Meet Me At The Barre

What’s it liking growing up a dancer in a sport-loving family? How do you follow your passion even if it goes against the grain? In this episode, Coryphée Nathan Brook talks about what it was like growing up the youngest of three brothers in the Northern Beaches of Sydney and why he chose to pursue an unlikely career in dance.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Senior Artist Dana Stephensen never considered herself a ‘ballet girl’. As a highly spirited and boisterous child, she didn’t think she was quite elegant enough, but couldn’t help falling in love with the stage. In this episode, Dana shares her vulnerability as she tells us about becoming a mother, living with an autoimmune disease and juggling a demanding career, all while keeping her passion for performing alive.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

An artist’s commitment and drive is fundamental to shaping a successful career, but sometimes it takes the unconditional love and support of family to enable an aspiring dancer to go all the way. In our latest episode, newly promoted Soloist Jake Mangakahia goes back to his roots, and tells us how deeply his family and his background have inspired his creative path.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our latest episode, newly-promoted Senior Artist Benedicte Bemet explains how it feels to be the face of our 2019 season, and what goes into shaping a successful career as a ballerina, beyond the spotlight of the stage.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What was it like being a creative leader in the golden era of dance? In our latest episode, we chat to Australia’s most renown living Choreographer Graeme Murphy about finding his stride in the exhilarating dance culture of the 1970s and 1980’s and how he plans to paint the town gold in his new work The Happy Prince in 2019.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amy Harris was a country kid from Ararat who dreamed of becoming a ballerina. Fast-forward seventeen years and she has paved a highly successful career in the company, but there was just one thing missing… Amy had convinced herself that her ultimate dream of becoming a Principal Artist might be out of her reach, until one enchanting evening, amidst rapturous applause, all eyes turned to Amy as her fairy tale came true.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alice Topp has recently been bestowed upon with a great honour within The Australian Ballet: she is now its only female Resident Choreographer (while still dancing for the company). Her new role brings with it questions of “why” she is just the second female to reach this position in The Australian Ballet’s history. Her answer may be just as surprising as the other sides to this footy-loving ballerina from Bendigo.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Described by the New Yorker as “the most exciting male dancer in the Western world”, David was at the peak of his powers when he suffered a devastating injury that could have ended his career. He turned to The Australian Ballet’s medical team for help, and began a journey involving intense self-reflection, reinvention and the realisation that sometimes the end is just the beginning. BIO David Hallberg made history in 2011 by becoming the first dancer to occupy principal rank at American Ballet Theatre and the first American Principal at Bolshoi Ballet. After working with The Australian Ballet’s medical team to make a heroic recovery from a two-and-a-half-year injury, he is back dancing with American Ballet Theatre, appearing with The Australian Ballet as its resident guest artist, and featuring as an ambassador for both Nike and Tiffany & Co.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s something magical about the healing effect of music and its ability to connect humans to one another. Nicolette, music director and chief conductor of The Australian Ballet, tells us what it’s like to act as the conduit between orchestra and dancers and why she likes to relax with Queen. BIO  In 1992 Nicolette became music director and chief conductor of the Dutch National Ballet. She debuted with The Australian Ballet in 2002, and in 2003 became the company’s music director and chief conductor. She has since conducted all The Australian Ballet’s programs, including all its overseas tours, and has been a guest conductor with San Francisco Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and New York City Ballet. In 2014 Nicolette became artistic director of Orchestra Victoria.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inspired as a child by watching Fred Astaire glide across the floor with Ginger Rogers, raised by a woman who gave him everything, Kevin grew into a dancer who loves to support his leading ladies and who has developed a radar sensitivity to his partner’s energy.   BIO  Kevin joined The Australian Ballet in 2003 and was promoted to principal artist in 2010. His roles include Romeo, Neumeier's Nijinsky and Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty, and he will create the lead role in the company’s new production of Spartacus in 2018.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Even after a three-hour stint down the rabbit hole of Christopher Wheeldon’s epic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland©, Amber Scott is constantly humbled and inspired by the magic of ballet. She brings a positive, mindful attitude to every element of her life. But what will happen when she eventually retires as a principal artist of The Australian Ballet? BIO  Amber joined the company in 2001 and was promoted to principal artist in 2011. She has danced all the great heroines of the repertoire, including Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle and Cinderella.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ako is from Japan. Chen is from China. They both started dancing at the age of three. Both of them have blazing talents that brought them across the world to meet at The Australian Ballet. They danced together … and a love story was born. Amber steps into their home to talk childhood, fur babies, pick-up lines, wedding plans and why it was so hard for Chen to propose. BIO  Chen was born in China and studied at the Beijing Dance Academy. His abundant talents won him a slew of prizes, including a scholarship to study at The Australian Ballet School. A natural crowd pleaser with an eye-popping ability to leap and spin, he also excels in princely roles like Albrecht and Siegfried. Ako was born and raised in Nagoya, joining The Australian Ballet School in 2015. An ebullient dancer with a pyrotechnic jump, she had her first success as Kitri in Don Quixote, but quickly moved into the full breadth of the repertoire. She was promoted to principal artist in 2015, on the night of her debut as Giselle.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing up in the 70s in suburban Australia, David didn’t always fit into his ‘meat-and-two veg’ environment. This theatrical boy pirouetting around his lounge room was always meant for something more. Today, as one of the most successful artistic directors in ballet and with a stellar dance career behind him, David reflects on the places his imagination has taken him. BIO David joined The Australian Ballet in 1983 and was promoted to principal artist in 1989, before becoming artistic director of the company in 2001. He has commissioned such works as Swan Lake and Cinderella, while also creating The Sleeping Beauty, his first full-length ballet, in 2015. It was a sell-out success and has since toured the country.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.