NGA Play

Sally Smart has long been fascinated and inspired by the Ballets Russes, the avant-garde phenomenon where great artists, composers and choreographers came together in the early years of the twentieth century to create magical experiences that stunned and entranced audiences. The National Gallery of Australia has one of the world’s great collections of Ballets Russes costumes.

Sally Smart has been working on a project that recasts the Ballets Russes, reimagining and embodying a discourse between the historical and contemporary avant-garde. For her NGA Play installation she shares some of that work.

Sally Smart invites you to enter a Ballets Russes inspired world of colourful cut-out assemblages and activities. Create your own costumes and headwear before stepping into your own performance, dancing alongside projections of Brooke Stamp who has responded to the original dances with her own dance improvisation. The space also unfolds to reveal immersive places to create your own narratives in pencil and felt, blackboard activities and paper construction.