Full-time training: Tanya Pearson Classical Coaching Academy and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of American Ballet Theatre, with Cynthia Harvey and Ethan Stiefel.
Presently: Soloist at The Australian Ballet.
What is one skill or quality that your full-time studies helped you develop or strengthen? How has this impacted you?
A quality that my full-time studies helped me develop was definitely resilience. I would say that this has been absolutely essential to my experience as a dancer. Without resilience, I would have no career, as I’ve faced obstacles and challenges at every turn. This is the life of a dancer. Challenging and rewarding, hard work and perseverance. Artistry and commitment.
Learning how to manage myself through tough times was the best way for me to become the person I am today. Being a dancer is a tough life to choose: a complex, wonderful and ultimately rewarding experience, but not one without hardship. Learning to fend for myself and start the journey towards being who I want to be, with this resilience on my side, was paramount to my success.
For a young person, learning to handle pressure with maturity, remain dependable in challenging environments, and approach obstacles with a positive mindset in a professional ballet setting was invaluable, and I’m grateful to have had that experience at TPA.
What is the main lesson you learnt?
One of the main lessons I learnt at school is understanding the importance of working sustainably: working smart over working hard. Recognising my own physical limits but not being defined by them.
I broke both of my feet at school. In part, I believe this was due to my ravenous ambition, but mostly because I had yet to learn to take care of myself in support of the work I was doing to become the ballerina I always wanted to be, rather than to its detriment.
I’m learning still that being professional doesn’t necessarily mean pushing myself at the expense of my wellbeing — it means knowing how to work smart, manage myself responsibly, and deliver consistently.
I’ve also realised that what works for others may not always work for me, and that taking care of myself in a mature and self-aware way ultimately helps me perform better and contribute more effectively.
Self-care and self-advocacy can sometimes be neglected in the ballet world, and I hope that young dancers are learning sooner than the generation before them that nothing will beat being the healthiest and most well-rounded version of yourself.
Instagram: @katherinesonnekus