Geraldine Higginson speaks to five dancers from three different ballet companies to get the inside scoop on what it's like dancing in the corps de ballet.
An avid dance-goer's attention is often focused on the rising soloist and principal dancers of a company, but what of the corps de ballet? These dancers are quite literally the "body" of the company, but as we see them perform as a group we tend to think of them as a group. So who are these individual dancers and what are their experiences?
Virtually every dancer starts their professional life as a member of the corps de ballet and it is a big change, with dancers taking increased responsibility for maintaining their own fitness and technique. Australian Ballet (AB) dancer Mitchell Rayner talks about his transition from school to company. "It was very different because in the school we were all super busy from 8am in the morning to around 6pm, when we finished at night. I remember coming into the company and sometimes you werenít needed for a particular rehearsal after class and you'd have a considerable break in the middle of the day before needing to come back in the afternoon for a later rehearsal. It was a much less structured timetable than at school. You might only get a timetable about three days in advance so you need to be self motivated and go to the gym, go to Pilates. I learnt to make the most of the hours not being used for rehearsal like that. It was like being a little fish in a big pond all over again, because there are seventy of us [in the AB] but you find your feet eventually and everyoneís so lovely and willing to help."
In some cases, pre-professional schools attached to companies give their senior students experience performing as an ìextraî with the company, and companies develop trainee programs to make the transition a little smoother. Victoria Maughan joined West Australian Ballet (WAB) in 2008 as a trainee in WAB's Young Artist program and sees the benefits of this approach. "I did not mind coming in at this level as I entered with a great desire to learn and there were so many older, more experience dancers to look up to," she says. "I am very grateful to the Young Artist Program as this gave me a year to transition into professional company life and when I was promoted to full time company member a year later, I felt confident as my own artist within the company."...
This is an extract from an article from the August/September issue of Dance Australia... out soon!
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