Ahead of The Australian Ballet’s opening night for Swan Lake this month, CHANEL invited us to witness an exclusive behind-the-scenes matinee of the performance.

Directed and realised by Artistic Director David Hallberg, this rendition of Tchaikovsky’s classic is inspired by the unique production of Swan Lake that Anne Woolliams brought to life in the 1970s. 

This special day with CHANEL offered a behind-the-scenes look at the magic that goes into staging a ballet. It represents the latest chapter in the House’s long-standing relationship with dance and in their Living Heritage Partnership with The Australian Ballet. 

First commenced in 2020, CHANEL’s patronage of The Australian Ballet began as a three-year initiative to sponsor the creation of an internal digital asset management (DAM) system, now known as the Content Hub, for the archives of The Australian Ballet. A place to house their past, current, and future audio-visual history—including archival performances, costumes, and sets. The first phase of the partnership was focused on housing over 800,000 irreplaceable historical assets that had been accumulated over the company’s sixty-year history.

Now this year, CHANEL extends its commitment to The Australian Ballet as Living Heritage Partner, reinforcing the close relationship that Gabrielle Chanel forged with the world of dance in the early 20th century. And underscoring the House’s ongoing support of freedom of creation, innovation, and excellence. 

As Living Heritage Partner, CHANEL says it is ‘dedicated to bringing The Australian Ballet’s living legacy to life, by preserving its history in order to imagine the future. The DAM exists as a source of inspiration for creators and allows a meeting of minds, allowing those within the organization to use the past to imagine the next.’

Here, model Olivia Parsons steps inside the world of CHANEL and Dance, to share with us her intimate Visual Diary of The Australian Ballet’s Swan Lake Dress Rehearsal at the Sydney Opera House.