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| Lisa Pavane Joins ABS Teaching Staff! |
| Read her
interview…
This year The Australian Ballet School
has been pleased to welcome former Principal Artist, Lisa Pavane,
to its amazing line up of teaching staff. One of Australia's most famous ballerinas,
Lisa was trained at The Australian Ballet School and accepted straight
into the Australian Ballet company in 1981. In 1983 she was promoted
to the rank of Soloist and then to Principal Artist in 1986. As
principal, Lisa danced Odette/Odile in Swan Lake,
Lisa's career later took her to the English National Ballet in 1994 where as a Senior Principal Ballerina she danced all the company's repertoire. Lisa performed the dual role of Odette/Odile, in Deane's Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall before touring to Australia with the English National Ballet in 1999 dancing Odette/Odile in the arena production, performing in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide and finally Scotland and England. Returning to Australia in 2001, and moving back to Melbourne this year, Lisa will now bring her expertise to the eager students of The Australian Ballet School. Director, Marilyn Rowe is thrilled to have Lisa back at ABS stating; "How wonderful to welcome Lisa back into the fold! During her career with The Australian Ballet, we enjoyed a very close relationship, and in fact, I coached her for her first performance in the role of Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. I had always held on to the hope that one day she would return to Australia and The Australian Ballet School. I believe that with her keen intelligence, attention to detail, analytical skills, professional experience and personal integrity she has the qualities necessary to make a wonderful teacher of vocational students" How has The Australian Ballet School changed in the years since your training, beginning in 1978? When I went to the ABS at age 15, the school and company were housed together in a simple building in Flemington. It was single level with one main studio, 2 medium studios and a small one we called Studio 4. Classes were held around the times available when the company was in town, so very little studio space was available. Today, at the premises in Southbank, the school has 4 studios, but as the school has expanded to include more levels of training since my time, there is still a need for further studios. The vision of the school is to be able to offer training from a much younger age, therefore increasing the opportunity to produce great Australian dancers, equipped for exciting successful dancing careers. This important time of vocational training is the foundation for great dancers, who need expert guidance to physically tune their bodies and shape their techniques, and no time should be lost, if we are to produce great dancers of the future. Back then, the company members and school students shared the green room, which had a little canteen in later times, but originally just a coffee machine and comfy chairs only, if my memory serves me correctly. Today there is a full canteen serving nutritional and healthy foods, caring for the strenuous and demanding needs placed upon these young athletes of today. Similar to today, the school was on one side and the company the other for the administration and dressing rooms. For us as students, there was a room which served as a classroom come library, where we had music, dance history and notation lessons. Today the students at the ABS study Anatomy, Music, Dance Perspectives, Psychology and academic subjects depending on their year level, completing the VCE the year before graduation. I completed my schooling by correspondence, for which some time was allotted each week where we could learn our studies from our books. Today the students have the opportunity to continue their academic studies in a classroom environment, taught by qualified school lecturers. In my time there was not a Psychologist or Health Team employed to look after our bodies, minds and well being, so these areas have been a great advancement. I feel this area is very important to the overall health, injury prevention and preservation of our young dancers of today, equipping them with the knowledge that will enable them to train to their optimum. In fact, the ABS Health Team is internationally recognized for world's best practice. What stands out in my memory at the ABS and still happens today, is that at any time when the students are not in their own studies and when the company is in Melbourne, is that, of the wonderful experience of walking the corridors, peering in the windows of the studios watching the company members working in class and rehearsal. That moment when a student witnesses something exciting happening in the studio and aspires to be that great dancer too or to dance in that ballet! When they look today, they see many company dancers who have gone through The Australian Ballet School and most undoubtedly hope that that will be them in a few years. Having that inspiration accessible to the students is a wonderful treat! I witnessed many great dancers through the peep hole window in the entry door to Studio I in Flemington. Marilyn Rowe, Marilyn Jones, Michaela Kirkaldie, Ann Jenner, Joanne Michel, Kelvin Coe, Gary Norman, John Meehan and Dale Baker, many of who I had the pleasure to either dance with, be coached by and dance alongside in my years as a professional dancer in The Australian Ballet. Never at that time would I have imagined - only dreamed!! What has brought you back to The Australian Ballet School after all these years? What subjects and levels are you teaching? How are you finding it? My reason for returning to Melbourne, is that my daughter was accepted into the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in the Music program. She is a Grade 8 Oboe player and is currently in Year 10. We auditioned her last year, flying down from our home in Brisbane. During my visit for her audition I visited The Australian Ballet School to talk with Marilyn Rowe, who is of course the Director of the School. Marilyn invited me to join the staff of The Australian Ballet School, should Cassie be successful in her audition. When we received the news, I phoned to say that we would be moving to Melbourne in the New Year. We had a property management business, which we needed to sell, so it was a very hectic time. I commenced this year at the beginning of 1st term and I am teaching the Level 6 students for Pas de Deux, Variations and a weekly Classical class and the Level 8 students once a week also for classical. I have been fortunate to have had the time this year as a transitional and learning year, in preparation for the Level 6 females full time next year. I have been studying Anatomy and observing classes in Body Conditioning, Alignment, Psychology and observing the other Year Levels as well. Recently I have been appointed to the responsibility of ensuring that the dancers are wearing correctly fitted and suitable pointe shoes and ballet flats. As well, I am undertaking the Vocational Graduate Certificate in Elite Ballet Instruction, which is a newly accredited Teachers Course offered by The Australian Ballet School to Professional dancers who wish to teach at a vocational level. How do you think your time at The Australian Ballet School and as a Principal Dancer for The Australian Ballet has shaped you as a teacher and mentor for today's students? My time at the School I remember with
great fondness. I was given great advice and in an important time
of my training. Following my graduation, I immediately joined The
Australian Ballet and was singled out very early in my career and
was nurtured by my mentors and peers. I had the very great fortune
of being mentored by Marilyn Rowe in my early opportunities of dancing
principal roles. I have always felt this to be so important, as
having that tradition and experience passed down by successors is
invaluable. I look forward to having that opportunity too! I was fortunate in my career to dance with many companies as a guest artist and also spent considerable years in both The Australian Ballet and English National Ballet as a resident principal. The desire to spread my wings in search of 'more' was the main reason to move overseas, and also to evaluate my talents with the rest of the world. Travelling the world allowed me to work with many different people in different environments, cultures and comfort zones, all of which gave me a wealth of information and experience to call upon. It made me stronger and more determined to take hold of every opportunity. I have worked under many great teachers, coaches and repetiteurs who all have their own individual ways of teaching. Like anything in life, something just clicks, and it all makes sense. It is the same for a dancer. A certain teacher may just have the right way of imparting a correction that suits you, and all of a sudden that enchainment that has been eluding you or that character that just hasn't felt right suddenly works, and it is like a revelation. As a teacher now, I like to watch other teachers as well, as there is so much to learn from everyone! It is also not just about the technical aspect of teaching but the manner of how it is delivered. You have to capture the students, keep their attention, gain trust and respect, and draw on the skills that you have at your disposal to get the most out of the teaching of the student. Over your many years as a Principal dancer here and abroad, what were your most memorable performances, roles and/or ballets, and why? I have danced almost all the classical repertoire and many contemporary ballets, so choosing a favourite is very difficult. Three that stand out in my mind, are Giselle, Onegin and Coppelia. I have danced Giselle many times, at first being chosen to dance in Dame Peggy's production whilst still in the corps de ballet. Whilst in the Australian Ballet, I was chosen to be coached by the famous Galina Ulanova for a period of four weeks. It was an amazing time working with her. She was most famous for this role, and a truly inspirational woman who had incredible spirit and vitality, even in her 80's. She imparted invaluable information to me that I have kept with me to this day. It was also the last ballet my mother saw me dance in my home town before her death, so it has many sentimental memories. Another for me is John Cranko's, Onegin. This production is so beautiful, the music sublime, and the drama of this role was exhilarating to perform. I danced this role with Jonathan Kelly, who was a wonderful partner, a beautiful person and amazing actor. The other that I must mention is Coppelia. The role of Swanhilda was so much fun and the naughty and stubborn ways of Swanhilda suited the mischievous girl in me, the side no one really sees in me. I loved it! If there was just one ballet that your students could learn and perform, what would it be and why? Swan Lake - this ballet is so
varied and offers the dancer an opportunity at everything. You have worked with many talented and amazing choreographers. Do you have a favourite you would like to mention? I have worked with many contemporary choreographers as well as repetiteurs of famous ballets. I have had the very great pleasure to work with and be choreographed on by Graeme Murphy who is a creative genius and intuitive man. I have worked with Yiri Kylian on a number of different ballets and always found him to be an inspirational man with great passion and wisdom. I was fortunate to be in the studio for the creation of Encounters with Christopher Dean (Torvil and Dean) when he created his first ballet for English National Ballet. Working with this creative man in a medium that he was unfamiliar with, was exciting to be apart of. Using his immense skills from the ice and his natural fluidity of movement, he created a ballet extraordinarily delightful to dance. As a student were there any key technical elements, steps or styles that you struggled with? How do you assist your students with these today? As a student, I was quite strong technically. I didn't really like Adage that much but loved to turn and jump. I had difficultly hopping on 'pointe' due to my high insteps, so that was an element that I had to improve. One of my biggest hurdles was in my artistry. A chronic asthma sufferer in my early childhood often had me hospitalized and absent from school, so I was a really timid and sickly youngster. Being introverted by nature made it difficult for me to open up my soul in the studio! As important to work on the technique in the studio, so you must do with the artistic side. You can't wait for it to just happen on the stage. With maturity and experience over the years I was able to overcome this hurdle and actually enjoyed losing myself in the studio as well as on stage. I try to impart this important information to the students and work on all levels of their art form, not just the technique.
Discipline and desire! The time spent at the school should not be wasted for one moment. It is a pivotal time in the development of the young dancer's training and there is so much to be learnt. This time is imperative for laying the proper foundation to build strong, controlled and physically tuned bodies. The students today are offered a broad and well balanced curriculum, so there is much to do in this time. What lies ahead for Lisa Pavane? Do you aim to one day open your own school or company? Absolutely not! I feel extremely happy with where I am today. It feels like home and it is where I want to continue offering my experience and teaching. To be able to give something back to where I came from is a wonderful treat for me! WIN TICKETS TO SEE THE AUSTRALIAN BALLET SCHOOL PERFORM COPPÉLIA THIS DECEMBER Click Here The Australian Ballet School presents: 7th & 8th December |
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| Banner Photo: Coppélia by The Australian Ballet School, Dec 7th and 8th, Sidney Myer Musical Bowl. Photo: Jim McFarlane |
