Prism triple bill shows spectrum of ballet's lean years

The Australian Ballet's triple bill Prism features music from the Opera Australia Orchestra. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

The Australian Ballet's triple-header Prism shows its colours in Sydney with a piece by the company's resident choreographer Stephanie Lake.

In contrast to Lake's recent Circle Electric, which had some 50 dancers onstage, Seven Days, set to Australian composer Peter Brikmanis' interpretation of Bach's Goldberg Variations, features a cast of seven.

Seven Days shares the Prism bill with works by two renowned US choreographers.

Seven Days by Australian choreographer Stephanie Lake features a small cast of seven dancers. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

There's Glass Pieces by Jerome Robbins, who is perhaps best known for the original Broadway production and film of West Side Story, with music by Philip Glass.

Then there's William Forsythe's Blake Works V (The Barre Project), a piece conceived at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It's a tribute to professional dancers who depended on at-home barre exercises during COVID-19, using whatever furniture was available to maintain their form.

Prism plays at the Sydney Opera House from Friday, with music from the Opera Australia Orchestra, following a well-received run at Melbourne's Regent Theatre.