Swan Lake
West Australian Ballet
In an exciting addition to the already tantalising new season of Swan Lake, former West Australian Ballet, and current Norwegian National Ballet Principal, Gakuro Matsui, returns to Perth to guest star in the highly anticipated production.
Matsui is best known to WA audiences for his soaring roles in The Nutcracker, The Great Gatsby and Don Quixote after joining West Australian Ballet in 2015 as a Soloist, before being promoted to Principal at the close of that year.
Prior to joining West Australian Ballet, Matsui joined Norwegian National Ballet in 2005, being promoted to Principal in 2010. He returned to Norwegian National Ballet in 2019 and has since starred in a number of classical ballets including Swan Lake, Giselle and La Bayadère. In early 2022, Matsui won the Tom Wilhelmsen Foundation Opera & Ballet Award, the most prestigious ballet award in Norway.
“To welcome Gakuro back to Perth for our unique Swan Lake, is a gift to all of WA,” said Aurélien Scannella, Artistic Director of West Australian Ballet, “I thank Ingrid Lorenzen, Artistic Director of Norwegian National Ballet for allowing this to happen.”
“He is a dancer of incredible standard. His technique is impeccable, and he gives everything to each role he performs. It’s also very special to reunite him with our Principal dancer Chihiro Nomura both on stage and off, is magical.”
Matsui and Nomura have been audience favourites in WA, dancing many lead roles together. Aside from their partnership on-stage, they are partners off-stage too, and through the challenges of the pandemic, they were unable to see one-another for close to three years.
“I’m excited to be back in WA, and to dance with Chihiro again,” said Matsui.
“When Aurélien called, it was too good of an opportunity to miss – to perform in this unique Swan Lake alongside Noongar artists and with Krzysztof Pastor choreographing, and being able to return to Perth, it’s a great honour.”
West Australian Ballet’s uniquely Western Australian Swan Lake opens at His Majesty’s Theatre on 18 November. Over 60% of tickets are now sold: waballet.com.au/swan-lake
