French company Ballet Preljocaj will perform its sinister, sexy, contemporary retelling of Snow White at the Sydney Opera House in June. Today’s announcement follows recent news that the company will perform the full-length ballet at Arts Centre Melbourne in August.

Ballet Preljocaj’s Snow White. Photograph © Jean-Claude Carbonne

Choreographed to Mahler symphonies (which date from the same era as the original tale), the production features witty costuming by visionary French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier as well as extravagant sets by Thierry Leproust. It was first seen in Australia at QPAC as part of Brisbane Festival in 2016, when it won the Helpmann Award for Best Ballet. In a four-and-a-half star review, Limelight described it as “hypnotic” and “a must-see production”.

The visually ravishing interpretation remains essentially faithful to the Grimm Brothers’ original 19th century fairy tale, but French choreographer Angelin Preljocaj has given it an enthralling erotic charge. Speaking to Limelight in 2016, he described the story as “dark and vicious and complex”.

“I was very keen to tell a story, offer something magical and enchanted. I have followed the version by the Grimm Brothers, with just a few personal variations based on...