Full-time training: New Zealand Youth Ballet Company
Currently: The Royal Ballet School
What is the main lesson you learnt?
During my time at New Zealand Youth Ballet Company, I learnt countless lessons that I will continue to carry with me, such as determination, persistence, healthy dancing and kindness. But for me, the main lesson I learnt during my time at NZYBC was resilience. I faced many challenges over my training period, but never giving up and keeping at something until I cracked it was really drilled into me.
The fact that things don’t come easy is just a part of life, and my training at NZYBC prepared me for anything and everything that I have and will have to face as a dancer. Full-time training is no joke, and full-time training at NZYBC was immensely challenging, but I have never seen such a fast development speed in anything I had done. The expert coaching that was provided, as well as the environment and the healthcare support, created the perfect climate for us as dancers to grow and learn.
How has your understanding of dance as an art form evolved during your full-time studies? Were there any particular moments or experiences that shifted your perspective?
When I first joined NZYBC, I was focused on swimming and was dead set on the fact that I would be a swimmer and dance was a fun side hobby. However, when I took my first class with Olivia Russell, my entire perspective and understanding of ballet changed. I adored it. It was so challenging, but I loved the challenge.
With every class I took, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of studying every part of ballet, technically, artistically. Ballet turned from a fun hobby and release to that and something that changed my life and reinstated a spark that I had for ballet as a child that I had forgotten about until I joined NZYBC.
A particular moment of gratitude that I had was when we completed the final assessment of our assessment class. If I had been given that class at the start of the year, I wouldn’t have been able to make it through. Performing it and really performing it, artistically, gave me a huge moment where I stepped back and went whoa, I have never felt improvement on such a high level.
Instagram: @hamish.giddens | @nzyouthballetco