fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › Artistic representation of war trauma › Article

The theatre of war: how the Anzac story has been retold through dance for 80 years

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · · 913 words · By Christine de Matos; Yvette Grant
Artistic representation of war trauma
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Generate a natural audio summary of this story
Daily briefing

What to know about Artistic representation of war trauma

The article explores how dance has been used as an art form to represent and critique historical conflicts, tracing examples from World War I and World War II. It details several specific ballets, including *En Saga*, *G’Day Digger*, *1914*, and *Passchendaele*, highlighting how choreographers used movement to convey the emotional weight and trauma of war.

Propaganda risk 20%
Claims checked 14
Techniques found 1
Topics 1

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center86%
Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The story of the Anzacs has been represented through art from the beginning.

Why it matters

The film Hero of the Dardanelles (1915) recreates the landing at Gallipoli.

Common ground

Official war artists were commissioned to document the conflict.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

The article explores how dance has been used as an art form to represent and critique historical conflicts, tracing examples from World War I and World War II. It details several specific ballets, including *En Saga*, *G’Day Digger*, *1914*, and *Passchendaele*, highlighting how choreographers used movement to convey the emotional weight and trauma of war.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/the-theatre-of-war-how-the-anzac-story-has-been-reto…

analyticsAnalysis

20%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 90%
Minor concerns. Some persuasive language detected, but largely factual.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 60% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 4
verified Verified By Reference 3
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
check_circle Corroborated 1
report Misleading 1
verified
Claim 1: “One of the most powerful paintings was the ghostly Midnight at Menin Gate (1927) by Will Longstaff.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly states that *Menin Gate at Midnight* is a 1927 painting by Australian artist Will Longstaff, depicting the Menin Gate memorial.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Menin Gate (Dutch: Menenpoort), officially the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Yp…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menin_Gate
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Menin Gate at Midnight (also known as Ghosts of Menin Gate) is a 1927 painting by Australian artist Will Longstaff. The painting depicts a host of ghostly soldiers marching across a field in front of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menin_Gate_at_Midnight
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — William Frederick Longstaff (25 December 1879 – 1 July 1953) was an Australian painter and war artist best known for his works commemorating those who died in the First World War.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Longstaff
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 2: “Two were commissioned for the occasion, including Neil Ieremia’s short but powerful Passchendaele, with music by the New Zealand Army Band.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 3: “Banjo Paterson penned an ode to Gallipoli, We’re All Australians Now, in 1915, and novels abound exploring the impacts of war on soldiers and society.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While the evidence confirms Banjo Paterson was an Australian bush poet and that 'Waltzing Matilda' is a famous Australian song, none of the provided sources confirm that Banjo Paterson penned the ode *We’re All Australians Now* specifically in 1915.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Arts in Australia refers to the visual arts, literature, performing arts and music in the area of, on the subject of, or by the people of the Commonwealth of Australia and its preceding Indigenous…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arts_in_Australia
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson (17 February 1864 – 5 February 1941) was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author, widely considered one of the greatest writers of Australia's colonial period. Bo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banjo_Paterson
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Waltzing Matilda" is a song developed in the Australian style of poetry and folk music called a bush ballad. It has been described as the country's "unofficial national anthem". The title was Austral…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waltzing_Matilda
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 4: “En Saga was choreographed by Laurel Martyn and first performed by the Borovansky Ballet in Melbourne in 1941.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that Laurel Martyn choreographed *En Saga* and that it was performed by the Borovansky Ballet in 1941. One web search result specifically mentions 'The 1941 Borovansky Ballet production of Laurel Martyn’s En Saga.'
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Edouard Borovansky (24 February 1902 – 18 December 1959) was a Czech-born Australian ballet dancer, choreographer and director. After touring with Anna Pavlova's company, he and his wife, Xenia, settl…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edouard_Borovansky
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Edouard Borovansky was a Czech-born Australian ballet dancer, choreographer and director. After touring with Anna Pavlova's company, he and his wife, Xenia, settled in Australia where they established…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edouard_Borovansky
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The 1941 Borovansky Ballet production of Laurel Martyn’s En Saga. Hugh P. Hall/National Library of Australia. En Saga opens with the women farming the land. The men return from war to some celebration…
https://theconversation.com/the-theatre-of-war-how-the-anzac…
+ 1 more evidence source
verified
Claim 5: “En Saga opens with the women farming the land.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
A web search result titled 'The theatre of war: how the Anzac story has been retold through dance...' explicitly states: 'En Saga opens with the women farming the land.'
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — En Saga opens with the women farming the land. The men return from war to some celebration, but many are physically and psychologically injured. As the ballet closes, the men are called to fight once …
https://theconversation.com/the-theatre-of-war-how-the-anzac…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A clip from the Royal Ballet's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, coming to cinemas nationwide starting May 5. Find information, theaters and schedules at www...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5ZuM82ukQE
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Tracklist: 01. Intro - Vinland Saga 02. Farewell Proud Men 03. Ocean's Way 04.Tales Of The Seamaid 12. New Found Land 13. Leaves' Eyes 14. Solemn Sea 15. Amrhan (Song of the Winds) 16. Norwegian Loves…
https://vk.com/video-580964_165524715
help
Claim 6: “G’Day Digger, choreographed by Beth Dean for television in 1958, was a short humorous piece set in a pub.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, and the evidence section confirms no results were found.
schedule
Claim 7: “Choreographed by Stephen Baynes, the full-length ballet about the first world war was inspired by David Malouf’s 1982 novel Fly Away Peter.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 8: “The Australian Ballet’s 1914 (1998) centres on the unlikely friendship between working-class Jim, wealthy Ashley and photographer Imogen.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
report
Claim 9: “Set in 19th century Finland to Jean Sibelius’ rousing score, the story was inspired by the Australian home front.”
MISLEADING
While the evidence confirms *En Saga* was choreographed by Laurel Martyn and performed by the Borovansky Ballet, and that it is set to Jean Sibelius' score, the evidence does not support the claim that the story was *inspired by the Australian home front*. Instead, the evidence suggests the ballet is about the return from war.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ballet (French: [balɛ]) is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It ha…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballet
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Ballet is a transcendent art form that thrives within a broader creative network, and we believe it should be shared with, and enjoyed by, as many people as possible.
https://www.losangelesballet.org/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Apr 14, 2026 · Ballet, theatrical dance in which a formal academic dance technique—the danse d’ecole—is combined with other artistic elements such as music, costume, and stage scenery. The academic te…
https://www.britannica.com/art/ballet
help
Claim 10: “Two larrikin soldiers back from fighting in Tobruk during the second world war – The Digger and his Mate – meet again in Sydney.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim, and the evidence section confirms no results were found.
info
Claim 11: “The film Hero of the Dardanelles (1915) recreates the landing at Gallipoli.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results confirm that *The Hero of the Dardanelles* is a 1915 film related to the Gallipoli campaign, and one source notes it is the first surviving feature film depiction of Australian troops of the First World War. However, none of the provided evidence explicitly state that the film *recreates* the landing at Gallipoli; it only confirms the film's subject matter and existence.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Dardanelles ( DAR-də-NELZ), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli (after the Gallipoli peninsula), is a narrow, natural strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey that …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dardanelles
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Dardanelles is a strait and internationally significant waterway in northwestern Turkey. Dardanelles may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dardanelles_(disambiguation)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Dardanelles Army was a short-lived field army of the British Army during World War I.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dardanelles_Army
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 12: “The centenary of the Gallipoli landings in 2015 led the Royal New Zealand Ballet to create a suite of four dances, Salute: Remembering World War I.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 13: “World War II first inspired some choreographers to convey or critique overseas wars through dance.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about WWII and Instagram links, but none of the sources contain information linking World War II to choreographers conveying or critiquing overseas wars through dance.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Allies, or Allied powers, formally referred to as the United Nations from 1942, were an international military coalition formed during World War II (1939–1945) to oppose the Axis powers. Its princ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allies_of_World_War_II
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — World War II, or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945), was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — World War II was the deadliest military conflict in history. An estimated total of 60–75 million deaths were caused by the conflict, including those who died from deprivation, famine and disease. This…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 14: “Official war artists were commissioned to document the conflict.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for this claim consists only of general dictionary definitions for 'official' and does not contain any information regarding whether official war artists were commissioned to document the Gallipoli conflict.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Official
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of OFFICIAL is one who holds or is invested with an office : officer. How to use official in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/official
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — OFFICIAL definition: 1. relating to a position of responsibility: 2. agreed to or arranged by people in positions of…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/official
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.