Damien Welch. Photo James Braund
After 18 distinguished years, Australia’s prince of ballet moves on Damien Welch, Australia’s prince of ballet, today announced he will retire as a Principal Artist of The Australian Ballet.
Audience members will be able to join members of the company in expressing their appreciation of his wonderful contribution to ballet and dance when Damien takes a farewell bow on Monday 30 November – the final performance of The Australian Ballet’s Concord season.
This announcement does not mean we have seen the last of Damien on stage.
Artistic Director David McAllister announced that Damien will continue to have an ongoing relationship with The Australian Ballet, returning in 2010 as a guest artist in a number of performances throughout the year.
David reflects: “It has been such a joy to watch Damien join the company as a talented young dancer and develop into one of the most gifted artists of his generation.”
“He has lit up stages across the world for the last 18 years and created roles with some of the world’s most respected choreographers,” he said.
“Damien will continue to grace our stages in 2010 as he simultaneously develops his interests in creating and restaging works on the other side of the curtain.”
Damien is an extraordinary talent whose expressive and powerful style, along with his easygoing manner, have made him a critically acclaimed ballet star and a respected member of the company.
The son of Australian dance legends Marilyn Jones and Garth Welch, and younger brother of star choreographer Stanton Welch, Damien had big shoes to fill. He has done so with the grace required of the ballet world’s elite. He has had works created on him by some of the globe’s leading choreographers Twyla Tharp, Jiři Kylián
and Stanton Welch, partnered the world’s best ballerinas and performed many classical and contemporary works on the Australian and international stage.
In announcing this next step Damien says, “I am excited by the opportunities the future offers and am looking forward to a rewarding career behind the scenes.”
Reflecting on his career Damien says, “The Australian Ballet has been my family and my life for over 15 years so there is no doubt I will miss it.”
2009 has been an exciting one for Damien, who made his choreographic debut in May in Bodytorque 2.2 with the work Chemical Trigger. In July he and his wife, fellow Principal Artist Kirsty Martin, welcomed their second child into the world, Matilda. They also have a son, Oscar, who is four.
Damien has enjoyed a stellar career on stage and the company looks forward to an ongoing association with him.
DAMIEN WELCH
Damien started training at the Marilyn Jones and Garth Welch School of Ballet at the age of 15, and was accepted into The Australian Ballet School at 16. In 1992 he joined The Australian Ballet, and was promoted to Soloist in 1996, then to Senior Artist and finally Principal in 1998.
Damien has performed works by many famous choreographers, including William Forsythe, Nacho Duato, Stanton Welch, Graeme Murphy, Twyla Tharp, James Kudelka, Gideon Obarzanek and Paul Lightfoot, and has danced in hundreds of ballets. After a stretch with Nederlands Dans Theater I from 2000 to 2002, Damien returned to The Australian Ballet.
His final performance is at The Sydney Opera House Monday 30 November 2009.
REPERTOIRE HIGHLIGHTS
Concord 2009
Symphonie Fantastique 2007
Graeme Murphy's Swan Lake 2008, 2007,
2006, 2005, 2004, 2002
Les Sylphides 2006
Raymonda 2006
Stanton Welch's The Sleeping Beauty 2006,
2005
Petite Mort 2005
Bella Figura 2000
Manon 1999
In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated 1996
Madame Butterfly 1998
Cinderella 1997
AWARDS
Green Room Award for Best Male Dancer 2002
Ausdance Award for Best Male Dancer 1998
“Slick and self-possessed” Sunday Herald Sun, 2006
“Damien Welch is outstanding” Sunday Herald Sun, 2006
“Super smooth in both technique and demeanour” Dance Australia, 2004
“… pin-up boy of the dance world” The Australian, 2002