A rare joint world premiere titled Flora brings together more than 35 dancers from the Australian Ballet and Bangarra Dance Theatre, debuting at Melbourne's Regent Theatre with a subsequent run at the Sydney Opera House in April.

William Barton, a Kalkadungu composer, creates the score for Flora, with costumes designed by Grace Lillian Lee (Meriam Samsep).

Choreography by Frances Rings centers Flora on Australia’s flora and its significance to First Nations peoples and all Australians, tracing themes from germination in deep time through colonisation, fire, and regeneration.

Dancers from both companies trained to blend classical ballet with Bangarra’s earthy style, including five weeks of development at Bangarra’s Sydney studios before final rehearsals in Melbourne, while integrating Indigenous cultural and spiritual context.

Flora marks a new chapter in Australian dance as the first full-length collaboration between the two companies since the 1990s, with the Flora Company emerging from this partnership.

Opening in Melbourne on March 12, Flora runs through March 21 at the Regent Theatre, before transferring to the Sydney Opera House for performances from April 7 to April 18.