In 1980, when Dance Australia’s founding editor Dally Messenger interviewed the dancers who graced his very first cover, both were radiant with optimism. “I think it is about time that we had a national magazine,” said Kelvin Coe OBE. “It has been far too long. One thing that has always appalled me when one reads the dance magazines from overseas – nothing is ever mentioned about The Australian Ballet.” His stage partner, Marilyn Rowe AM OBE, agreed. “A new magazine is an excellent idea. I agree with Kelvin.”
Forty-five years later, Rowe finds herself once again reflecting on that moment in time. “I look back to the first edition of the Dance Australia magazine with great nostalgia,” she says. “It shows the joy of two young dancers dancing with such fun and abandon.” The cover, capturing the pair in Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes, remains a striking image: a symbol of youth, promise and the spirit of a national art form in bloom.
For Rowe, that photograph is not just an image frozen in time, but a portal to a partnership that defined a generation. “Kelvin was the partner of my youth,” she recalls. “By 1980 we had already been to Russia together twice, winning the hearts of the people at the Second International Ballet Competition in Moscow in 1973, and again dancing with the Bolshoi in Don Quixote in 1978. Through those adventures, we formed an enduring bond as friends and artistic partners. Dame Peggy cast us together in our very early years, as she felt we matched each other physically. We then grew artistically, and through trust, inspiration and mutual respect, a special and enduring partnership developed. Dame Peggy called us her artistic children.”
Coe, who became the first male artist promoted from The Australian Ballet’s corps de ballet to principal, would go on to achieve international acclaim before his life was cut short in 1992. Rowe remembers him with affection and quiet reverence. “Sadly, Kelvin is no longer with us to share this 45th anniversary of the magazine, but his wonderful legacy remains.”
Sydney born Rowe entered The Australian Ballet School in its inaugural year, 1964, under founding Director Dame Margaret Scott. She quickly rose to prominence, joining The Australian Ballet at the invitation of its founding Artistic Director Dame Peggy van Praagh, and becoming a principal artist in 1969. Her career unfolded alongside the company’s own early evolution. “I feel blessed to have been a member of The Australian Ballet in its early years,” she says. “To have grown up with extraordinary role models and danced at a time when Nureyev and Fonteyn were regular guest artists, as well as the great Eric Bruhn. Nureyev, in particular, was a great mentor and I cherish his wisdom, keen eye and faith in a young ballerina. Yes, he could be very difficult, but he was a genius.”
The world of ballet in the 1960s and 70s, she notes, was one of extraordinary ambition and camaraderie. “Those early years were sometimes challenging, but the company was like family as we were all involved in its growth. It was also a company of incredible characters, and one of great beauty and wonderful artistry, which is evidenced in the film of Don Quixote. I believe there is something so special about being part of an organisation that is aspiring to an international reputation and blazing a trail.”
That sense of shared vision extended beyond the stage. The Australian Ballet and its young school grew in tandem, bound by a common mission to establish a national standard of excellence. “The relationship between company and school, those two fledgling organisations, was incredibly close,” Rowe recalls. “Each supported the other to achieve an international reputation for dance in Australia.”
Throughout her performing career, Rowe was both artist and ambassador, dancing on world stages and at state occasions. In 1980 she was awarded the Order of the British Empire for services to dance. In her later roles, as director, teacher and mentor, her contribution deepened even further.
“I became Director of The Australian Ballet School in 1999 and for 16 years was responsible for nurturing and guiding the next generation of dancers,” she explains. “Part of my vision for the School was to produce dancers who were well-rounded individuals and were healthy in body, mind and spirit.”
Her leadership marked a profound shift in the culture of dance training in Australia. Having come of age in a more austere era, Rowe sought to build a gentler, more holistic environment. “My own training and journey as a young student was very draconian and at times involved physical punishment and the stripping away of any confidence,” she says. “At the School we developed a health team that became known internationally as the Dream Team. This wonderful team of health professionals did incredible work with the dancers, and along with my wonderful teaching staff created a culture of caring and mutual respect.”
Through her stewardship, The Australian Ballet School became a beacon of artistic and personal development, producing dancers who were not only technically accomplished but also grounded and self-aware. For Rowe, this nurturing approach was both a responsibility and a legacy.
“Being a professional ballet dancer is always challenging and one has to expect disappointment and some heartbreak at times,” she reflects. “From my experience, through very, very difficult periods in my life, I have learned that one needs great resilience, courage, and to never, never give up.”
It is this perspective, earned through decades of performance, leadership and introspection, that gives her words such quiet authority. “For all its highs and lows,” she adds, “it is a beautiful profession.”
As Dance Australia celebrates its 45th anniversary, Rowe’s story feels inseparable from the history of the magazine itself. Both were born in a spirit of optimism and possibility. Both have endured, evolved and continued to serve the art form they love.
“We owe so much to Dame Peggy van Praagh, founding Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet, and Dame Margaret Scott, founding Director of The Australian Ballet School,” she says. “Those of us who have come after stand on the shoulders of these two great women.”
Her gratitude is as steady as her discipline, her grace undimmed by time. Looking at that first cover again, Rowe sees more than most. She sees the beginnings of something larger – a young nation stepping into its cultural adulthood, and two dancers who, for a moment, embodied its hope.
It is fitting that Dance Australia should once again return to her. For Marilyn Rowe AM OBE remains what she was then: a symbol of the artistry, integrity and enduring spirit of Australian dance
“Happy 45th Anniversary to Dance Australia” she says, our first entirely homegrown Australian ballerina.
- Olivia Weeks