The City of Bayswater is to become the new home of West Australian ballet. With funding support from the WA State Government, the City recently purchased the heritage listed Senses Building in Maylands to create a vibrant new home for the WA State Ballet Company.
Work is underway to turn the iconic building into a world class ballet training and rehearsal facility for the company.
Senses will eventually become home to an elite ballet training school, eliminating the need for talented young dancers to travel to Melbourne or even further afield to pursue their careers.
City of Bayswater Mayor Terry Kenyon said bringing the ballet company to the area would help create a cultural hub that will attract other performing arts and creative organisations to the city.
“The WA Ballet Company is an important cultural asset of State, national and international standing,” he said.
“This really is an exciting initiative that will add vibrancy to our City and create a thriving destination for creative talent from across the region.”
Mayor Kenyon’s words were echoed by West Australian Ballet General Manager Steven Roth.
“We see this as an important development, not only for ballet, but for the whole community,” Steven Roth said. “Our training and programs have been constrained by space for a number of years, so this facility will make all the difference to the delivery of ballet performance and training in the State.”