, Graeme ; Duchesne, Mary ; van Praagh, Peggy ; Australian Ballet, The ; Borovansky Ballet ; Sydney Dance Company ; Daisy Bates; Location:; National Library of Australia; TRC 1981
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Interview with Rex Reid about Natasha Kirsta, 1986 (Oral history): Interviewer: James Murdoch; Interviewee: Reid, Rex; Audiotape; 90 mins; Rex Reid summarises Kirsta?s early life in Russia before and during the 1917 Revolution. Her life in Vienna is discussed, including her life with second husband George Kirsta and friends Victor Gsovsky, George Balanchine and Tamara Geva. Reid discusses Kirsta?s move to Berlin to direct Gsovsky?s ballet school and Kirsta?s establishment of a ballet company with Gsovsky called Ballet Kirsta, members of which included Lesley Caron, Brigitte Bardot and Roland Petit. Kirsta?s friendship with Jean Cocteau and Misha Sert is discussed.

Reid discusses Kirsta?s move to Australia and her friendships with the Stravinskys, Arthur Rubinstein, Richard Meale, Marlene Dietrich, Abby Simon, Lila Kedrova and Yul Brynner. Kirsta?s influence on Barry Moreland and Les Sinclair is discussed, as is Kirsta?s admiration for Reid. Reid discusses Kirsta?s love of Australia, her pride in becoming an Australian citizen, and her close friendships with Kathleen Gorham, Ann Church, John Gielgud, Phillip Jones, Barry Reid, Nadia Nerina and Rudolf Nureyev.

Natasha?s knowledge of art, ballet, ballet history, music knowledge and talent for painting is discussed. Reid comments on her friendship with Katia, Ludmilla and Luba Crassine and the vast amount of correspondence Kirsta kept. He highlights Kirsta?s influence on his dance studio in Adelaide, her brilliant business skills and her influence on young dancers. He recalls that many people were nervous of Kirsta and did not understand her, citing Peggy Van Praagh as an example. Reid then discusses the lead up to Kirsta?s death, the circumstances surrounding Kirsta?s death and the people he notified, including Lila Kedrova and Marcel Marceau who were great friends of Natasha Kirsta.; Gorham, Kathleen ; Nureyev, Rudolf ; van Praagh, Peggy ; Reid, Rex; Location:; National Library of Australia; TRC 1986/3-5
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