Page 49 - DANCE 2020 Full Time Studies Guide

Full-Time STudieS Guide 2020
Training mind and muscle
One path toward being in the Queensland Ballet.
LIBBY-ROSE Niederer has travelled a long way to achieve her dream. She left her home in New Zealand to take
up full-time training with the Queensland Ballet Academy Senior Program in Brisbane. There she could continue the dance studies she had achieved in Auckland as well as complete Year 12 of her academic studies.
The move proved to be decisive – in a very short time she became a Young Artist with the Queensland Ballet. “You have a salary and participate in classes and shows while still being mentored,” she explains of the position. “So this was like a transitional year, with the added benefits of being with a number of other Young Artists from my year with the Academy. Having those friends with me was really helpful.”
Nonetheless, she did find the adjustment to the different work load a bit hard at first, “not because it was heavier than what I had been used to, but that in school we had full timetables and scheduled classes. Within the company, however, you are often not needed for all rehearsals, and so with more free time on your hands, you now take more responsibility for your own training and fitness.”
Now in her second year with the Queensland Ballet, Libby-Rose looks back on her studies and her teachers with gratitude. “We had some incredible performance experiences – such as our own season of Muscle Memory by Gareth Billing, where we were fortunate to be able to work with a choreographer and to be part of the whole creative process. Another highlight for me was the opportunity to perform the pas de deux of the Nutcracker Sugar Pas with the Queensland Conservatorium Orchestra. The opportunity to dance a pas and solos that are usually roles for principal dancers was an amazing challenge for me and I know this has helped me grow as a dancer.
Her advice to others following her path? “I wish I knew when I was studying that although you can be as prepared as possible technically and physically, it’s not just about that! You have to be extremely confident and mentally prepared for company life too, as once you are in the company it’s as much about staying on top of your mental game as it is about staying on top of your physical game.”
Libby-Rose moved from New Zealand to study in Queensland.
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019 | WWW.DANCEAUSTRALIA.COM.AU | 49
PHOTO: DAVID KELLY