Covid loophole to bring ballet superstar Francesca Hayward to Australia

World ballet superstar Francesca Hayward - the principal dancer at the Royal London Ballet - is headed to Australia for an exclusive series of shows as part of the Covid travel loophole for athletes and celebrities.

In what will be the first major international ballet performance since the Bolshoi company toured Australian shores in 2019, Hayward will star in eight performances in Queensland later this month - with six to take place in Brisbane and a further two on the Sunshine Coast.

A household name in the United Kingdom, Hayward - who appeared in the film version of Cats and is the face of designer Ralph Lauren - will first spend two weeks in regional NSW where she will quarantine before heading north.

Visiting ballet dancers are able to fall under a special international travel exemption granted to celebrities and athletes travelling here for major sporting or artistic events. 

Hayward has obtained a Temporary Activity (subclass 408) visa - the same one Novak Djokovic had cancelled last week when he arrived in Melbourne to contest his 10th Australian Open. 

But while Australian Border Force officials did not accept the unvaccinated tennis champion's medical exemption, citing previous Covid-19 infection, Hayward, who has received two doses of a vaccine - will have no issues.   

However, organisers say they opted to bypass New South Wales due to Covid-related restrictions and interstate border issues.

The British star's  pending arrival has even excited new state governor and ballet enthusiast Jeanette Young who personally attended the launch of the production late last year.

For Hayward, who will also perform with her professional and personal partner Cesar Corrales in Australia, it's the first major trip abroad since the onset of the pandemic which shut down most arts productions worldwide.

'As you can imagine it’s impossible for ballet dancers to work from home so it’s been wonderful to be back together again in the theatre training, rehearsing and performing post lockdown,' Hayward told Daily Mail Australia in her first Australian interview.