Pirouettes in paradise

Ballet is exalted in an exclusive initiative on Hamilton Island that offers rare insights, writes Lauren Quaintance.

The scene in front of us is worthy of an oil painting. Two dancers dressed in white are silhouetted against a blueish-black night sky. Bats swoop overhead, their path lit by a broken moon, and there is a gentle shushing of waves on the beach. This is what Qualia, the luxury resort on Hamilton Island, calls Pas de Deux in Paradise - a rare opportunity to see dancers from the Australian Ballet perform outside a concert hall or theatre; and to see them dance on a beachside stage that, in the half-light of dusk, makes it seem as if they are suspended above the azure waters of the Coral Sea.

The annual event, held exclusively for resort guests, is not only a chance to see some of the country's top dancers perform in an extraordinary setting, but also to gain an insight into life behind the scenes at the prestigious ballet company by giving attendees the chance to mingle with the performers. This is the new definition of luxury. It's no longer enough to provide 1000-thread-count sheets or Michelin Guide-quality food; five-star resorts and lodges are increasingly defining themselves by the unique events that give their fortunate guests "money-can't-buy experiences" such as a cooking class by a renowned chef, an intimate performance by a major city symphony orchestra, or an art tutorial from an award-winning painter.

The previous night we gathered for dinner in the Long Pavilion, the resort's sleek eating and greeting area. Mannequins dressed in costumes designed by Akira Isogawa and Collette Dinnigan for previous performances stood sentinel, and tables were artfully dressed with pointe shoes and vintage ballet books. Over a meal of carrot-crumbed pork belly, carrot and cardamom puree and balsamic jus, television host Catriona Rowntree interrogated four dancers about everything from one young male dancer's Billy Elliot-like upbringing in Melbourne's western suburbs to costume malfunctions, including an on-stage wedgie.

The following morning, guests gathered again in the Long Pavilion - the daytime backdrop all bush, sky and sea - to observe the dancers doing their daily warm-up exercises overseen by the Australian Ballet's artistic director, David McAllister. Dressed casually (our Billy Elliot is wearing a Manly Surf Club T-shirt), they run through their daily rota of exercises using chairs as a substitute for a barre while the ebullient McAllister interprets French terms - arabesque (in Arabic fashion) and, my favourite, fondue (to melt) - for the audience. He explains that the dancers use the barre to find their balance, and to feel the length of the body and its alignment in preparation for that night's performance.

Following an afternoon spent exploring the secluded 12-hectare site at the northern end of Hamilton Island - or simply lounging in one of the sensually designed pavilion rooms with private plunge pools that helped Qualia earn a perfect score in last year's Conde Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards - the 120 guests dressed in sweeping cocktail dresses and black-tie suits meet at Pebble Beach at dusk. We take our seats clutching flutes of champagne, and over the next hour dancers perform excerpts from four ballets - Manon, Giselle, Swan Lake and After the Rain - in pairs (hence pas de deux, or dance for two). As the sun sinks, the dancers move so that with each step and turn and flourish they seem a more natural part of the setting until, finally, they are enveloped by an inky sky - nature's final curtain.

This year's Pas de Deux in Paradise will be held on the weekend of November 22-24.