The night concluded with Lister’s “Papillon”—one of the best works Queensland Ballet has staged to date. The piece plotted the lifespan of a butterfly, from its metamorphosis into a winged beauty to the harrowing inevitability of its death. In his token style, Lister pushed the company to its performative limits, demanding both dancer and audience alike to be fully consumed by the movement. He also collaborated with composer Louis Frere-Harvey to create a fast-paced yet uncomfortably addictive score.

Credit goes to the dancers who mercilessly attacked the choreography, all of whom were Young Artists. They scaled the tension net up in the roof, they pulled each other back moments before falling to the audience. They ran, jumped, twitched, and spoke to a cacophonous crescendo until, at last, their bodies were given reprieve. “Papillon” was, quite simply, one of the best things I’ve seen in the last four years.

In the future, it will be interesting to see how the “Bespoke” program develops under Leanne Benjamin’s leadership. As a launching pad for new works, it certainly has its place within the company’s wider institutional dramaturgy—it offers novel moments of variance within a heavily revived and classical repertoire. There is definitely a hunger for more productions like these; works that experiment with structure and form, and provide the opportunity to support local and First Nations artists. Olsen and Lister’s works, especially, have the potential to extend past this current season, and it would be a pity to see them fall into the graveyard of “Bespoke” premieres past.