Kirsty Martin had twelve years of ballet training before graduating from The Australian
Ballet School under the direction of Gailene Stock. She joined The Australian Ballet in 1996 and then Nederlands Dans Theater I in 2000, where she performed a wide range
of contemporary ballets and worked with choreographers Jiri Kylian, Johan Inger and Paul Lightfoot.
Kirsty returned to The Australian Ballet in 2002 and performed in the world
premiere season of Graeme Murphy's Swan Lake and was promoted to Principal Artist after the opening night performance of The
Three Musketeers in 2003. After becoming a mother, Kirsty returned to The Australian Ballet in 2006. Stephen Baynes created
the role of Raymonda on her for his glamorous new production of the same name later that year.
Awards
- Prix Benois de la Danse award for Outstanding Ballerina
2009 (Manon)
- Gold medallist at the fifth Asian Pacific Ballet Competition
1995
- Silver medallist at the Adeline Genee Awards 1995
You may not know...
Kirsty married fellow Principal Artist with the AB, Damien
Welch, in December 2008. They have a son named Oscar (born in 2005) and a baby daughter Matilda (born in 2009). Kirsty says
she enjoys "being a mum and having a great family life, as well as a wonderful career. A rewarding challenge!"
Credit: The Australian Ballet
