Generation Y
the grandchildren of the baby boomers, this week we meet a 23 year old who turned her passion into her career, and already she�s a star
DANIELLE ROWE:
My name is Danielle Rowe and I�m a soloist with the
Australian Ballet. I guess I knew that I really wanted to dance when I was about ten years old, I just felt that�s what I needed to do.
I was the happiest when I was dancing and it just came naturally to me, I think.
There was never really any question that I wanted to do anything else, it was just what I was meant to do and so I just pursued it. Just after my 15th birthday I travelled over to Newcastle and started full time training there, away from my family. And then after that I was accepted in to the Australian Ballet School for three years, and then got accepted in the Australian Ballet Company.
FIONA TONKIN: I actually first saw Danielle when I was doing a teacher�s course at the Australian Ballet School, I used to watch classes at the school and then later when I came back from England and came to be to be Ballet Mistress of this company I remembered her from then. I�d always noted she was a very hard worker, eager to please, bright personality, overall a very talented young woman.
DANIELLE ROWE: We come in about five, five-thirty to put our make-up on ready for the performance and then we have a bar to warm up and then we perform at seven-thirty until about ten-thirty.
I think because everyone dances from such an early age it�s kind of ingrained in you to keep in shape even when you�re on holidays. We�re always going to physio and massage and just trying to prevent injuries from happening. We�re constantly aware of what our bodies are doing and how they feel. I mean, our bodies are our tools, our instruments so you have to take good care of them.
Luckily I haven�t had any major injuries. I do get quite a few little niggly injuries, but nothing that prevents me from dancing for a prolonged amount of time.
You walk out of bed looking like a grandma, but that goes away.
And I think that�s probably the hardest thing sometimes, just waking up and going �Oh, how can I do this to my body?�
But then, it passes and you just keep dancing.
FIONA TONKIN: In this company, it�s such a hard working company, you have to have perseverance, inner strength, as well strong personality to be able to keep up the rigours. But just on the technical side and artistic side, Danielle has an overall versatility, which is quite rare and well appreciated by this company
DANIELLE ROWE: Just recently I performed a principal role on opening night, in Sleeping Beauty I performed Carabosse and that was a huge highlight and I never dreamed I�d be doing something like that. I think because it�s so dramatically challenging as well, it was very rewarding. Another thing that really stands out is dancing with Stephen (sic) Heathcote he�s just amazing and someone I�ve always looked up to, and to actually dance with him was amazing and surreal. That was definitely a highlight for me.
To make a wonderful dancer is to have the balance of artistry, acting ability as well as the technical side as well, I think, if you can find that balance, then you�ve made it � then you�re a true ballerina.
But it�s very hard to find that balance and even principals in the Australian Ballet are constantly working towards that.
ABC2 Interview by Sonja Dechian, VIC 11 April 06