A legacy in dance

Maxwell Collis

Pioneer of Australian ballet, principal with Ballet Rambert, and founder of the South Australian Ballet Theatre — the company and school that gave a generation of dancers their start.

02 — Legacy & Company

The man & the company

A life given to ballet

F. Maxwell Collis was a foundation member of the Borovansky Ballet, dancing under the Maestro himself before becoming a principal artist with Ballet Rambert in London. On his return to Australia he founded the South Australian Ballet Theatre — the first classical ballet company in South Australia — and contributed to the Ballet Guild, the Victorian Ballet Company and Ballet Victoria.

He was, above all, a teacher: renowned for his musicality, his philosophy of training and his gift for inspiring dancers of all ages. His story is told in full in Mentor of Dance, the memoir written by his former student, Sandrushka Whitelaw.

The Maxwell Collis Ballet Theatre

Biography & career

Three strands of a legacy

The Dancer

On Stage

From a music-filled Melbourne childhood to the studios of Madame Borovansky and the Kirsova Ballet, and on to principal roles with the Borovansky Ballet and Ballet Rambert in London.

The Director

The Companies

Founder of the South Australian Ballet Theatre and a shaping force in the Ballet Guild, the Victorian Ballet Company and Ballet Victoria.

The Teacher

The Legacy

A teacher of rare sensitivity who shaped hundreds of students — many of whom went on to dance professionally in Australia and overseas. He died in 1996.

Maxwell Collis Ballet Theatre

The company — associated with the South Australian Ballet Theatre, the first classical ballet company in South Australia — brought classical ballet to audiences and nurtured a generation of performers. Its productions — Cinderella, Symphonic Variations, The Bouvedier, Sleeping Beauty and the Blue Bird pas de deux among them — are preserved in the company archive.

Featured photograph

Cinderella

Maxwell Collis and Lorraine Irving, pictured in the South Australian Ballet Theatre production of Cinderella. This photograph is a centrepiece of the archive and anchors the story of the company and its dancers.

Photograph captions reflect the information held with the original archive material. Additional production details will be added as they are confirmed.