François Klaus

Artistic Director & Chief Choreographer

“A good ballet company is an exceptional thing. It is a fragile instrument, requiring constant work, commitment and vigilant care from everyone involved, to be the best it can be.” François Klaus

François Klaus began dancing at the age of nine with the Russian teacher Julie Sedova, and three years later began studying with Marika Besobrasova in Monte Carlo. François’s first contract as a professional dancer was at the age of 17, with the Geneva Ballet under the directorship of Serge Golovine.

Renowned choreographer John Cranko offered François the opportunity to join his company in Stuttgart and to continue working with him as a Soloist in Munich. François danced his first leading role (Prince Siegfried in Cranko’s Swan Lake) at the age of 22 and was promoted to Principal Dancer the following season. In Munich he met his wife, an Australian dancer, Robyn White, who had also been engaged by Cranko and was to pursue her career as a soloist with Hamburg Ballet.

François also joined the Hamburg Ballet. Under the artistic direction of John Neumeier it became one of Germany’s leading companies, and for 18 years, François was one of the significant influences in the company. Singled out by critics for his fine artistic interpretation, his musicality, and enormous concentration, François was to create the leading male roles in many of Neumeier's ballets.

His roles included King Arthur in King Arthur’s Saga, Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Don Juan, Romeo and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, the Prince in The Sleeping Beauty, King Ludwig in Neumeier’s Swan Lake, and Petrus in St. Mathew’s Passion. He also danced the male leads in ballets by Cranko, Balanchine and Béjart and partnered Natalia Makarova, Marcia Haydée, Carla Fracci, Violette Verdi, Judith Jamison and Patricia McBride.

Hamburg Ballet toured extensively in Europe, Japan, and North and South America. Following its first New York season, François’s performance in Neumeier’s Mahler III was selected in 1981 as the best performance by an established dancer by the critics of the American publication, Dancemagazine.

François’s first choreographed works in Hamburg included The Little Mermaid for the TIK Theatre, children’s ballets in collaboration with Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, a benefit gala for the restoration of the St Thomas Church, and a full-length evening for the 800 year celebrations of the city. In 1991 he took up his first post as an Artistic Director in Bern, Switzerland.

After three years with Bern State Theatre, François formed his own independent company, Ballett Art. This was artistically very successful and in October 1996, François was awarded a Doron Cultural Prize for his choreography and his contribution to dance in Switzerland.

François was offered the position of Artistic Director of Queensland Ballet in 1997 following an international search, and took up his post in January 1998. He began his tenure with a clear vision to create a dynamic company which provided dancers with a consistently creative environment. Equally important was to develop a sustainable, financially sound organisation, which could continue its vital role in the cultural life of Queensland well into the future.

As Chief Choreographer, François Klaus has equipped the Company with a repertoire of over 100 works, ranging from full-length story ballets to short pieces for our Vis-à-vis Studio Series. The talents of young choreographers are also enthusiastically nurtured. By inviting guest choreographers to work with us, and international guest artists to perform in our International Galas, François provides our dancers with further creative inspiration.

For his work with Queensland Ballet, François was awarded a Perform/4MBS award for choreography in 1999 and 2000, and in 2002 he was nominated for a Helpmann Award. He also received a Centenary Medal for distinguished service to the arts in 2001.

Internationally renowned dance writer Horst Koegler attributes the significant growth in the reputation of Queensland Ballet in recent years to François Klaus. Under his direction, the Company undertook its first tour to Europe in January 2006, to great public and critical acclaim, and had further success on a return visit with his ballet Cloudland in October 2007, and Timeless Dances in 2009. We also toured to Singapore in March 2007 with Klaus’s Alice in Wonderland, and to Japan in 2008 and China in 2011 with The Little Mermaid.