For centuries, dance has relied on the language of movement, music, and costume to transport audiences into other worlds. But in 2025, that world is shifting. And in Adelaide, the state’s only professional ballet company is showing exactly how technology can enhance, rather than overshadow, tradition.
This August, Adelaide Ballet makes its inaugural season debut at ILA with Murray Whispers (15–17 August), a work as much about innovation as it is about heritage. Choreographed by Co-Founders and Artistic Directors Sarah Humeniuk and Rejane Garcia, the production draws inspiration from the majestic Murray River – a waterway both deeply personal and freshly observed. “Murray Whispers is a deeply personal piece for us – a meeting of two lived experiences: one rooted and the other discovering,” they explain. “For audiences, it will be a performance that taps into every sense, with the river’s changing flow, pulse and beauty exquisitely expressed through a fusion of dance, music and visual imagery.”
And, fusion is the keyword. Alongside the classically trained dancers and original score by pianist-composer Ashley Hribar, Murray Whispers integrates vast LED screen projections created by Adelaide visual artists Thomas Oates and Scott Baskett. The result is an immersive visual environment where light and movement echo the river’s moods. “Working with Thomas and Scott has been transformative,” Sarah and Rejane say. “They immediately understood our invitation to collaborate… as an invitation to blur boundaries between mediums. Their interpretation of the river’s essence through light, movement, and landscape opened endless possibilities while adding intricate new layers of storytelling that we couldn’t have achieved with dance alone.”
For the choreographers, technology isn’t an enemy of ballet’s purity – it’s a powerful ally. “Ballet has always evolved. What we consider ‘traditional’ today was once radical. For us, the line isn’t about resisting innovation but about ensuring it serves the story, the emotion, and the human connection at the heart of ballet. If technology deepens the experience without overshadowing the dancers or the music, it becomes a beautiful extension of the art.”
That balance between tradition and innovation is reflected in every detail of the production. Costumes by SA’s own Kira Bayliss, crafted with the expertise of Alice Ong, root the performance in place and memory, while the LED landscapes and musical score lift it into a dreamlike realm. “Composer Ashley Hribar’s score feels like it rises out of the riverbanks themselves,” Sarah and Rejane note, adding that working with a local creative team has been “incredibly special” for a company so committed to empowering South Australian voices.
The sensory ambition of Murray Whispers goes far beyond sight and sound. “Sight… how magnificent. Sound… oh, get whisked away. Touch… well, all the embracing, the connection of a finger to a cheek… and you the audience, touch with such powerful emotion, the very spirit is touched. Smell… gum, green, summer blossom. Taste… dinner afterwards at the wonderful ILA restaurant at ILA. Indulge all the senses… an escape… all senses, through art.”
It’s also a milestone for Adelaide Ballet itself. Founded in 2022, the company emerged from what Sarah and Rejane describe as “both love and necessity.” For too long, South Australia had no professional ballet company to call its own. “Ballet is not just an art form, it’s a cultural heartbeat,” they say. “Why now? Because the time is right to reignite ballet here with fresh purpose … A partnership like this is so unique at this time, as we do not have a long consistent heritage of producing dancers of such calibre who have had a good professional career.”
Their ambitions reach far beyond a single season. “We are establishing Adelaide Ballet as the premier Ballet Company of South Australia… a company that belongs to the people. Performing and working full-time for mainstage seasons, regional tours, international collaborations, and a home that nurtures both creation and community. Culturally, we become a beacon… This isn’t just about dance; it’s about legacy, leadership and shaping the future of arts in our state.”
In Murray Whispers, classical ballet’s grace meets cutting-edge visual technology – not to dilute tradition, but to deepen it. And in doing so, Adelaide Ballet is making the case that the future of the art form lies not in resisting change, but in embracing it. One mesmerising performance at a time.
