Gisborne-raised ballet dancer Laura Griffiths has returned home from London as one of the newest arrivals to The Australian Ballet.
The 19-year-old has been preparing for David Hallberg’s Swan Lake and, soon, Fredrick Ashton’s The Dream, which will travel to Sydney.
“This feeling is euphoric receiving an offer of any kind, but this one especially,” Laura said.
“I watched The Australian Ballet for years growing up, and they informed what I knew as professional ballet. I aspired to be a part of the company in Australia one day.”
As a student, Laura’s path took her on what she describes as “a full circle adventure” after not being accepted into The Australian Ballet School three years earlier.
She was instead accepted into the English National Ballet School, in London, and left the country to train at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
From Gisborne to London
Moving abroad was a big step for a 16-year-old, made even more difficult as ongoing uncertainties created new challenges world-wide.
“It felt like the right thing to do if I wanted to pursue ballet,” Laura said. “It was amazing – meeting and learning from so many inspiring figures, and friends from across the world.
“Watching famous ballerinas regularly and even meeting some at the Royal Opera House stage door was surreal.”
Laura performed her first-year ballet piece at the Roundhouse Theatre, a contemporary ballet piece, Grace and Gravity, to raise funds for war-torn Ukraine, and has also danced at Sadler’s Wells Theatre.
Other highlights were performing at a Theatre Royal Netflix premiere in Convent Garden and a George Balanchine professional repertoire (ballet and jazz fusion) for her graduating show in July.
But one role that holds many memories is dancing the ‘Giselle’ Act One solo. She has performed this role in New Zealand in 2019 at the Alana Haines Australasian awards, National Cecchetti competition and for an audition reel earlier this year.
“With many great moments also came some of the biggest challenges, like being away from family during pandemic lockdowns and getting injured at the beginning of graduate year, right before audition season,” she said.
Still, Laura wouldn’t change a thing.
“I built resilience during this time. I learnt more about looking after my body / mind equally, as well as enjoying other aspects of life,” she said.
Early love of dance
Laura was just four years old when she fell in love with dance. She recalled the magic from the front rows of a local dance concert featuring Snow White at Kyneton Town Hall.
“One student was performing a solo and wore a bright, hot pink, bedazzled tutu and tiara. This was the first thing that attracted me to ballet: the chance to dress up and wear the costumes onstage,” she said.
Her parents didn’t delay enrolling her in a jazz class at the same school: Carmel Amelia School of Dance. At her insistence, the very next year she would begin ballet training there too, across Gisborne and Woodend.
She travelled to dance competitions across the state and to Sydney for nationals. Many local residents will recall her concert-starring role as Thumbelina.
“At the theatre for the week of dress rehearsals, concerts or competition time was always the best part. All of us loved the theatre buzz,” she said.
“It felt like a big family, the comradery of receiving troupe awards together and performing alongside each other in full glam was fun.”
Laura was 11 when she began at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School in Melbourne.
At this time she also performed as Clara in The Nutcracker with a small youth company in Melbourne.
A feeling like no other
No matter where she has been performing, Laura said “being part of a collective appreciation for dance and gifting it to people is a feeling like no other”.
“Performing and dancing on stage to me feels like a celebration and appreciation for the artform,” Laura said.
“I love getting the costume on, letting my body respond to the music, but mostly showing what joy dance can bring.
“Dancing has this powerful capability to liberate, communicate, story tell and celebrate music and movement simultaneously.”
Laura encourages young dancers to work hard and pursue their dreams.
“There’s an opportunity to learn and grow with anything life surprises you with. There’s always going to be rocky times, in amongst the amazing ones,” she said.
“I think being open, curious and willing to take on the challenges – as much as the exciting opportunities – is what’s helped me a lot. Every situation is determined by how you choose to look at it, and so with a positive outlook and courage you can achieve anything you put your mind towards. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Enjoy the ride and embrace it!”
