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Speaker 1: The things that I teach. It's like these will serve

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Speaker 1: you in a value career, but they will serve you

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Speaker 1: in any career and probably just being a person. You know,

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Speaker 1: like your resilience, determination, create how you value yourself, respect

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Speaker 1: your body. I need to take that power back and

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Speaker 1: sort of not I guess, let everyone else always define it.

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Speaker 2: Welcome to the Sees the YA Podcast. Busy and happy

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Speaker 2: are not the same thing. We too rarely question what

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Speaker 2: makes the heart seeing. We work, then we rest, but

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Speaker 2: rarely we play and often don't realize there's more than

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Speaker 2: one way. So this is a platform to hear and

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Speaker 2: explore the stories of those who found lives They adore, the.

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Speaker 3: Good, bad and ugly.

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Speaker 2: The best and worst day will bear all the facets

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Speaker 2: of seizing your yay. I'm Sarah Davidson or a spoonful

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Speaker 2: of Sarah, a lawyer turned fu entrepreneur who swapped the

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Speaker 2: suits and heels to co found matcha Maiden and Matcham

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Speaker 2: Milk bar Sez. The YA is a series of conversations

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Speaker 2: on finding a life you love and explore the self doubt, challenge,

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Speaker 2: joy and fulfillment along the way. If you've been listening

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Speaker 2: along for a while you'll know that the very first

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Speaker 2: step in my own path yay was as a hopeful

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Speaker 2: ballerina from the tender age of three years old right

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Speaker 2: through to full time, and that I spent several years

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Speaker 2: in the junior school at the Australian Ballet. Of course,

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Speaker 2: we all know how that story turned out, but I

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Speaker 2: always love stepping back into that world that enchanted me

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Speaker 2: for so long whenever I get the chance, So sitting

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Speaker 2: down with today's guest was an absolute treat. I'm thrilled

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Speaker 2: to share with you all the delightful Benedict Bemet, affectionately

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Speaker 2: known as Benny, who also started ballet at three years old,

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Speaker 2: but then went on to become not just a professional ballerina,

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Speaker 2: but a celebrated principal artist with the Australian Ballet. You

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Speaker 2: may not know what that rank means if you live

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Speaker 2: outside the world of ballet, but you'll surely recognize the

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Speaker 2: term prima Ballerina, meaning the highest rank in a company,

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Speaker 2: and Benedict is one of only eleven and one of

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Speaker 2: the most captivating performers on our stages today, recognized from

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Speaker 2: very early on in her career for bringing both technical

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Speaker 2: brilliance and emotional depth to roles. You'll hear immediately how

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Speaker 2: deeply passionate Bennie is about what she does, and I

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Speaker 2: personally don't think anything is quite as motivating as listening

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Speaker 2: to people talk about what they love. She graduated only

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Speaker 2: a few years after those who were in my cohort

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Speaker 2: who lasted the full distance, so I have followed her

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Speaker 2: career since her very first year in the company, and

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Speaker 2: it was a pinch me moment for little Sarah to

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Speaker 2: actually get to sit down with her and hear all

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Speaker 2: about it, from busting myths about black Swan, to how

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Speaker 2: she wraps her feet for performances, moving back from Hong

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Speaker 2: Kong without her family to follow her dreams as a teenager,

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Speaker 2: and the psychology of resilience, discipline, and optimism through injury.

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Speaker 2: Benny is so well adjusted, warm, and it is just

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Speaker 2: impossible not to love her, whether you've danced or not.

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Speaker 2: There is so much in this about identity, reinvention and

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Speaker 2: what it really takes to pursue something at the highest level.

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Speaker 2: I hope you enjoy.

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Speaker 3: As much as I did. Benny.

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Speaker 1: Hi, welcome to seez AG for having me well.

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Speaker 2: I feel like it's Benedict Eggs Benny choose your poison. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: thank you so much for joining us. I know you've

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Speaker 2: got to be back in the studio later today. So

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Speaker 2: this is such a privilege.

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Speaker 1: So happy to be here and you chat with you

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Speaker 1: and you.

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Speaker 2: Were already even more beautiful than all the times I've

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Speaker 2: seen you on stage. I've seen you from Afar and

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Speaker 2: like a long time follow, a first time caller.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I love that.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: So for all our listeners, you all know, I don't

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Speaker 2: know if you know this, but I actually began in ballet.

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Speaker 2: I was at the Australian Ballet School at the same

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Speaker 2: time as I was trying to look up who would

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Speaker 2: have been in your cohorte.

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Speaker 3: No one in your year.

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Speaker 1: But brook Lockett. So I think it was like a

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Speaker 1: couple of years before you.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, like three years or four years.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, my god, that's so cool.

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Speaker 3: I know. So like young me is just like you're

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Speaker 3: my hero.

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Speaker 2: So this is very special and I can't wait to

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Speaker 2: give a little insight to all our listeners into the

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Speaker 2: world of ballet and it's crazy ins and outs. But

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Speaker 2: the thing I love to do first is to go

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Speaker 2: back to very young you and how you formed those

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Speaker 2: hopes and dreams what your childhood was like, because I

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Speaker 2: think it's really easy to look at you now and

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Speaker 2: be like, oh, obviously she was always going to end

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Speaker 2: up here as a prima ballerina. But we all start somewhere.

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Speaker 2: So take us back to childhood Mackay.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, what was it like? Born in Mackay? Was probably

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Speaker 1: only there for about three to six months. Oh really, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: but I grew up on the Gold Coast. But I

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Speaker 1: feel like my Mum's always like, why don't you say

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Speaker 1: you were born on the Gold Coast. I'm like, but

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Speaker 1: it's ling because you're not. And yeah, I started ballet

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Speaker 1: when I was three. My mom did it growing up.

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Speaker 1: She loved it, she loved dancing. She's an artist herself,

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Speaker 1: and I think she was just like, why not give

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Speaker 1: it a go?

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Speaker 3: Yeah?

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Speaker 1: And I was obsessed. I was like that kid, like

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Speaker 1: at the traffic lights in the supermarket, just like bopping

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Speaker 1: around like doing our bests or like constantly dancing. Yeah.

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Speaker 2: And it's so funny because I think almost every girl

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Speaker 2: that you will ever meet did ballet when they were young. Girls,

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Speaker 2: like so many of us start there and it gives

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Speaker 2: you such a great foundation for learning routines and music,

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Speaker 2: but most people don't sort of think straight away it's

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Speaker 2: going to be a career, or they do it into

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Speaker 2: primary school but then don't take it into high school.

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Speaker 2: But yeah, I think the ones who do end up

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Speaker 2: going forward, Like as you said, for you're a very

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Speaker 2: serious young girl like I was.

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Speaker 3: From three, I was like, this is.

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Speaker 2: Going to be totally what I become, and I am

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Speaker 2: going to throw every single part of my body into

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Speaker 2: it fully.

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Speaker 1: And because it's like I think sometimes like when you're younger,

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Speaker 1: it can be quite boring because you're at a ballet

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Speaker 1: bar doing very simple exercises. It again again, I mean

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Speaker 1: I'm still doing them today, the same exercises. So it's

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Speaker 1: like I think you maybe have to have like a

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Speaker 1: personality type that almost enjoys that structure and that routine.

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Speaker 1: And then I think as you get older as well,

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Speaker 1: the sacrifice starts to come in of oh, you can't

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Speaker 1: maybe go to your friend's birthday party, or you might

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Speaker 1: have to move out of home or like X, Y

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Speaker 1: and Z. That I think that also makes that decision

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Speaker 1: for people. You're either like no, no, I love this,

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Speaker 1: like I'll do all those things, or you're like, eh, yeah,

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Speaker 1: I want to go to my friend's birthday and it's like, oh,

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Speaker 1: that's a decision made like.

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Speaker 3: Leads us out.

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Speaker 2: Really, it does totally and it gives you discipline. Very early, yes,

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Speaker 2: I think I was trading it as a career from prep.

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Speaker 1: Fully yeah me too.

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Speaker 3: I was like, yep, how high?

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Speaker 1: What do you need? Like how do I be better?

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Speaker 1: Like tell me anything, like just you know, desperate to

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Speaker 1: like do it. Yeah.

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Speaker 3: So from that.

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Speaker 2: Those very early days, were you that kid in school

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Speaker 2: who wanted to be at ballet all the time and

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Speaker 2: thought you'd be a ballerina when you grew up or

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Speaker 2: did you.

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Speaker 3: Ever have any like were you sporty?

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Speaker 2: Were there any other parts of your personality that were

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Speaker 2: coming out or was it just always ballet?

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Speaker 1: It was always ballet. I mean I liked sport, Like

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Speaker 1: I remember playing soccer in primary school and I loved it.

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Speaker 1: But I was definitely always the kid that like when

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Speaker 1: school finished, I'd be like I'm going to ballet, got

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Speaker 1: ballet lessons and like on Saturday we go to ballet

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Speaker 1: all day.

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Speaker 3: Like yeah great, we had to go to school.

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Speaker 1: And then I think when I was about eight, my

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Speaker 1: mum was like okay, well, like if you are interested

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Speaker 1: the Australian Ballet School has their ITP program, so she

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Speaker 1: was like, we can all audition for that. And I

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Speaker 1: think that was like the first time that I was like, oh,

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Speaker 1: like there's like an audition or like it sort of

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Speaker 1: became not like more competitive, but more serious, I guess yeah.

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Speaker 1: And like I remember like going up to Brisbane, like

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Speaker 1: having had to take my pictures and having my number

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Speaker 1: on and like in the room and like you had

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Speaker 1: like your flick like little hair and it was just

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Speaker 1: so like and miss Irena, who then she's still teaching now,

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Speaker 1: like when you pass each other on the coroach, she

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Speaker 1: remembers me at like eight and just like being like

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Speaker 1: how high do you want me to jump?

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Speaker 3: Like I want to be it.

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Speaker 1: Yes, it's crazy.

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Speaker 2: I think it is such a unique serious pathway because

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Speaker 2: you are auditioning from really young. A lot of us

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Speaker 2: do competitions, you do exams, like yeah, at such a

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Speaker 2: young age, and it's very self driven a lot of

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Speaker 2: the time, Like you're the one who often it's an

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Speaker 2: eight year old who's like, yes, I want to go

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Speaker 2: to that audition, Yes I want to do that competition.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like a lot of drive from like such

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Speaker 1: a tiny person like so, but yeah, it's a beautiful

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Speaker 1: thing though. Also like to have a creative outlet like that,

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Speaker 1: I think growing up, Like I feel like, even if

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Speaker 1: you don't want to become a valid answer, just having

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Speaker 1: like an expressive outlet, yeah, for like your feelings and

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Speaker 1: your emotions, Like, I just think it's so important.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, and it gives you so much.

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Speaker 2: I feel like, even though I didn't go ahead with it,

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Speaker 2: it gave me so many of the traits that I

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Speaker 2: still have that are so helpful.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, like it was.

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Speaker 2: The best beginning to life, even though it's so weird

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Speaker 2: to say that you had a career when you were

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Speaker 2: like eleven.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, I think that's kind of the special thing about.

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Speaker 1: It, totally. So many a few of my mates now

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Speaker 1: have retired and moved on to other jobs, and they're

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Speaker 1: like the transferable skills, They're like, my god, yeah you

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Speaker 1: are set up for lish Yeah. But I think, yeah, definitely,

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Speaker 1: like that work ethic, that drive, it seems to be

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Speaker 1: like something that Yeah, when you are in the ballet,

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Speaker 1: it's like really yeah, it's a big force within you

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Speaker 1: that I think is then And I mean also like

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Speaker 1: when I teach now, the things that I teach. It's

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Speaker 1: like these will serve you in a ballet career, but

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Speaker 1: they will serve you in any career and probably just

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Speaker 1: being a person. You know, your resilience, determination, gret, how

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Speaker 1: you value yourself, respect, your body, like there are all

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Speaker 1: things that like really, no matter what you do, you

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Speaker 1: want to sort of be like crafting for yourself and

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Speaker 1: then they just happen to help if you're a mallery enough.

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Speaker 2: Hay intolerance also extremely high, extremely extruly. Yeah, So from

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Speaker 2: eight year old Benny and sort of doing that first program,

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Speaker 2: what was the progression from there to getting into the

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Speaker 2: Australian Ballet School at fourteen and then getting into the

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Speaker 2: actual company. I think it's telling the story backwards looks

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Speaker 2: kind of very straightforward, but I know it's not like that.

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Speaker 3: And you moved to Hong Kong in the middle of that.

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Speaker 1: Yes, Yes, so I was when I was about eight

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Speaker 1: got into the ITP program. So you would go to

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Speaker 1: Melbourne once a year, kind of have like a check

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Speaker 1: in weekly audition, I guess, just so they can kind

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Speaker 1: of keep tabs on the talent around Australia. But at

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Speaker 1: that time my family relocated to Hong Kong, for my

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Speaker 1: mum's work, which was crazy. I thought Brisbane was like huge,

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Speaker 1: buzzing city and I like my smoke and I land

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Speaker 1: in Hong Kong and I was like, I didn't know

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Speaker 1: you could have buildings this close together.

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Speaker 3: At at all.

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Speaker 1: I was like, this is crazy. But I found a

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Speaker 1: ballet school there. But it was the training, it just

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Speaker 1: wasn't quite as rigorous. I guess you would say, like

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Speaker 1: most of my friends in my class were not going

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Speaker 1: to be allowed to become ballet dancers. It was more

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Speaker 1: of a maybe an etiquette, a hobby, a form of expression.

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Speaker 3: Fun leisure.

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Speaker 1: Actively yeah, but everyone was sort of going to go

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Speaker 1: on to have like very like academic careers, and to

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Speaker 1: be honest, I just think my like training just sort

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Speaker 1: of fell back. My technique wasn't as strong. So I

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Speaker 1: actually ended up moving back to the Gold Coaster with

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Speaker 1: my grandparents for six months and I did full time training.

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Speaker 1: I was thirteen, and I was so homesick, Like I

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Speaker 1: won't lie, that was really hard. Yeah, And I did

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Speaker 1: homeschool for like six months, went back to my local

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Speaker 1: dance school, the Ramsleys, and just yeah, I just did

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Speaker 1: full time, was just doing ballet classes like all day,

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Speaker 1: like little variations like yeah, just I guess trying to

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Speaker 1: dance as much as I could because I did really

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Speaker 1: miss my parents and my brother. But then luckily I

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Speaker 1: auditioned and I got in to level five, so I

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Speaker 1: moved back to Hong Kong for the rest of that

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Speaker 1: year to be with my family, and then I relocated

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Speaker 1: to Melbourne on my own the following year. Oh my gosh,

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Speaker 1: this time there was no boarding school, so I was Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I was in an apartment with two other girls.

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Speaker 3: Oh my god, I was.

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Speaker 1: Fifteen sixteen crazy. It was crazy. Yeah, I mean we

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Speaker 1: were all very mature for our age and not like

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Speaker 1: partying inclined. I guess you'd say, like we were there

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Speaker 1: to like dance, and I was in like cause you

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Speaker 1: don't get to choose the level you go into, right

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Speaker 1: like when you go to school or UNI or whatever,

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Speaker 1: like you meet these people. And I was so lucky.

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Speaker 1: The group of girls at the time and women now

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Speaker 1: that I was with are like my lifelong best friends

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Speaker 1: now beautiful. It was it was beautiful. We were like

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Speaker 1: it was competitive, like we were really talented group, but

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Speaker 1: like our idea of a good time was like sleepovers,

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Speaker 1: like looking after each other scrap booking, yeah, helpcake making.

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Speaker 1: It was really wholesome, yeah, which I think was like stretching.

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Speaker 3: Yeah.

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Speaker 2: Pilati, yeah, like really lucky, like marches under pianos.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, we were like super super driven, which I'm always

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Speaker 1: like really grateful for because yeah, you don't get to

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Speaker 1: pick those sorts of things. You sort of all find

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Speaker 1: yourselves in a level and who knows who you're bond

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Speaker 1: with or not. Yeah. Yeah, And then I spent my

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Speaker 1: four years training and really luckily at the end, I

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Speaker 1: was off at a job the Israelian Ballet.

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Speaker 3: Oh my gosh.

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Speaker 2: And it's just so like it gives me goosebumps just

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Speaker 2: remembering what those hallways feel like. I think I went

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Speaker 2: back recently for something and we got to go to

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Speaker 2: the ballet school and that wholeway with you can look

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Speaker 2: into all the shudos is the same. So much of

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Speaker 2: it has changed. But I just got goosebumps thinking about

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Speaker 2: so many hopes and dreams have walked through there.

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Speaker 3: Oh fully, yeah I met you actually made it.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, I know, I know, it's crazy, like I remember,

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Speaker 1: yeah exactly what you said, like you would be doing

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Speaker 1: your like ballet class, veriations class contempic class and then

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Speaker 1: like in your break you'd run down and hopefully catch

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Speaker 1: like a full call of something, and all the company

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Speaker 1: dancers are in there like random outfits, like looking so

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Speaker 1: big on their legs and all of it, and just

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Speaker 1: like scarves flying everywhere and like doing these like grom

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Speaker 1: parted doors or big ballets, and you were just like

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Speaker 1: like I give anything to like be in that room,

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Speaker 1: and like now I find myself like not only in

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Speaker 1: the room, but like being able to do like Juliet

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Speaker 1: or Aurora. Like it's wild. Like, well, we'll get to

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Speaker 1: Aurora because you actually.

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Speaker 3: Did it a lot earlier.

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Speaker 2: You've been a high chair, but you did a lot

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Speaker 2: earlier than your position normally, which is incredible.

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Speaker 1: We'll get there.

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Speaker 2: But I think the part that the outside world probably

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Speaker 2: doesn't understand as much is just the day in the

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Speaker 2: life of the fact that at fifteen you are living

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Speaker 2: out of home. I mean, it's crazy to look back

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Speaker 2: and think most people haven't even started thinking about their career.

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Speaker 2: They're just pursuing life minute to minute, maybe in the

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Speaker 2: back of their head of thinking I want to be

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Speaker 2: this or I'm interested in this. But they're kind of

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Speaker 2: like you said, out partying, they're going to school, they're

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Speaker 2: figuring out who they are, whereas ballet dancers are usually

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Speaker 2: so sure they've already sacrificed so much they're already ready

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Speaker 2: to do that for longer, to move away from your

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Speaker 2: family into your homesickness homeschool. But there's no question about it,

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Speaker 2: which is really interesting. But in terms of the day

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Speaker 2: to day of that, what did the day look like?

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Speaker 2: So I think people don't know that you actually do

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Speaker 2: dance all day, like it's not just after hours and

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Speaker 2: you have the rest of the day to do stuff.

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Speaker 2: You're doing three hours of school, I think.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, So it kind of progresses. So level five is

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Speaker 1: the first year of full time and you've got year

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Speaker 1: ten generally with that, and then six eleven, seven twelve,

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Speaker 1: and then level eight is the final year where you

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Speaker 1: are just like eight am till six like dancing. So

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Speaker 1: each year it incrementally the schooling becomes less and I

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Speaker 1: think when you finish you have an advance to plumber

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Speaker 1: in dance, but the school pretty transparent. When you start

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Speaker 1: full time that it's like, we're not going to come

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Speaker 1: out with she didn't even sure what the score is

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Speaker 1: in Victoria.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, just like it's AATA now I think, yeah.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, it's like it's dance specific. Yeah, but you're like

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Speaker 1: more than welcome to take other subjects by distance ed.

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Speaker 1: But yeah, we would basically probably start our day at

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Speaker 1: like eight am warm up a ballet class, maybe a

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Speaker 1: variations class or a point class, maybe PARTIDR. You'd like

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Speaker 1: run over to be cass like do English, like run

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Speaker 1: set do a drama class, and then you like run

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Speaker 1: back over and then you might have like a contemporary class.

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Speaker 1: In the afternoon, you might have pilates, you might be

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Speaker 1: rehearsing for like one of the upcoming performances, and then

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Speaker 1: you'd like run home. It didn't really go to bed,

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Speaker 1: but I just I remember, like again, like I was

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Speaker 1: quite homesick in those mainly that first year. I do

355
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Speaker 1: remember like my mom and dad like coming to visit,

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Speaker 1: and again I was like, can we like this? And

357
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Speaker 1: then we tried this lived and then then we did

358
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Speaker 1: our flight days and like I was just like I

359
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Speaker 1: was loving it. Yeah, and then I guess every now

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Speaker 1: and then when I stopped, it'd be like, well, I

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Speaker 1: miss mom and dad going, but we got to do

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Speaker 1: this variation today, like miserenus. It is like we rehearsed

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Speaker 1: a lot for our shows. That's probably something that's interesting

364
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Speaker 1: in the company. Now you definitely don't have anywhere near

365
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Speaker 1: as much rehearsal time. It was kind of like the

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Speaker 1: ultimate smalleest board of like the best bits of ballet. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: I think, which was so inspiring, which is I think

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Speaker 1: what you needed, because that final year can be like

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Speaker 1: quite grueling, you know, like we're all kind of being monitored,

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Speaker 1: not monitored, but like I guess like viewed as like

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Speaker 1: potential auditionees for the company. And then like you know,

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Speaker 1: there is that stress in the back of your mind

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Speaker 1: that if you don't get a job, what are you

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Speaker 1: going to do? You have to go on an audition

375
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Speaker 1: tour overseas and sort of like start sorting that out

376
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Speaker 1: for yourself. Yeah, so there is kind of always that

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Speaker 1: pressure or like idea in the back of your head.

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Speaker 1: So I think it was great that at least in

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Speaker 1: our year, like the rehearsals and the repertoire that we

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Speaker 1: got to practice. It was like some inspiring and like,

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Speaker 1: you know what you want to do when you're growing up.

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Speaker 2: And so it's not your job even though you're full

383
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Speaker 2: time at that point, it's not your job. So how

384
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Speaker 2: are you funding yourself before you go actually professional?

385
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Speaker 1: Yeah, so that it's still considered like the school. So

386
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Speaker 1: you're still paying tuition, are you really? Yeah? In that

387
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Speaker 1: final year, like you still pay tuition. I mean, I'm

388
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Speaker 1: so lucky that I went straight into like full time employment.

389
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Speaker 1: But otherwise I guess it's your parents helping you out

390
00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:17,399
Speaker 1: because often we don't really have the time or energy

391
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Speaker 1: to be having a part time job.

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Speaker 3: I was going to say, yeah, you're not working partially.

393
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Speaker 1: So we went on the national tour and when I

394
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Speaker 1: was in level seven and eight, so you got given

395
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Speaker 1: a company salary to go on that because it's like

396
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Speaker 1: a branch of the company. Yep. They take their dancers

397
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Speaker 1: and some students and I used to like sow ribbons

398
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Speaker 1: on the point shows that the company dancers would sign

399
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Speaker 1: and sell and I would get paid like seven dollars

400
00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:45,479
Speaker 1: fifty per sue. Yeah that's a lot of money, but

401
00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:47,680
Speaker 1: that wasn't exactly on a fun like an audition tour

402
00:17:47,680 --> 00:17:51,560
Speaker 1: to Europe. But yeah, it's an expensive not hobby, but

403
00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:52,960
Speaker 1: it's like in the pursuit.

404
00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:56,240
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it is all consuming, So I think it's

405
00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:58,879
Speaker 2: unique in that there isn't a plan B for most people,

406
00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,399
Speaker 2: you're not sort of hedging your beds. There's just no

407
00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:04,439
Speaker 2: time to do that. It's all really, but when you

408
00:18:04,480 --> 00:18:07,639
Speaker 2: do get to the end of level eight, how many

409
00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:10,400
Speaker 2: of the cohorts so it looks like there's like eighteen

410
00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:12,280
Speaker 2: to twenty kind of each year, who graduate.

411
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Speaker 3: How many positions are there in the company.

412
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Speaker 1: It totally varies, And this is like what is so

413
00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:20,760
Speaker 1: hard as well, is like so much of this job

414
00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:25,520
Speaker 1: life is timing sometimes. So for us, we had three

415
00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:28,600
Speaker 1: women join and two men. There have been years where

416
00:18:28,600 --> 00:18:32,359
Speaker 1: it's only five. Yeah, but that was that was pretty good. Really, yeah,

417
00:18:32,359 --> 00:18:34,880
Speaker 1: that was like, oh it's good innings, Like no way, Yeah,

418
00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:37,600
Speaker 1: there was maybe the following year it was like one boy,

419
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Speaker 1: one girl. Yeah, and then but then there was one

420
00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:42,639
Speaker 1: year it was like nine because and it's just like

421
00:18:42,760 --> 00:18:44,159
Speaker 1: timing and that coon.

422
00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:45,359
Speaker 3: He's retiring and who's being promoted?

423
00:18:45,400 --> 00:18:48,200
Speaker 1: Yeah, okay fully and like because we have phases in

424
00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:49,720
Speaker 1: the company where like there'll be a year and it's

425
00:18:49,760 --> 00:18:51,960
Speaker 1: like oh, one person left and it's like okay, well

426
00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:54,840
Speaker 1: that probably is just one contract then and then maybe

427
00:18:54,840 --> 00:18:57,159
Speaker 1: like post COVID, like things change, there's like one year

428
00:18:57,160 --> 00:18:59,520
Speaker 1: where we had ten people leave and it was like,

429
00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:02,679
Speaker 1: oh great, well okay, now we need ten dancers. And

430
00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:06,280
Speaker 1: then like there's also injury, so like last year, quite

431
00:19:06,280 --> 00:19:08,680
Speaker 1: a few people were injured, so then we needed students

432
00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:11,520
Speaker 1: to come out just like during the year to work

433
00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:13,320
Speaker 1: with us, and like we had to take on like

434
00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:15,919
Speaker 1: people for like six months contracts. So it's all just

435
00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:19,480
Speaker 1: like influx all the time, which again makes it hard

436
00:19:19,640 --> 00:19:21,960
Speaker 1: going through the school. She sort of like, can't even

437
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,159
Speaker 1: like set up your expectations because it's.

438
00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:28,199
Speaker 2: Different depends right at that year for happening. Fully, so

439
00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:30,600
Speaker 2: a lot of people's understanding of ballet is like center

440
00:19:30,680 --> 00:19:33,240
Speaker 2: stage and one in the spectrum or black.

441
00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:34,080
Speaker 3: Swan at the other end.

442
00:19:34,440 --> 00:19:37,240
Speaker 2: And some of them are real, like some of the feet,

443
00:19:37,560 --> 00:19:39,920
Speaker 2: the skin, the carelesses like that's.

444
00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:42,000
Speaker 1: Real, yeah for sure, the toenails.

445
00:19:41,480 --> 00:19:43,280
Speaker 2: Yeah, the tone oul so talk to us about like

446
00:19:43,560 --> 00:19:46,639
Speaker 2: the broken feet, how many shoes you go through the

447
00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,320
Speaker 2: pointschoo room like stuff like that, Yeah, wearing ties on

448
00:19:49,320 --> 00:19:52,280
Speaker 2: the outside, like the fashion of ballet, the sort of

449
00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:55,560
Speaker 2: parachute pants, and like the weirder the combination of the

450
00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:59,359
Speaker 2: warm up clothes, doing your own makeup.

451
00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:03,120
Speaker 3: For shows, like all that logistics of I love that,

452
00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:05,119
Speaker 3: but it's not familiar to most people.

453
00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:05,720
Speaker 1: Yeah.

454
00:20:05,760 --> 00:20:08,000
Speaker 2: And another thing that's come to mind. Sorry, I know

455
00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,239
Speaker 2: this is like a ten part question. A big thing

456
00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:12,760
Speaker 2: they make about in the movies is when casting calls

457
00:20:12,800 --> 00:20:14,800
Speaker 2: do come out, there's always like a noticeboard and they

458
00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:16,879
Speaker 2: pin up the names and everyone's running and then like

459
00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:17,520
Speaker 2: people are.

460
00:20:17,400 --> 00:20:20,119
Speaker 3: Like crying and on the floor, and like, is that

461
00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:21,720
Speaker 3: how roles are announced?

462
00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:23,480
Speaker 1: I mean it's now an email.

463
00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:25,320
Speaker 3: Oh wait, so it does come out like a list.

464
00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:26,760
Speaker 1: It comes out as a list.

465
00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:29,040
Speaker 3: Yeah, waiting, you have no idea it's coming.

466
00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:32,000
Speaker 1: Yeah, you don't. You don't know someone. Sometimes you might

467
00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:34,840
Speaker 1: be spoken to, like depending as a principle, Sometimes we're

468
00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:37,320
Speaker 1: like afforded a conversation about like what our role will be,

469
00:20:37,359 --> 00:20:39,439
Speaker 1: who will be dancing with? That kind of depends as well.

470
00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:41,000
Speaker 1: Sometimes it's a cattle call and.

471
00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:42,840
Speaker 3: Wait, do you actually have to like try out?

472
00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:46,320
Speaker 1: Sometimes? Yeah, we did Prism last year. We did a

473
00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:48,679
Speaker 1: William Forsyth piece and we all got in the studio.

474
00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:51,440
Speaker 1: No matter what your rank is, you learn the choreography.

475
00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:53,040
Speaker 1: You did it in groups.

476
00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:54,640
Speaker 3: I didn't know you could do that.

477
00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:58,119
Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, So stuff like that. It's like even now,

478
00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:01,480
Speaker 1: like with the one things I've accomplished, like you still

479
00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:03,600
Speaker 1: get put in a room and you can be like, oh,

480
00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:06,439
Speaker 1: maybe I'm not good enough or like whatever, like's if

481
00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:09,080
Speaker 1: you're not picked. You can't help but tell yourself that.

482
00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:11,320
Speaker 1: And so it's like skill of being like, no, this

483
00:21:11,400 --> 00:21:13,919
Speaker 1: isn't my time, or this isn't my thing, or and

484
00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:19,000
Speaker 1: that's okay, yeah because I get something wonderful thing. Yeah yeah,

485
00:21:19,040 --> 00:21:21,679
Speaker 1: So like I guess trying to have that idea as

486
00:21:21,680 --> 00:21:23,040
Speaker 1: well of like sharing it around.

487
00:21:23,160 --> 00:21:25,320
Speaker 2: Yeah, okay, so you get an email and you're like

488
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:26,719
Speaker 2: either I got it or I didn't.

489
00:21:27,359 --> 00:21:29,200
Speaker 3: Yeah, And then how long do you have to learn

490
00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:29,879
Speaker 3: the choreography?

491
00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:33,440
Speaker 1: It depends. So sometimes it's like a lovely like six

492
00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:36,560
Speaker 1: week process. Sometimes you think that's lovely, that's not all

493
00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:39,000
Speaker 1: a time. Yeah, And then sometimes like when we did

494
00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:41,480
Speaker 1: someone like I Reckon, we had three weeks and we

495
00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:44,760
Speaker 1: just come off the back of a London tour and

496
00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:48,240
Speaker 1: I was so tired, my body was very sore. But

497
00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:51,040
Speaker 1: you know, you dig deep and you just like work out.

498
00:21:51,080 --> 00:21:52,679
Speaker 1: I think that's something that like ballet has taught me,

499
00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:54,480
Speaker 1: is how to go into my days being like what

500
00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,200
Speaker 1: do I need to prioritize, yes, not taking on stress

501
00:21:57,359 --> 00:21:59,679
Speaker 1: around the room or whatever, because I think in our

502
00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:02,119
Speaker 1: company we're quite used to being like, yeah, we've got

503
00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:03,800
Speaker 1: three weeks, all right, like what do we need to do.

504
00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:05,359
Speaker 1: And I think sometimes people come in and they're like

505
00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:08,720
Speaker 1: fair x dare x for a like ballet, Like we

506
00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:10,840
Speaker 1: don't stress about it. Yeah, just we just do it,

507
00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:12,520
Speaker 1: like we just get it done. Like this happens all

508
00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:12,920
Speaker 1: the time.

509
00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:15,200
Speaker 3: This is our process process.

510
00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:18,280
Speaker 1: No, but probably like yeah, ideally it is six weeks

511
00:22:18,359 --> 00:22:20,520
Speaker 1: and then sometimes you'll like revive a ballet and everyone

512
00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:22,480
Speaker 1: can get it on in a week. You know, it's

513
00:22:22,480 --> 00:22:23,600
Speaker 1: like something you've done, like.

514
00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:25,920
Speaker 3: Even do it before the muscle memory.

515
00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:29,040
Speaker 1: Exactly, even R ANDJ like we did that four years ago.

516
00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:30,920
Speaker 1: But it's crazy, Like the music comes on and I'll

517
00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:32,200
Speaker 1: kind of have an idea and I'm like, oh, wow,

518
00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:34,040
Speaker 1: my body really does remember this.

519
00:22:34,400 --> 00:22:37,159
Speaker 2: Yeah, I hear the Giselle music and I'm like, yeah,

520
00:22:37,200 --> 00:22:39,360
Speaker 2: not the full ballet, but the solo because we did

521
00:22:39,359 --> 00:22:40,000
Speaker 2: in variations.

522
00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:42,880
Speaker 3: I Well could do this in my sleep, you could,

523
00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:45,640
Speaker 3: like twenty years later, it's still there.

524
00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:46,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's crazy.

525
00:22:46,800 --> 00:22:50,920
Speaker 2: Yeah about your point shoes, So how many would you

526
00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:53,320
Speaker 2: go through? In a performance, like do you swap it

527
00:22:53,440 --> 00:22:55,960
Speaker 2: within a performance? Then during the week how many would

528
00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:58,560
Speaker 2: you wear? And then are you fitting them? Like who's

529
00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:00,720
Speaker 2: giving it? Like tell usbut point room.

530
00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:04,720
Speaker 1: Yeah, so we've got this like gorgeous like glass cylinder

531
00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:07,000
Speaker 1: I want to say box, but it's like a cylinder

532
00:23:07,119 --> 00:23:09,520
Speaker 1: room and you like walking through a door and it's

533
00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:12,159
Speaker 1: like all everyone's point shoes like line the walls and

534
00:23:12,240 --> 00:23:13,960
Speaker 1: so all you see from the outside is just like

535
00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,000
Speaker 1: points is beautiful. But yeah, I probably at the moment

536
00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:20,000
Speaker 1: it's crazy. I'm going through honestly, like a pair a day.

537
00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:20,960
Speaker 2: Wow.

538
00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:23,600
Speaker 1: Yeah. So we were doing signature works and I was

539
00:23:23,640 --> 00:23:27,119
Speaker 1: doing Val Imperial and Grandpa and just doing heaps heaps

540
00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:28,960
Speaker 1: of dancing and like the sweat and when it's a

541
00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:31,760
Speaker 1: bit humid, they just would die really quickly.

542
00:23:31,680 --> 00:23:33,000
Speaker 3: A day day.

543
00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:35,520
Speaker 1: Yeah, And now I'm trying to push it to two

544
00:23:35,600 --> 00:23:38,760
Speaker 1: days because Juliet's actually not like physically as intense. Yeah,

545
00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:41,200
Speaker 1: but she does a lot of like braying on point

546
00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:43,080
Speaker 1: and then that also kills the shoes, and I'm like,

547
00:23:43,080 --> 00:23:47,560
Speaker 1: while she's not doing heaps of dancing, the shoes still die. Yeah.

548
00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:52,240
Speaker 1: But yeah, I tried to like go through three pairs

549
00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:55,200
Speaker 1: a week, but in a show, I don't love changing

550
00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:57,800
Speaker 1: shoes mid show because they always just feel different. Yeah,

551
00:23:57,800 --> 00:23:59,919
Speaker 1: even if they're both two really good pairs, they'll just

552
00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:02,680
Speaker 1: feel bunny. Yes, And when you go on stage it

553
00:24:02,720 --> 00:24:04,560
Speaker 1: takes the smallest thing to feel fun and you're like

554
00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:09,199
Speaker 1: something's wrong, it's all wrong, control your face. But it

555
00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:11,680
Speaker 1: kind of just depends. Like some ballets, I will start

556
00:24:11,680 --> 00:24:13,800
Speaker 1: with like a really almost brand new pep and then

557
00:24:13,840 --> 00:24:15,960
Speaker 1: I remember, surprisingly for this one le like I would

558
00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,479
Speaker 1: wear really really soft shoes and I preferred it. So

559
00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:23,320
Speaker 1: it's just it's so dependent on the steps, ye, what

560
00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:26,000
Speaker 1: you need. But I've been really lucky, like with my

561
00:24:26,080 --> 00:24:29,280
Speaker 1: feet because like besides like the occasional toenail that falls off,

562
00:24:29,960 --> 00:24:32,639
Speaker 1: like I'm doing good, like some people are the corns

563
00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:37,119
Speaker 1: in between, like the blisters, like it can be rough.

564
00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:38,800
Speaker 3: And then how do you wrap your toes?

565
00:24:38,960 --> 00:24:40,720
Speaker 1: I do like a little bit of second skin on

566
00:24:40,760 --> 00:24:42,920
Speaker 1: each pinky toe. Yeah, and honestly that's it.

567
00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:44,760
Speaker 3: Whoa you raw dog? Yeah?

568
00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:47,520
Speaker 1: I wear toepad. I have like the squishy on top

569
00:24:47,560 --> 00:24:50,480
Speaker 1: and nothing underneath. Yeah, Okay, I know how people just.

570
00:24:50,960 --> 00:24:53,159
Speaker 3: Men and the company really different about their toepra.

571
00:24:53,400 --> 00:24:56,120
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, fully. Yeah, some people like Chucks is really

572
00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:59,920
Speaker 1: popular because to use Chucks. Yeah, and it kind of depends.

573
00:25:00,080 --> 00:25:02,359
Speaker 1: Like for me, I can swell quite a lot, so

574
00:25:02,359 --> 00:25:05,640
Speaker 1: I don't really want much in my shoe. My friend Rob,

575
00:25:05,880 --> 00:25:07,480
Speaker 1: she's got these like teeny tiny feet, and she's like

576
00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:09,199
Speaker 1: my point, she's a baggy and she has to like

577
00:25:09,200 --> 00:25:11,439
Speaker 1: wrap her feet up more. I'm like, how do you

578
00:25:11,480 --> 00:25:12,760
Speaker 1: have that problem? Oh?

579
00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:13,920
Speaker 3: Yeah, like I can't.

580
00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:16,800
Speaker 2: Fit my shoe, and do they just have like an

581
00:25:16,880 --> 00:25:20,600
Speaker 2: unlimited number of your particular size and width and everything

582
00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:23,040
Speaker 2: ready to go in case like they're just making your

583
00:25:23,040 --> 00:25:23,960
Speaker 2: shoe over and over.

584
00:25:23,960 --> 00:25:27,400
Speaker 1: They order, Like, so I wear Freed, So like from

585
00:25:27,480 --> 00:25:30,200
Speaker 1: Freed they order. Actually don't know, but they each month

586
00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:32,040
Speaker 1: they have an order and if it looks like I'm

587
00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:35,640
Speaker 1: going through more, they might adjust it for the next month.

588
00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:40,800
Speaker 1: She evens itself out. Yeah, Like because like the nature

589
00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,080
Speaker 1: of I think also maybe particularly being a principal, as

590
00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:46,280
Speaker 1: you'll have seasons where you are just working and then

591
00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:49,280
Speaker 1: another production might come and you might have missed it,

592
00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:51,320
Speaker 1: or you might not be in a big role like whatever,

593
00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:54,000
Speaker 1: and you're like, oh, I'm actually like barely using my shoes. Yeah,

594
00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:58,000
Speaker 1: So it often like evens out. Yeah, but yeah, we've

595
00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:00,240
Speaker 1: got like another room downstairs that's got like all the

596
00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:02,520
Speaker 1: excess of the shoes. But it is really hard because

597
00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:05,600
Speaker 1: if you do change everything that they've ordered, it's like

598
00:26:05,680 --> 00:26:07,879
Speaker 1: then working out. Can kids in the school use it?

599
00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:09,040
Speaker 1: Like what do you do with it?

600
00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:09,399
Speaker 3: Yeah?

601
00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:13,280
Speaker 1: Like yeah, yeah, it's a tricky little thing.

602
00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:16,600
Speaker 2: Have you ever danced with a broken toe or like,

603
00:26:16,680 --> 00:26:18,720
Speaker 2: do you bleed ever from the blisters?

604
00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:22,280
Speaker 1: Yes? Thanky do they get I'm bled like a couple

605
00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:23,880
Speaker 1: of times, and that's not even the painful one. Often

606
00:26:23,920 --> 00:26:25,560
Speaker 1: you're like, this is so pain You take your shoe

607
00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:27,239
Speaker 1: of and it's like this like tiny little ring thing

608
00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:30,439
Speaker 1: and you're like, are you serious? And then I sometimes

609
00:26:30,440 --> 00:26:32,159
Speaker 1: take my shoe and there's blood and I'm like I

610
00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:34,960
Speaker 1: didn't even feel but look, I'm so hardcore.

611
00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:36,800
Speaker 3: Yeah I am tough.

612
00:26:36,880 --> 00:26:40,280
Speaker 1: Yeah, I'm oh that's crazy.

613
00:26:40,359 --> 00:26:42,480
Speaker 2: And tell me about the tights on the outside. I

614
00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:45,040
Speaker 2: feel like that's become a trend lately, So just for

615
00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:47,760
Speaker 2: everyone listening, when you do warm ups or like your

616
00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:51,840
Speaker 2: classes during the day, dancers don't wear just a normal

617
00:26:52,040 --> 00:26:56,000
Speaker 2: tights and leotard. Like there's warm up gear, leg warmers,

618
00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:58,600
Speaker 2: like layers and like pants and like you don't even

619
00:26:58,640 --> 00:26:59,560
Speaker 2: wear a bun right.

620
00:26:59,440 --> 00:27:00,560
Speaker 3: For a lot of your rehearsals.

621
00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:02,760
Speaker 1: Nah, I mean I liked, probably most of the time,

622
00:27:02,800 --> 00:27:05,760
Speaker 1: if my hair's clean, start with my hair out. What. Yeah,

623
00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:08,760
Speaker 1: it just feels nice. That's a big free yeah. And

624
00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:10,560
Speaker 1: I've got like at the moment, I've got like big

625
00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:14,399
Speaker 1: basketball jersey like jacket that I wear, and like my

626
00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:16,719
Speaker 1: big baggy pants. What is it about?

627
00:27:16,800 --> 00:27:18,239
Speaker 3: Why did why did dancers do that?

628
00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:20,720
Speaker 1: I don't know, I think, to be honest, most of

629
00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:24,119
Speaker 1: the time, I'm always doing rehearsal in leotard and tights,

630
00:27:24,359 --> 00:27:26,480
Speaker 1: and it's like obviously you can see everything. So I

631
00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:28,159
Speaker 1: think I just kind of like starting the day just

632
00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:30,920
Speaker 1: a bit like yeah, bundled up in my like baggies.

633
00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:33,240
Speaker 1: But I'm also like really partial to like a crop

634
00:27:33,280 --> 00:27:37,080
Speaker 1: top and like sports shorts and like you wear for class,

635
00:27:37,160 --> 00:27:39,439
Speaker 1: like make it like sporty, and then like at the moment,

636
00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:42,119
Speaker 1: a lot of cut out tights at our ankles, so

637
00:27:42,160 --> 00:27:43,919
Speaker 1: you almost have like a little ankle sock in your

638
00:27:43,920 --> 00:27:45,960
Speaker 1: point to you with like your little like gym gear.

639
00:27:46,240 --> 00:27:48,680
Speaker 1: It's so cute. Oh, I see why does.

640
00:27:48,640 --> 00:27:53,280
Speaker 3: Like the reverse of Capris's But why the tights on

641
00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:53,800
Speaker 3: the outside.

642
00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:55,399
Speaker 2: I feel like I've seen that so much lately, and

643
00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:58,280
Speaker 2: I'm like, but you can see the little like in

644
00:27:58,320 --> 00:27:59,160
Speaker 2: the crutch.

645
00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:02,600
Speaker 1: Wedgies, like your leotard doesn't move so like when you

646
00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:05,000
Speaker 1: have your liotard on the outside.

647
00:28:04,560 --> 00:28:07,080
Speaker 3: Particularly like yes, a lot of us is on this tights.

648
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,359
Speaker 1: Way, yumikos and stuff, so like the licro, it just shifts,

649
00:28:09,359 --> 00:28:11,399
Speaker 1: and your late liotard is just everywhere, whereas when you

650
00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:12,960
Speaker 1: put your tips on, it just stays.

651
00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:15,040
Speaker 3: Well, no one's ever explained it like that today.

652
00:28:15,640 --> 00:28:18,080
Speaker 1: That makes so much sense, so good.

653
00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,560
Speaker 2: So there are so many highs and I want to

654
00:28:21,640 --> 00:28:24,360
Speaker 2: definitely get into that moment where you step on the stage.

655
00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,040
Speaker 2: But you mentioned the grit through how many lows there

656
00:28:27,040 --> 00:28:30,240
Speaker 2: can be. I think one thing that's particularly brutal about ballet,

657
00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:33,159
Speaker 2: but that you learn to cope with, I think very

658
00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:35,840
Speaker 2: early on is it's very physical. It is very clear

659
00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:39,960
Speaker 2: whether you're good or bad, like we're very early on

660
00:28:40,040 --> 00:28:42,080
Speaker 2: in my life, I was I could like critique my

661
00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:44,120
Speaker 2: own arches on my own turnout like our.

662
00:28:44,040 --> 00:28:45,480
Speaker 1: Own harshest critics.

663
00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:48,240
Speaker 2: But also other people will tell you, yeah, they'll like

664
00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:51,200
Speaker 2: say that is you know your turnout is terrible.

665
00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:52,720
Speaker 3: You need to worry without like you get.

666
00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:56,840
Speaker 2: Real time feedback on your body, on its capabilities, you're

667
00:28:56,960 --> 00:29:01,040
Speaker 2: marked all the time and exams. There's such a small

668
00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:04,560
Speaker 2: pool of main roles in things like you're constantly getting

669
00:29:04,600 --> 00:29:09,640
Speaker 2: rejected I think maybe more than people in normal life do. Yeah,

670
00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:12,320
Speaker 2: but you've obviously lasted to the top of the ranks

671
00:29:12,360 --> 00:29:14,160
Speaker 2: and along the way, I'm sure there's been lots of highs,

672
00:29:14,200 --> 00:29:16,120
Speaker 2: but lots of moments where you haven't got a role

673
00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:19,120
Speaker 2: that you wanted, where you were injured. Where in normal

674
00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:21,520
Speaker 2: life you're injured, it sets you back. Sure, in ballet,

675
00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:25,920
Speaker 2: it removes your entire identity. It's your entire livelihood, what

676
00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:29,480
Speaker 2: mindset or what things have gotten you through in those

677
00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:32,800
Speaker 2: moments where it has been really brutal, or where there

678
00:29:32,800 --> 00:29:36,040
Speaker 2: has been a lot of negative self talk around things

679
00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:37,840
Speaker 2: about you that aren't good enough, for things about you

680
00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:39,520
Speaker 2: that aren't working the way you want them to.

681
00:29:39,840 --> 00:29:42,320
Speaker 1: Yeah, I think when I was twenty three, I had

682
00:29:42,360 --> 00:29:44,600
Speaker 1: an insertional achilles tended up with these so I had

683
00:29:44,640 --> 00:29:48,160
Speaker 1: a year off and honestly, yeah, it took like another

684
00:29:48,240 --> 00:29:50,240
Speaker 1: like even after the year, I would say like another

685
00:29:50,400 --> 00:29:52,360
Speaker 1: six to eight months to even feel like I was

686
00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:55,280
Speaker 1: kind of back where I was before I got injured,

687
00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:59,520
Speaker 1: and that was brutal. It was the first time I'd

688
00:29:59,560 --> 00:30:02,600
Speaker 1: probably ever not being able to dance, Like I literally

689
00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:05,080
Speaker 1: couldn't walk painfree for about six months, and there was

690
00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:07,040
Speaker 1: kind of no surgery. It was like we just have

691
00:30:07,120 --> 00:30:11,680
Speaker 1: to heal the tendon with these like real classes, and

692
00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:14,760
Speaker 1: it was like my body changed. It was the first

693
00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:17,480
Speaker 1: time I, like not being able to exercise. I couldn't

694
00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:19,680
Speaker 1: like go into the studio and be like, well, this

695
00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:21,320
Speaker 1: is like who I am and at least I feel

696
00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:23,920
Speaker 1: good about doing this thing. I had sort of none

697
00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:25,600
Speaker 1: of that, and I think that's probably when I really

698
00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:30,880
Speaker 1: started like delving into like reading about like psychology mindset.

699
00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:34,440
Speaker 1: One of my favorite books is called Grit by Angela Duckworth,

700
00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:39,400
Speaker 1: and it just really helped me understand like that it's

701
00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:41,880
Speaker 1: not a failing, it's like something that you can learn

702
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:44,960
Speaker 1: from and just like really switching that mindset, which is

703
00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:47,360
Speaker 1: what is so hard in ballet because there's all these

704
00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:50,080
Speaker 1: ways in which we can be ranked or critique, Yes,

705
00:30:50,120 --> 00:30:53,440
Speaker 1: the right compare yes, it's consistant yeah, And I think

706
00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:55,520
Speaker 1: it is. We are trying to change that, but it

707
00:30:55,600 --> 00:30:59,080
Speaker 1: is like really ingrained naturally in what we do, and

708
00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:02,240
Speaker 1: so I think being to shift that from like, oh, okay,

709
00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:05,400
Speaker 1: well this thing's happened, doesn't mean I'm a failure, doesn't

710
00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:08,200
Speaker 1: mean I'm terrible. It's happened. Of course, it's happened. I

711
00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:10,120
Speaker 1: was actually doing a lot of work and was probably

712
00:31:10,160 --> 00:31:13,040
Speaker 1: a bit burnt out so naturally that you get injured

713
00:31:13,440 --> 00:31:15,880
Speaker 1: and then being able to like build up from there.

714
00:31:15,920 --> 00:31:18,000
Speaker 1: But it also I think taught me a skill of

715
00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:20,880
Speaker 1: being able to go to work be like, you don't

716
00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:24,040
Speaker 1: feel like doing this, but we do these exercises. We

717
00:31:24,080 --> 00:31:27,840
Speaker 1: do this thing because we love dancing, and hopefully we

718
00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:30,160
Speaker 1: get back. And if you do, like you will never

719
00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:33,160
Speaker 1: you'll never take your body for granted again, you know

720
00:31:33,160 --> 00:31:35,480
Speaker 1: what I mean. That's all I had in my mind,

721
00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:38,520
Speaker 1: and it did. It came back and I got back,

722
00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:41,120
Speaker 1: and I think like a year or so later, I

723
00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:44,360
Speaker 1: was promoted to principal and I ugly cried on stage.

724
00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:47,800
Speaker 1: There are pictures and I'm I like with these like flowers,

725
00:31:47,840 --> 00:31:50,880
Speaker 1: because I just when I was injured, I genuinely was

726
00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:53,120
Speaker 1: like I might retire. I was like, this might be

727
00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:54,560
Speaker 1: the end, This might be the end. It's like it's

728
00:31:54,640 --> 00:31:55,800
Speaker 1: really not healing.

729
00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:59,120
Speaker 3: And twenty three that's why mean that might be the end.

730
00:31:59,160 --> 00:32:03,040
Speaker 1: And I'd had like I'd had the most wonderful like trajectory,

731
00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:05,560
Speaker 1: like it was, it was exhausting and there was I

732
00:32:05,600 --> 00:32:07,440
Speaker 1: was starting to deal with like a bit more pressure

733
00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:11,320
Speaker 1: and expectation, but like it was wonderful, and then like boom,

734
00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:13,800
Speaker 1: this injury just hit and I was like wow, like

735
00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:16,520
Speaker 1: this could be it yeah, and then yeah, just sort

736
00:32:16,560 --> 00:32:20,000
Speaker 1: of be there and like still make that like childhood

737
00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:23,960
Speaker 1: dream of mine Like it was yeah, I mean like honestly,

738
00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:27,360
Speaker 1: like it's just yeah, it's not like disassociating, but it's

739
00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:30,200
Speaker 1: like blinkers. I think that's what's so important. And what

740
00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:34,040
Speaker 1: was I loved recently was like the Winter Olympics Eileen

741
00:32:34,200 --> 00:32:36,880
Speaker 1: Goog Oh love her. Oh my god. There was so

742
00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:39,040
Speaker 1: much I was like goosebumps all the time, Like all

743
00:32:39,080 --> 00:32:41,760
Speaker 1: the little video clips. There's just these like empowered women

744
00:32:41,840 --> 00:32:44,200
Speaker 1: that were like, I know what I believe this sport is.

745
00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:46,640
Speaker 1: And I was like, yeah, I was like I know

746
00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:49,239
Speaker 1: what I believe. This art for me is like I

747
00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:53,040
Speaker 1: need to like you know, take that power back and

748
00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:56,760
Speaker 1: sort of not I guess let everyone else always define

749
00:32:56,760 --> 00:32:58,760
Speaker 1: it because that's also how we get good. We take

750
00:32:58,800 --> 00:33:02,640
Speaker 1: feedback and yeah, we listen, and you know, we take

751
00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:08,080
Speaker 1: critiques and some constructively given and some really not. And

752
00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:11,480
Speaker 1: you have to be like not phased by it, but

753
00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:14,080
Speaker 1: like even just shifting that mindset of being like, well,

754
00:33:14,120 --> 00:33:16,600
Speaker 1: I actually know why I believe this to be and

755
00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:18,440
Speaker 1: I know what I value and I will I will

756
00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:20,840
Speaker 1: take that on as well, but like beside what I

757
00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:25,520
Speaker 1: think rather than instead of sort of giving that power away,

758
00:33:25,640 --> 00:33:27,080
Speaker 1: which I mean, I don't know how you felt, but

759
00:33:27,120 --> 00:33:28,720
Speaker 1: like through your training, it's just like what do you

760
00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:31,080
Speaker 1: need from me? Like I'm so desperate to do this, Yes,

761
00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:34,280
Speaker 1: I will do I will give you want men. Yeah,

762
00:33:34,280 --> 00:33:35,360
Speaker 1: like shifting that.

763
00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:39,600
Speaker 3: I always think it is so competitive numbers wise.

764
00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:41,680
Speaker 2: Like we all know it's really competitive, but it's the

765
00:33:41,720 --> 00:33:44,360
Speaker 2: most dangerous person for me to be pitted against was

766
00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:49,600
Speaker 2: myself because I was just relentless, like totally nishing myself

767
00:33:49,640 --> 00:33:51,640
Speaker 2: to be better at all the time. I don't think

768
00:33:51,640 --> 00:33:54,920
Speaker 2: that it was ever me against Like I would compare

769
00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:58,200
Speaker 2: myself to my peers, but it wouldn't be we would

770
00:33:58,200 --> 00:33:58,800
Speaker 2: be best friends.

771
00:33:58,960 --> 00:34:00,000
Speaker 3: I would want them to succeed.

772
00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:02,640
Speaker 2: It was more like me beating myself up if I

773
00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:04,240
Speaker 2: didn't perform the way that I wanted.

774
00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:07,200
Speaker 1: To totally me and one of my mates's she's retired now,

775
00:34:07,240 --> 00:34:09,800
Speaker 1: but we would always say this would be like whenever

776
00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:12,239
Speaker 1: anyone's like giving feedback or like whatever, it's like, trust me.

777
00:34:12,280 --> 00:34:14,919
Speaker 1: Whatever I'm telling myself in here is worse, way worse,

778
00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:16,759
Speaker 1: so better coming from you.

779
00:34:16,880 --> 00:34:18,440
Speaker 3: Yeah, but no, you're so right.

780
00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:20,920
Speaker 1: And I mean, like even like at the moment, like

781
00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:23,920
Speaker 1: the principal women, like that's some of my closest friends.

782
00:34:24,320 --> 00:34:26,279
Speaker 1: And it's a beautiful thing because it is like such

783
00:34:26,280 --> 00:34:29,240
Speaker 1: a vulnerable thing. Sometimes we go out and we dance,

784
00:34:29,360 --> 00:34:32,400
Speaker 1: and also the stories you tell yourself. You're like, oh

785
00:34:32,440 --> 00:34:34,680
Speaker 1: that was terrible. I don't know who let me on stage?

786
00:34:34,719 --> 00:34:38,400
Speaker 1: Like why am I huge? Can I myself? We're like okay,

787
00:34:38,680 --> 00:34:41,600
Speaker 1: like let's just do some breathing, Like remember what we love?

788
00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:43,920
Speaker 1: Like what do we value? Like who are we like?

789
00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:47,640
Speaker 1: But you need that, like I can't imagine. I think

790
00:34:47,680 --> 00:34:50,560
Speaker 1: it does exist in companies where there is this kind

791
00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:54,680
Speaker 1: of not like Diva but maybe like more more competition. Yeah,

792
00:34:54,840 --> 00:34:56,560
Speaker 1: And I can't imagine it because I'm like I need

793
00:34:56,600 --> 00:34:59,359
Speaker 1: that support, I need that community. Like that's what makes

794
00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:02,080
Speaker 1: me feel calm on stage, just being like, oh, people

795
00:35:02,080 --> 00:35:04,799
Speaker 1: around me have my back, I have their back. We're

796
00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:06,800
Speaker 1: all on the same team kind of thing, because it

797
00:35:07,080 --> 00:35:10,120
Speaker 1: is hard, you know, like it can be a lonely

798
00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:11,360
Speaker 1: feeling sometimes.

799
00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:13,480
Speaker 3: Yeah, you're also one of the few people.

800
00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:16,359
Speaker 2: So something also very unique about Ballerinus is that you

801
00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,520
Speaker 2: start your career so early, but you have achieved your

802
00:35:19,640 --> 00:35:24,000
Speaker 2: dream job from quite young. Like you're there, You've literally

803
00:35:24,239 --> 00:35:26,719
Speaker 2: you're living something that you have always wanted to do.

804
00:35:27,560 --> 00:35:30,400
Speaker 2: We've talked about some of the really challenging parts. What

805
00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:33,080
Speaker 2: are the biggest highs? Like do you pinch yourself every day?

806
00:35:33,320 --> 00:35:36,120
Speaker 1: Yeah, Like I think like I have. There are like

807
00:35:36,160 --> 00:35:38,759
Speaker 1: definitely like certain shows where you just hit like a

808
00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:41,480
Speaker 1: flow state. It's not even that everything grows perfectly, but

809
00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:44,160
Speaker 1: it's like you're unphased. Yeah, And that's what's really interesting

810
00:35:44,200 --> 00:35:46,160
Speaker 1: is sometimes you have other shows that probably go exactly

811
00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:49,000
Speaker 1: the same, but you're clocking everything a bit more, so

812
00:35:49,040 --> 00:35:52,319
Speaker 1: you maybe think it's not as good, But I think,

813
00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:55,000
Speaker 1: like I get to go to work with like my

814
00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:58,520
Speaker 1: best friends and then are now like family, and we

815
00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:02,000
Speaker 1: get to dance to live music, and like even at

816
00:36:02,000 --> 00:36:06,319
Speaker 1: the moment, like with Romeo and Juliet the school, it

817
00:36:06,440 --> 00:36:09,319
Speaker 1: is just it's so moving and I'm like, this is

818
00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:12,440
Speaker 1: my job, and you know, sometimes it's difficult, like casting

819
00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:14,520
Speaker 1: comes out and it's maybe not what you wanted, or

820
00:36:14,560 --> 00:36:16,440
Speaker 1: you're not ranked where you want it to be, or

821
00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:18,200
Speaker 1: like you know, there's always going to be these things.

822
00:36:18,200 --> 00:36:20,120
Speaker 1: But I think like at the end of the day,

823
00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:24,120
Speaker 1: I get to rock up every day and like dance

824
00:36:24,760 --> 00:36:30,200
Speaker 1: and like create something and feel something and express something,

825
00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:34,480
Speaker 1: and I just love that. And then I also love

826
00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:36,960
Speaker 1: like being able to pass that on. I do like

827
00:36:37,000 --> 00:36:39,920
Speaker 1: a little bit of teaching, but like it feels like

828
00:36:40,280 --> 00:36:43,160
Speaker 1: not much for me to be like, oh like when

829
00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:44,799
Speaker 1: I did this or when we do that, and the

830
00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:48,880
Speaker 1: kids are just like you got to do that, and

831
00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:51,440
Speaker 1: I'm like yeah, like yeah, I don't know, just kind

832
00:36:51,440 --> 00:36:54,080
Speaker 1: of like I guess spreading that kind of joy and

833
00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:57,440
Speaker 1: like love is like I find really special.

834
00:36:57,719 --> 00:36:58,759
Speaker 3: Is it the stage for you?

835
00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:02,320
Speaker 2: Is it rehearsals, Is it like the days or is

836
00:37:02,360 --> 00:37:05,320
Speaker 2: it like because I think also we see you performing,

837
00:37:05,360 --> 00:37:08,759
Speaker 2: but the actual show is not all of your job,

838
00:37:08,920 --> 00:37:12,080
Speaker 2: Like it's so much of a studio rehearsing and not

839
00:37:12,120 --> 00:37:15,920
Speaker 2: just rehearsing, but also doing your normal totally and conditioning

840
00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:17,279
Speaker 2: and all that kind of stuff. What part do you

841
00:37:17,280 --> 00:37:17,920
Speaker 2: love the most?

842
00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:24,480
Speaker 1: Probably I love like a good studio rehearsal, yeah, because

843
00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:28,640
Speaker 1: like I do love being on stage, and like I said,

844
00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:30,759
Speaker 1: like you do have those moments, but it takes more

845
00:37:30,840 --> 00:37:32,760
Speaker 1: energy because you have to put yourself in the right state,

846
00:37:32,840 --> 00:37:33,799
Speaker 1: calm yourself down.

847
00:37:34,880 --> 00:37:36,839
Speaker 3: So late at night as well, it is late.

848
00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:41,560
Speaker 1: Sometimes I'm like, it's a ten to fifty what's going on?

849
00:37:42,680 --> 00:37:44,759
Speaker 1: But I think like in the studio, it's like the

850
00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:49,800
Speaker 1: exploration and if you're working with a coach, that is amazing.

851
00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:53,440
Speaker 1: It's like the most inspiring stuff. We had Silvie gim

852
00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:54,840
Speaker 1: come out, I.

853
00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:56,879
Speaker 3: Know her feet.

854
00:37:57,360 --> 00:37:59,360
Speaker 1: When I was talking about the bone stagy, what do

855
00:37:59,360 --> 00:38:02,200
Speaker 1: you have protection like my fo, she was like she's

856
00:38:02,360 --> 00:38:04,680
Speaker 1: Sylvia was Sylvie Cuzo as well. She's like, oh god, yeah,

857
00:38:04,719 --> 00:38:07,200
Speaker 1: she's like the bones in her feet. She's like, it's perfect, it's.

858
00:38:07,120 --> 00:38:07,879
Speaker 3: Just something else.

859
00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:09,080
Speaker 1: It's yeah, that makes sense.

860
00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:11,640
Speaker 3: Yeah, I know we don't compare, but like, yeah, but

861
00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:12,120
Speaker 3: I get it.

862
00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:15,560
Speaker 1: She's got totally. But like we did Swan like and

863
00:38:15,600 --> 00:38:17,960
Speaker 1: it was my debut and it was opening nine and

864
00:38:17,960 --> 00:38:21,759
Speaker 1: it was the company's like sixtieth birthday year, and I

865
00:38:21,880 --> 00:38:24,440
Speaker 1: was like, again in my mind, had never told myself

866
00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:26,319
Speaker 1: that I was a Swan because I feel like you

867
00:38:26,360 --> 00:38:28,840
Speaker 1: need those really long arms, those really long legs, the

868
00:38:28,920 --> 00:38:32,080
Speaker 1: feet like and I was like, oh, like, I just

869
00:38:32,080 --> 00:38:36,319
Speaker 1: don't feel like that. And it was like profound how

870
00:38:36,400 --> 00:38:40,120
Speaker 1: much she would like did not care about like shape.

871
00:38:40,440 --> 00:38:42,879
Speaker 1: She was like, what are you saying? Like what are

872
00:38:42,920 --> 00:38:46,560
Speaker 1: you giving? And I was like, oh, good question, Like

873
00:38:46,760 --> 00:38:48,160
Speaker 1: you know, I was like, oh my god, like I've

874
00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:49,600
Speaker 1: been so caught up and been like does my arm

875
00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:51,279
Speaker 1: look good? And like does my leg? Like is the

876
00:38:51,320 --> 00:38:53,960
Speaker 1: fifth fifth? And she's like, you just swan. She's like

877
00:38:55,360 --> 00:38:57,120
Speaker 1: what you were saying, And I was like that's a

878
00:38:57,160 --> 00:39:00,400
Speaker 1: good point. I'm not sure Like it was.

879
00:39:00,480 --> 00:39:01,520
Speaker 3: It's the performance.

880
00:39:01,640 --> 00:39:06,920
Speaker 1: It was fully and you spend hours every single day

881
00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:09,279
Speaker 1: doing that and then you really spend like an hour

882
00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:11,719
Speaker 1: and a half all up actually on stage dancing. So

883
00:39:11,719 --> 00:39:14,600
Speaker 1: I feel like you have to love that process because

884
00:39:14,600 --> 00:39:17,160
Speaker 1: that is most of the job. Yeah, you know.

885
00:39:17,320 --> 00:39:19,160
Speaker 2: I also feel like when you're in a studio rehearsal,

886
00:39:19,239 --> 00:39:20,960
Speaker 2: your audience is the company.

887
00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:22,480
Speaker 1: Yeah, and I prefer that.

888
00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:25,320
Speaker 2: I love the moment of being on stage and like

889
00:39:25,360 --> 00:39:27,200
Speaker 2: getting lost in the music and you can't see the

890
00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:28,960
Speaker 2: audience and it's like time stops.

891
00:39:29,320 --> 00:39:30,319
Speaker 3: But at the same time, the.

892
00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:33,600
Speaker 2: Studio rehearsals will always where I was like, my peers

893
00:39:33,600 --> 00:39:34,120
Speaker 2: are watching me.

894
00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:37,480
Speaker 1: I don't know about it. It's nerve wracking because it's

895
00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:40,799
Speaker 1: generally the first time you're having people watch yeah, and

896
00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:44,680
Speaker 1: the lights are on like yeah fully, but like I

897
00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:47,880
Speaker 1: don't know, I just yeah again that thing because I

898
00:39:47,920 --> 00:39:50,680
Speaker 1: feel so supported and loved by my colleagues. It is

899
00:39:50,719 --> 00:39:53,759
Speaker 1: like a really nice thing. And equally, like I love

900
00:39:53,880 --> 00:39:56,840
Speaker 1: watching as well. I'll never forget Adam ELM's and the company.

901
00:39:57,280 --> 00:39:59,759
Speaker 1: I don't think curmember. Last year he did his first

902
00:39:59,760 --> 00:40:03,239
Speaker 1: full called Nijinski and it was so moving, like and

903
00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:05,680
Speaker 1: it just ended and it was just like silence, and

904
00:40:06,400 --> 00:40:08,520
Speaker 1: like it was just I was like, ah, like that,

905
00:40:09,360 --> 00:40:12,319
Speaker 1: you can't I can't recapture that actually on stage. Yeah

906
00:40:12,440 --> 00:40:14,520
Speaker 1: yeah yeah, And like to be able to witness that

907
00:40:14,719 --> 00:40:16,360
Speaker 1: is so special.

908
00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:20,719
Speaker 2: My favorite thing about this show is I don't think

909
00:40:20,760 --> 00:40:23,120
Speaker 2: there's anything more inspiring than listening to people talk about

910
00:40:23,120 --> 00:40:25,839
Speaker 2: things that they love. In your face when you talk

911
00:40:25,840 --> 00:40:30,000
Speaker 2: about ballet is like it's just like you have sparkly eyes,

912
00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:33,400
Speaker 2: that's what I look. Yeah, No, I love it though,

913
00:40:33,440 --> 00:40:36,880
Speaker 2: Like there is nothing as exciting as passion in other people.

914
00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:39,120
Speaker 2: And even if other people don't know what they want

915
00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:41,440
Speaker 2: to do, you want to find that when.

916
00:40:41,320 --> 00:40:43,120
Speaker 3: You see someone who has it, you're just like what

917
00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:44,560
Speaker 3: you have about.

918
00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:47,399
Speaker 1: Your job, Yes, and like that's the thing as well,

919
00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:50,640
Speaker 1: Like I will forever feel so grateful for that because

920
00:40:50,680 --> 00:40:52,279
Speaker 1: I know it can be a rare thing to like

921
00:40:52,360 --> 00:40:54,759
Speaker 1: feel like this about something that also can like pay

922
00:40:54,760 --> 00:40:55,200
Speaker 1: my bills.

923
00:40:55,320 --> 00:40:57,400
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, is just and you get to do it

924
00:40:57,440 --> 00:40:59,560
Speaker 2: all day long. What do you do when you're finding

925
00:40:59,640 --> 00:41:01,719
Speaker 2: joy outside of ballet? Because I think you're probably a

926
00:41:01,719 --> 00:41:04,680
Speaker 2: better dancer when you can get some distance and then

927
00:41:04,760 --> 00:41:05,400
Speaker 2: come back.

928
00:41:05,200 --> 00:41:08,239
Speaker 1: Oh one hundred percent that perspective. It's it's interesting you

929
00:41:08,239 --> 00:41:10,520
Speaker 1: say that. Recently, I had a week at work where

930
00:41:10,680 --> 00:41:13,120
Speaker 1: I wasn't needed for many rehearsals and I have a

931
00:41:13,160 --> 00:41:17,040
Speaker 1: friend Claudia Deane. She has a beautiful school up in Brisbane.

932
00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:18,680
Speaker 1: She was like, would you like to come and teach?

933
00:41:18,719 --> 00:41:21,560
Speaker 1: And it was honestly the best thing because I feel

934
00:41:21,560 --> 00:41:23,680
Speaker 1: like I just needed that sort of space from work

935
00:41:23,719 --> 00:41:26,760
Speaker 1: and just to like regain that perspective of like working

936
00:41:26,800 --> 00:41:29,720
Speaker 1: with the ten year olds that are just like, oh,

937
00:41:29,800 --> 00:41:31,920
Speaker 1: I just want to like do this vertion and like

938
00:41:32,000 --> 00:41:33,799
Speaker 1: I just want to dance and like learn from you

939
00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:36,759
Speaker 1: and just like I don't know, have that passion again,

940
00:41:36,840 --> 00:41:39,439
Speaker 1: and just reminded me of like I'm like, oh yeah,

941
00:41:39,480 --> 00:41:42,239
Speaker 1: my gosh, and inspired me as well, like seeing these

942
00:41:42,320 --> 00:41:45,080
Speaker 1: kids like dancing like this and just like lighting up.

943
00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:46,799
Speaker 1: I'm like, ah, like that's what I get to do

944
00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:49,880
Speaker 1: every single day. So I don't know that that sparks

945
00:41:49,880 --> 00:41:51,719
Speaker 1: a lot of joy for me. It is exhausting. Oh

946
00:41:51,719 --> 00:41:54,959
Speaker 1: my god, teaching kids. It hats off to teachers. I'm

947
00:41:54,960 --> 00:41:57,879
Speaker 1: like wow. But other than that, like honestly, a lot

948
00:41:57,880 --> 00:42:01,120
Speaker 1: of my downtime is resting. Like I love reading, I've

949
00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:03,279
Speaker 1: going to the movies, just sort of like catching it

950
00:42:03,360 --> 00:42:06,279
Speaker 1: with like outside mates. I love the ocean, just like

951
00:42:06,680 --> 00:42:09,120
Speaker 1: being at the beach with a book is like I'm

952
00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:10,520
Speaker 1: like I need anything else.

953
00:42:10,719 --> 00:42:11,400
Speaker 3: I love that.

954
00:42:11,560 --> 00:42:11,799
Speaker 1: Yeah.

955
00:42:11,920 --> 00:42:15,399
Speaker 4: So just not much physical activity, yeah, just like lying

956
00:42:15,680 --> 00:42:19,240
Speaker 4: still fully and then I think one of the really

957
00:42:19,239 --> 00:42:22,080
Speaker 4: hard things about ballet is that your body it's so

958
00:42:22,239 --> 00:42:24,319
Speaker 4: grueling that there is a time limit on it.

959
00:42:24,360 --> 00:42:26,960
Speaker 2: In the same way that there is any elite athlete,

960
00:42:27,080 --> 00:42:30,360
Speaker 2: Like it's like Olympians, you know, there's football, as we

961
00:42:30,400 --> 00:42:32,600
Speaker 2: talk about it all the time. When they come to retirement,

962
00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:35,600
Speaker 2: the transition out of that endeavor that's been their whole

963
00:42:35,600 --> 00:42:37,520
Speaker 2: life is hard because it's often you're younger than most

964
00:42:37,560 --> 00:42:38,880
Speaker 2: people retiring from something.

965
00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:41,280
Speaker 3: So do you think about life after ballet?

966
00:42:41,360 --> 00:42:44,360
Speaker 1: Yeah, for sure. I don't know, like exactly what I

967
00:42:44,400 --> 00:42:46,800
Speaker 1: want to do, But I think even with my teaching

968
00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:50,640
Speaker 1: on the side, and I've coached some of the younger

969
00:42:50,760 --> 00:42:53,040
Speaker 1: dancers when they've gone out on national tour and I

970
00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:55,760
Speaker 1: have just loved it. Actually, I love a little story

971
00:42:55,880 --> 00:42:58,000
Speaker 1: Shani and I. She was on her maternity leave and

972
00:42:58,040 --> 00:43:00,799
Speaker 1: I was rehabbing my foot and we coach one of

973
00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:03,560
Speaker 1: the younger dancers in the Diamonds part ofta that we

974
00:43:03,640 --> 00:43:06,399
Speaker 1: both did and they finished and the tours. Honestly, we're

975
00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:08,480
Speaker 1: just up the front crying. I was like, I mean,

976
00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:10,000
Speaker 1: she's pregnant, so she's got hormones.

977
00:43:10,000 --> 00:43:11,600
Speaker 3: I'm not sure what's happening to me, and we're just like,

978
00:43:11,680 --> 00:43:12,560
Speaker 3: just so beautiful.

979
00:43:12,640 --> 00:43:16,680
Speaker 1: It's just so beautiful, like so that really sparks a

980
00:43:16,680 --> 00:43:21,160
Speaker 1: lot of joy for me. But I also love psychology

981
00:43:21,239 --> 00:43:24,560
Speaker 1: and I love mindset. I love chatting to people about it,

982
00:43:24,960 --> 00:43:26,720
Speaker 1: So I don't know if I want to maybe explore

983
00:43:26,760 --> 00:43:29,880
Speaker 1: that route as well. I've just found it so helpful

984
00:43:29,880 --> 00:43:31,560
Speaker 1: and honestly, I think it's what's gotten me through the

985
00:43:31,640 --> 00:43:34,279
Speaker 1: last like five to ten years of my career. I

986
00:43:34,320 --> 00:43:37,040
Speaker 1: think the first five was just like vibes and like

987
00:43:37,080 --> 00:43:39,759
Speaker 1: loving dances, and after that it's like, oh okay, like

988
00:43:39,840 --> 00:43:43,239
Speaker 1: how we like deceiving everything, Like yeah, learning about that.

989
00:43:43,640 --> 00:43:45,279
Speaker 1: I also go in between being like do I want

990
00:43:45,280 --> 00:43:47,800
Speaker 1: to just like park ballet and like do something completely

991
00:43:47,840 --> 00:43:50,560
Speaker 1: different different? Yeah, But I don't know. The more I

992
00:43:50,600 --> 00:43:52,319
Speaker 1: think about that, the more I'm like, oh my god,

993
00:43:52,360 --> 00:43:55,080
Speaker 1: Like I just love having a parate Yeah, I don't know,

994
00:43:55,480 --> 00:43:59,160
Speaker 1: Like yeah, yeah, so we'll see. But yeah, you're so right.

995
00:43:59,160 --> 00:44:01,919
Speaker 1: It's something like we have to think about because yeah,

996
00:44:01,960 --> 00:44:04,719
Speaker 1: it is the body, is the is the tool, and

997
00:44:04,920 --> 00:44:07,200
Speaker 1: it's sort of it does have a timeline.

998
00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:09,799
Speaker 2: Yeah, gosh, it's crazy and you just want to dance

999
00:44:09,840 --> 00:44:12,880
Speaker 2: forever actually maybe like ten years back, you know what

1000
00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:18,560
Speaker 2: I need to break or just finally, what other roles

1001
00:44:18,560 --> 00:44:21,720
Speaker 2: we can see you in in the next sort of season,

1002
00:44:21,920 --> 00:44:24,920
Speaker 2: like at the moment or maybe any coming seasons. And

1003
00:44:25,080 --> 00:44:27,880
Speaker 2: is there a role you haven't danced in your career

1004
00:44:27,920 --> 00:44:28,720
Speaker 2: that you still want.

1005
00:44:28,600 --> 00:44:32,200
Speaker 1: To Yes, So currently we're rehearsing for Remeo and Juliet

1006
00:44:32,280 --> 00:44:34,640
Speaker 1: so I will be Juliette, and then we also have

1007
00:44:34,719 --> 00:44:39,120
Speaker 1: Copeland dancers coming up. It's like not a ballet traditionally

1008
00:44:39,160 --> 00:44:41,640
Speaker 1: with like certain characters, but it's like everyone kind of

1009
00:44:41,760 --> 00:44:45,359
Speaker 1: dancing together. And then we'll have Nutcracker later in the year,

1010
00:44:45,560 --> 00:44:49,799
Speaker 1: I know, And the State Theater is reopening, so like

1011
00:44:49,920 --> 00:44:55,160
Speaker 1: it is going to be special like Tchaikovsky State Theater. Ah,

1012
00:44:55,600 --> 00:44:57,840
Speaker 1: come along, So do you know what you are? Do

1013
00:44:57,880 --> 00:45:00,000
Speaker 1: you know you'll get the email, we get the email,

1014
00:45:00,560 --> 00:45:04,400
Speaker 1: you tell me what I want to know.

1015
00:45:05,680 --> 00:45:07,360
Speaker 2: You're not going to be one of the rats or something,

1016
00:45:08,560 --> 00:45:10,120
Speaker 2: we hope notkidding.

1017
00:45:11,560 --> 00:45:14,200
Speaker 1: But in terms of like ballet, I haven't done yet

1018
00:45:14,239 --> 00:45:19,280
Speaker 1: on Jagan, there's yeah, it's it's kind of manon say.

1019
00:45:19,840 --> 00:45:23,400
Speaker 1: The lead is Tatiana and it's the music. Like I

1020
00:45:23,480 --> 00:45:24,960
Speaker 1: think for me a lot of the time, my favorite

1021
00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:28,680
Speaker 1: ballets are the music, so like a lot of Tchaikovski's ballets.

1022
00:45:28,719 --> 00:45:31,160
Speaker 1: But I've never done Tatiana before and I would love

1023
00:45:31,200 --> 00:45:33,720
Speaker 1: to and it's just like it's you know, classic ballet,

1024
00:45:33,800 --> 00:45:35,200
Speaker 1: like Got wrenching Love Story.

1025
00:45:35,560 --> 00:45:37,880
Speaker 3: They're my favorites. Like I love the modern ballets, but

1026
00:45:37,920 --> 00:45:41,080
Speaker 3: I'm like Sleeping Beauty. So I'm like, like I just want.

1027
00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:44,600
Speaker 2: To be like I know to the music as well,

1028
00:45:44,640 --> 00:45:45,600
Speaker 2: like it's your favorite role.

1029
00:45:45,760 --> 00:45:48,160
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that's hard, you know what. I actually love

1030
00:45:48,239 --> 00:45:52,560
Speaker 1: diamonds and jewels. It's like non narrative, but who it's

1031
00:45:52,600 --> 00:45:57,719
Speaker 1: Tchaikovski though. Yeah, And it's just I'm loving balancing work

1032
00:45:57,920 --> 00:46:01,280
Speaker 1: more and more as I get into my career because

1033
00:46:01,320 --> 00:46:05,360
Speaker 1: it's about the dancing and it's not about an esthetically

1034
00:46:05,400 --> 00:46:08,920
Speaker 1: perfect shape, at least in the way that I've been coached. Yeah,

1035
00:46:08,960 --> 00:46:12,120
Speaker 1: it's about movement, like color and movement, and I feel

1036
00:46:12,160 --> 00:46:14,520
Speaker 1: like that it like comes from within and I love that.

1037
00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:18,160
Speaker 1: But I also loved man On and like Remeo and

1038
00:46:18,200 --> 00:46:20,800
Speaker 1: Juliet just because it's like you're on stage allowed to

1039
00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:23,960
Speaker 1: tell you love. I meltown and like, you know, express everything.

1040
00:46:24,120 --> 00:46:25,680
Speaker 1: I said that to my mate. I was like, it's crazy.

1041
00:46:25,680 --> 00:46:28,080
Speaker 1: If I did this in real life, he'll be like, shit, yeah,

1042
00:46:28,120 --> 00:46:30,799
Speaker 1: what's going on? But on stage fine, I hate to.

1043
00:46:30,760 --> 00:46:34,600
Speaker 2: Do this totally normal, but yeah, well, I can't wait

1044
00:46:34,640 --> 00:46:37,440
Speaker 2: to see you in it. For anyone who is interested,

1045
00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:39,920
Speaker 2: I will put links to the Romeo and Juliet tickets

1046
00:46:40,000 --> 00:46:43,360
Speaker 2: because obviously you must go and see Benny in the

1047
00:46:43,440 --> 00:46:46,160
Speaker 2: lead role. Thank you so much for joining today and

1048
00:46:46,239 --> 00:46:48,520
Speaker 2: it's just been an absolute joy to follow your career.

1049
00:46:48,640 --> 00:46:50,319
Speaker 1: Yeah, I love chatting with you. Thank you for having me.

1050
00:46:50,440 --> 00:46:52,720
Speaker 2: Well, whether you're a ballet fan or not, or perhaps

1051
00:46:52,760 --> 00:46:54,920
Speaker 2: you've been converted into the world of ballet, or it

1052
00:46:55,000 --> 00:46:58,160
Speaker 2: spark some interest hearing how much Bennie is so passionate

1053
00:46:58,200 --> 00:47:01,120
Speaker 2: about her work. Definitely, if you get the chance, go

1054
00:47:01,200 --> 00:47:03,440
Speaker 2: and watch her perform. She lights up the stage and

1055
00:47:03,560 --> 00:47:04,960
Speaker 2: is such a pleasure.

1056
00:47:04,640 --> 00:47:07,800
Speaker 3: To watch perform. I'll include links to her profile.

1057
00:47:07,920 --> 00:47:10,759
Speaker 2: If you did enjoy listening along, please as always share

1058
00:47:10,880 --> 00:47:13,319
Speaker 2: and tag her just to thank her for her time

1059
00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:15,200
Speaker 2: and also let her know if there were any takeaways

1060
00:47:15,200 --> 00:47:16,960
Speaker 2: that really stuck with you. It means so much to

1061
00:47:17,120 --> 00:47:19,879
Speaker 2: our guests. In the meantime, I hope you are having

1062
00:47:19,920 --> 00:47:21,080
Speaker 2: an amazing week, that you.

1063
00:47:21,120 --> 00:47:22,160
Speaker 3: Enjoyed the long weekend.

1064
00:47:22,400 --> 00:47:24,640
Speaker 2: My goodness, I cannot believe we are in April, but

1065
00:47:24,680 --> 00:47:26,480
Speaker 2: I hope you're all having a wonderful week and are

1066
00:47:26,480 --> 00:47:44,320
Speaker 2: seizing your yay