Around 100 invited guests attended an exclusive outdoor performance of Wa last week by the Australian Ballet at luxury resort qualia, located on the northernmost point of Hamilton Island.
A gentle Whitsundays breeze and a scimitar moon were the backdrop for the six dancers who gracefully took to the stage to perform the beautiful piece from the Ballet’s 2008 Bodytorque series.
This was the first time Wa has been performed outside of a traditional theatre space but choreographer Tim Harbour and Artistic Director, David McAllister agreed that “Wa has a special synergy with the sensory feel of qualia as it depicts the harmony achieved when a community treats one another and their environment with sensitivity.”
The performance of the Ballet was the centrepiece of a weekend event appropriately titled “Pearls and Pointe in Paradise” – a collaboration between three high profile Australian entities – The Australian Ballet, qualia and Paspaley. Sarah Murdoch, Board Member of the Australian Ballet was the emcee for this exclusive weekend.
A seven course degustation dinner on Friday night prepared by qualia’s new Executive Chef, Jane-Therese Mulry set the scene for the weekend. In recognition of Paspaley’s involvement, the dinner featured micro-fried pearl meat with an abalone mushroom sauté and sea urchin butter.
The next morning, Paspaley’s head of design, Jurgen Kammler, took guests behind the creation of the company’s exquisite new Ribbon collection during a champagne brunch.
After relaxing in their private plunge pools, enjoying a signature treatment at the beautiful Spa qualia or taking helicopter rides, guests met at dusk by the Pebble Beach pool to enjoy pale pink grapefruit cocktails splashed with pearl dust.
The ballet began at sundown followed by a moonlight dinner featuring a three-way seafood menu where guests were treated to oysters, Moreton Bay bugs and ocean trout served in a trio of different preparations. Executive Director Valerie Wilder, Associate Executive Director Patrick McIntyre, Artistic Director David McAllister, and Choreographer, Tim Harbour, along with the dancers joined the guests for dinner.
The program was exclusive to guests at qualia and is the second in a series of sensory events which will be staged at the resort, voted as one of the hottest new luxury hotels in the World by Conde Nast Traveler magazine in the US and UK.
About:
qualia, Australia's newest world class luxury resort on the Great Barrier Reef, is located on the secluded and breathtakingly beautiful northern-most point of Hamilton Island. qualia has 60 elegant one-bedroom pavilions and a Beach House, each set among eucalyptus trees with postcard views of the idyllic blue, green waters of the Whitsundays. Two superb restaurants and Spa qualia cater exclusively to guests of the resort. Hamilton Island can be accessed directly from all east coast international gateway cities in less than three hours. qualia is a member of Small Luxury Hotels and welcomes guests 18 years and over. 'qualia' is deliberately spelled with a lower case 'q' as it is a reflection of the relaxed, understated nature of this property.
In recognition of the high standards found at qualia, the resort has been awarded Best New Accommodation by Australian Gourmet Traveller magazine, best New Tourism Development at the 2008 Whitsunday Tourism Awards and shared a win for the "Best Resort" category at the HM Magazine Awards. It also featured in the "It List" of the 30 best new hotels around the globe in Travel and Leisure magazine, USA.
