The Storytime Ballet programme will offer specially created ballets for children as young as three-years-old across Australia.

Australian Ballet have today launched a new series of productions aimed specifically at children. The Storytime Ballet programme will open in Melbourne, followed by a Sydney season in December with a new production of the cherished fable The Sleeping Beauty. The show, which has been conceived to appeal to children as young as three years of age, will then embark on a national tour in 2016 visiting Canberra and Brisbane, as well as regional venues in New South Wales and Queensland, timed to coincide with the school holidays.

The specially created shows will be under an hour long and will include interactive elements with the hope of not only entertaining children but also getting them hooked on the wonder and spectacle of ballet. The traditional fairytale story of Princess Aurora’s rescue her from a magical century-long slumber will also include many other much-loved children’s characters including Little Red Riding Hood and Cinderella, set to the music of Tchaikovsky.

Over 420,000 children across Australia participate in dance activities, and this increased engagement with dance has not gone unnoticed by...