Champions of the Performing Arts

THE Royal South Street Society Ballarat Eisteddfod has been running throughout various venues in Ballarat, providing a platform for outstanding performances and bringing in visitors from all over the country to compete in eleven different disciplines from June to October.

The Energetiks Dance Competition wraps up this Saturday with thousands of performers gracing the stage at Founders Theatre throughout the two-week event, including troupes, solos, duos and trios in every dance discipline.

Highlights have included the Mulcahy & Co Troupe Weekend and the Junior, Intermediate championships, with the prestigious Senior Championship dance solos being held on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 October.

The quality of performers and performances has been outstanding, with Ballarat being well known for producing some of the finest performing artists in the country as a result of our quality schools, theatre companies and events, including the Royal South Street Society, which has been a champion for performing arts in our region running the annual Ballarat Eisteddfod for 133 years.

The centenary of the calisthenics Graceful Solo will be held on 12 October and twenty-five finalists from all over Australia, selected from auditions held in June, will compete for the most prestigious solo award on the calisthenics calendar.

A centenary celebratory luncheon for past winners and coaches will also be held on the 12 October.

Ballarat and the Royal South Street Society has played a very important part in the history and development of calisthenics in this country, with the first competitions being held at the Royal South Street competitions over 100 years ago.

The prestigious solo event was originally known as the Best Type Physical Culture Girl, it was renamed the Most Graceful Physical Culture Girl in 1933, then the Most Graceful Girl, and now simply the calisthenics Graceful Solo. Performances are expressive, emotional, polished and seemingly effortless, and these confident, graceful yet athletic young women are the definition of calisthenics – beauty and strength (kallos + thenos), carefully guided by exceptional coaches who provide the choreography, music and standard of training required to get to this level.

“The Royal South Street Society Ballarat Eisteddfod is such an important part of our history, culture and future in Ballarat,” said Royal South Street Society business manager, Judy-Ann Quilliam.

“The time, practice and commitment that goes into excelling in the performing arts is second to none, and our region is an outstanding beacon for the development of the performing arts in this country.

We look forward with great excitement to returning to our home in 2024 at Her Majesty’s Theatre, however, in the mean-time, the senior dance championships are on this weekend and calisthenics commences on 11 – 30 October at Founders Hall, Federation University and we invite you to join us in the audience.”

Visit royalsouthstreet.com.au.

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