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Tracie Morley has wide experience in just about every facet of the entertainment industry, including music theatre, film and TV.

She was recently assistant choreographer on the film ‘The Great Gatsby’ and is currently performing in the musical of ‘King Kong’.

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

I grew up in Daylesford, Victoria.

Was your family a theatrical family?

My family history is rich with stories of talented musicians, dancers and entertainers. My grandfather could virtually play any instrument by ear – the piano, the banjo, the piano-accordion, the harmonica and even a lap steel guitar. My mother was a dancer from an early age, then became a dance teacher and has been teaching students for over 50 years. Both my siblings inherited the family’s musical gene, with my older brother playing piano and my younger brother being a talented jazz and blues organist playing the Hammond B3.

Can you remember what first made you take up dance?

With my mother as a teacher and mentor, even at an early age I was in a fertile environment for making my own dreams come true. My teachers and guides provided the challenges and the tools, but it was up to me to provide the focus, determination and passion.

Where did you train?

As the daughter of a dance teacher, I was fortunate to have a firm dance foundation right there at home. My mother also understood how important it was to gain as much training and performance experience from a variety of dance teachers and entertainment professionals as possible. I was able to study with and learn from such people as Barbara Lynch, the McCombe Twins, Leigh Rowles, Arthur Turnbull, Antonio Rodriguez, Tamara Finch, Kerry McBean, Jillian Fitzgerald and Tony Bartuccio. I am so grateful to each one of them for sharing their gifts and their time.

What was your first public performance?

At the age of four entering myself into a dance competition and winning at the Maryborough Country Show.

What was your first professional performance?

Flying across the stage in a one-point harness in the production Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Athenaeum Theatre Melbourne).

What is your role in King Kong?

I am the resident choreographer, the dance captain and a performer with the female ensemble.

What’s it like working with a giant puppet as the star of the show?

Being on stage in the presence of such an enormous beast and seeing it come to life is incredibly fascinating, challenging and a phenomenal experience to be a part of.

You have worked on some major films, such as Happy Feet, Moulin Rouge and Bootman. How does it compare with working in musical theatre?

Working in film is a truly wonderful experience, however the immediate response from the sound of a live audience has a special intimacy and excitement you cannot describe. In theatre you have to get right first go – there are no retakes.

What has been a highlight of your career?

Working on Broadway on the film South Pacific with Harry Connick Jnr and Glenn Close.

What has been the most unusual job?

I worked as a model/presenter/dancer on the Channel 7 show Man O Man, pushing men into an indoor swimming pool.

The most rewarding?

Being able to spend every day in a profession I love and am incredibly passionate about. It has given me the opportunity to perform and be artistically creative every day of my life for as long as I can remember.

What was best venue you have ever performed in?

At the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Do you have a memory of a best audience?

I will never forget the enormous electrifying roar from the audience during a live New Year’s Eve gig I did performing with Grace Jones.

What do you always bring to the theatre?

A smile.

What do you most admire in people?

Sincerity.

Do you have a pet hate?

Being late.

Is there one thing you couldn’t do without?

Laughter.

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