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Australian Ballet principal Kirsty Martin prepares for the
final performance of her career in The Merry Widow tonight. Photo: David Geraghty The Australian KIRSTY Martin has retired from The Australian Ballet to be a wife and mother. The principal artist will give her last
performance tonight in The Merry Widow before stepping off the stage and into the waiting arms of her partner
and two young children. "That's
what I really want to be right now - a housewife and a mum and just that," Martin says. "I feel positive about it and I'm
really ready to move on.'' At
35, she could stay in the game, but her shift in priorities has taken away the burning drive to be at the top. Ironically,
it was after deciding to retire that she produced some of her best work. "It's been the best six months of my career," Martin says. "That's
been a life lesson for me. I thought, 'It's my last year, I'm just going to enjoy it'. It's a fitting final message from the star of one ballet generation
to the next. Another is that Martin says she has never been in it for the fame - it's been about finding fulfilment on her
own creative journey."You worry about so much all the time and the pressure can get to you. Sometimes all you need to remember
is to just enjoy it. That's when you can do your best work.'' Another is that Martin says she has never been in it for the fame - it's been about finding fulfilment
on her own creative journey. "It's never been about success or recognition for me,'' she says. "Sometimes that can interfere, mentally.'' Extended family, colleagues and old ballet
teachers and friends have been in the crowds for Martin's final performances. Tonight's show will end with a special ceremony celebrating the
15-year career of one of Australian's most popular ballerinas. Martin says of her many career highlights, performing in Giselle, Manon and The Merry Widowwill be remembered as favourites. It was her role in Manon in 2009 that earned her ballet's top international prize - the Benois
de la Danse. "I
feel very fulfilled,'' she says. "I've had a good career, I've done some great things and had amazing experiences and I feel
like, OK, I've done it now."
Kirsty to stage a Merry final dance Sally
Bennett, Herald Sun 24 June, 2011
MELBOURNE audiences will be the last to see one
of ballet's brightest stars, Kirsty Martin, grace the stage. After
a distinguished 15-year career, Martin this week announced her retirement from the Australian Ballet. Her swan song will be in the title role of The Merry Widow, which opened for a 12-day season
at the Arts Centre last night. "I'm not sure what the future holds for me just yet, but
I'm looking forward to enjoying time with my family," the mother of two said. Martin, who turned 35 on Tuesday, has danced many of ballet's most coveted roles and is best known for her performances
in Swan Lake, Manonand Raymonda. In 2009 she became
the only Australian to win the top international ballet prize, the Benois de la Danse, for her performance in Manon.
The Australian Ballet's artistic director
David McAllister said Martin would be remembered for her extraordinary artistry and stage presence. "Kirsty is one of those exceptional dancers
who just lights up the stage," he said. "She has a star quality that draws audiences to her." Martin is part of Australian Ballet royalty,
performing alongside her husband and principal dancer, Damien Welch, until his retirement in 2009. And Welch is the son of 1970s ballet stars
Marilyn Jones and Garth Welch. "I've been so fortunate to have had such a long and rich career," Martin said. "I've had the support of my family and the ballet in balancing
my on-stage roles with my off-stage role as a mum."
En pointe in
tribute to visionaryBy Grant Reynolds 30 June, 2010
IT’S about three hours before opening night and Newport dancer Kirsty Martin has arrived at the Australian
Ballet’s home at Southbank for final preparations for the new show Peggy!.
She calls it ‘‘creating her own space’’. A space free of the hustle and bustle of daily life and
from the tension built up over weeks of rehearsing.
The stakes are high. Martin is a principal dancer, a star of the show at the pinnacle of her career.
When the curtain rises, her job is to make something that requires incredible, technical, physical and artistic skill
look graceful and effortless.
‘‘It’s about keeping perspective and trying to enjoy yourself; not let your mind play games,’’
she says.
Martin returned to the stage this year after the birth of her second child, Matilda, now 11 months old.
Martin’s star has burned bright for a number of years.
She joined the Australian Ballet in 1996 and was promoted to principal artist, the highest rank for a dancer, in 2003.
Last year, she won the Prix Benois de la Danse, the international dance equivalent of the Oscars, for her performance
in Manon in 1998.
Her journey began when she took up ballet as a child.
By 16, she knew she wanted to pursue dance as a career.
‘‘I can’t remember ever wanting to do anything else.’’
She says she tries to stay grounded, despite her achievements.
‘‘It’s important to hold onto it, enjoy it and keep enjoying
it.’’
Hair
and Makeup tips for young dancers
NAB Ballet, 22 September 2009
This month, find out about hair & make-up tips from Kirsty Martin, Principal
Artist with The Australian Ballet.
Who does your hair and make-up for the performances?
On most occasions, the dancers in the company
do their own hair and make-up for performances, unless it’s really specialised effects such as some of the characters
in The Sleeping Beauty, which is coming up at the end of the year. They need very dramatic make-up, while the other characters
are fairies and nymphs. They need to look pretty but to have an elf-like look about them. They’re from another world
– a fantasy.
The only time we wouldn’t do our own hair is when we are wearing a wig. Specialised wig-makers or restorers prepare
our hair and put the wigs on, and they also take them off and then look after them between shows. For example the Mistress
in Manon wears a red curly wig. Sometimes the men have to wear beards and moustaches, or wigs and hairpieces are sometimes
worn, but these are still put on by the dancers.
Do you put your own tiaras on?
Well, we call them headpieces. The traditional tiaras are rarely used
these days. I have worn a tiara maybe only once in my whole career. When your costume is delivered to your dressing room the
headpiece is delivered with it. After the show, wardrobe takes it away to clean and maybe to repair, ready for the next performance.
How did you learn to do your make-up?
I trained at The Australian Ballet School and they offered some
make-up classes. We were basically taught by an ex-ballerina what to do and how to apply theatrical make-up. We were also
encouraged to watch other dancers and teachers when they applied make-up and take note of professionals and how they looked
on stage.
Once we had learned, we would get advice and feedback about what we looked like on stage from the auditorium. I would suggest
you take your time to discover what works best for you and your features – we are all different.
Describe how you apply you makeup?
First apply your base, as you would with normal makeup. We use a
thick pancake which is a cream foundation. A popular stage base is Max Factor panstick. Cover your face blend as you would
your normal make-up, and then cover with a translucent powder. The best powder I have found is from a stage make-up shop called
Backstage. They always have good products.
The girls always wear fake eyelashes to accentuate their eyes, and darken and extend the eyebrows with a black or dark
brown pencil. It’s your eyes we tend to define as these help us to tell a story. However, we go for neutral colours
for standard roles, browns and similar tones – nothing too bright!
It’s up to us which lipstick colour goes with the character we are dancing. For example the white swan Odette from
Swan Lake wouldn’t wear red lipstick, just a neutral tone, whereas Kitri from Don Quixiote would.
Then not too much blush – you want to look natural but with your features defined.
Putting on too much make-up distorts your face and how people from the audience see you on stage.
Character roles require more creative make-up – for example, if you were dancing the role of an older lady, queen
or a witch. To help us know how to look, we use archive photos from the costume department to see how that role wears their
hair and make-up.
For a 7.30pm show, when would you put your make-up on?
5.30pm: Half an hour for make-up.
6pm: Half
an hour for hair. This varies for different shows.
6.30pm-7pm: We have warm-up at the barre, so this is taken with our
make and hair done.
7pm-7.30pm: Half an hour to dress and put our shoes on.
Ballet
baby girl
The Australian Ballet, 1 September 2009
Principal Artist
Kirsty Martin, currently on maternity leave, recently returned to The Australian Ballet Centre in Melbourne to introduce dancers
and staff to her newborn daughter, Matilda.
The beautiful
baby girl was born on Friday 31 July 2009 and weighed in at a healthy 3.3kgs.
Matilda is
the second child for Kirsty and her husband, fellow Principal Artist Damien Welch. She is the first sister for the couple’s
young son Oscar, who is four.
Kirsty will
spend the remainder of 2009 at home with baby but plans a return to the stage in 2010.
International acclaim for Principal Artist
The Australian
Ballet, 17 June 2009
The Australian Ballet is thrilled to announce that Principal Artist Kirsty Martin has been awarded the prestigious
Prix Benois de la Danse for outstanding ballerina in the title role of Manon
The Prix de la Benois is an international ballet competition founded by the International Dance Association in Moscow.
First awarded in 1991, the event takes place annually and is considered the ‘Oscars of Ballet.
David McAllister, Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet, said it was a huge honour for Kirsty to win the award.
“Every Australian dance lover should be extremely proud of this country’s national ballet company and our presence
at such a prestigious event,” McAllister said. “For Kirsty to take out the title of most outstanding ballerina
is a testament to her stunning skill on the stage.
Ballerina delivers on all fronts
The Age, 13 June 2009
Michael Shmith
"I DON'T win awards," Australian Ballet principal artist Kirsty Martin said to her boss, artistic
director David McAllister, when he told her she had done just that. And the Prix Benois de la Danse is not just any award
— but the top prize in a competition founded by the International Dance Association in 1991. Martin, who won for her
performance in Kenneth MacMillan's Manon, joins a pantheon that includes such prima ballerinas as Sylvie Guillem and
Alessandra Ferri.
"To be honest, I'd never heard of this competition," Martin says. "In January, I received a
letter nominating me, and thought, 'How strange'." She and her stage partner Adam Bull were invited to perform at the Benois
award ceremonies in Moscow in May, but this was cancelled for financial reasons. Just as well, since Martin is expecting her
second child at the end of next month.
She is, of course, delighted about the award, even if she still doesn't know quite what it comprises.
"It's nice to be recognised," she says. "Especially nice since I'm not dancing at the moment and ballet's not really on my
mind."
Yesterday was her final day at the Australian Ballet for a while — a day of cards, cake,
coffee and affectionate farewells. "I'm in stretch-out mode," she says.
Martin stopped dancing at the end of last year, when she performed Manon in the Sydney
season. Since then, as part of the company's maternity policy for dancers, she has been working in various administration
areas. "I've been helping out in different departments," she says. "A bit in subscriptions, with ticketing and phone work;
a bit with company management, helping to organise flights and accommodation; and some work in the costume department, repairing
old costumes and sending the ones we'd borrowed for Petrouchka back to the Birmingham Royal Ballet."
For Martin, the best thing about the past few months has been getting to know other aspects
of the company: "I probably should have known them, but as a dancer you tend to exist in your own bubble. There are so many
people you never actually meet." It was a bit of a shock for her, getting used to a nine-to-five existence — especially
since her husband, fellow principal Damien Welch, still works dancer's hours.
"Pregnancy is a funny thing," she says. "I don't feel like a dancer; your body is so different.
I haven't danced during this time as it just feels wrong. If I want to do it, I want to do it properly."
Retirement, though, is not yet in Martin's schedule, and she plans to be back in the studio
in January. "You can plan as much as you like, but things don't always go as you would imagine. After I had my first child
Oscar, I couldn't imagine myself still dancing or even coming back to it. Now, I feel OK about it. But like Oscar, who is
four and starting school soon, I'll give it a go."
In terms of dancer longevity, Martin has only to look at her mother-in-law Marilyn Jones, who
is back on stage after many years, as the old Clara in Graeme Murphy's Nutcracker, in the Australian Ballet's current
Melbourne season. "It's been good to see her out there," Martin says. "I never saw Marilyn dance in her time, but watching
her on stage now, you can see what a beautiful presence she has: she's still a ballerina."
From Behind Ballet, 27 May 2009
Principal Artist Kirsty Martin has performed countless
leading roles, ranging from the titular Hollywood starlet of Raymonda, to the iconic Odette in Swan Lake. She walks
down memory lane to cherry-pick a handful of her favourite ballets.
Giselle
Giselle is definitely one of my favourite ballets. It’s romantic and pure - a role I imagine every ballerina wants to
experience. It’s very fulfilling because it’s technically demanding and there is so much to explore artistically.
I love this ballet; a simply beautiful classic!
Manon
The
lead in Manon is a fun and dramatic role, which I really enjoyed. There’s so much freedom in the choreography
and so much depth to Manon’s character. It’s full of beauty, sensuality, drama and emotion. I thoroughly enjoy performing this
ballet, and I think audiences love it, too. An entertaining epic!
Raymonda
The
role of Raymonda was created on me, so I hold it close to my heart. The creative process was so much fun. Stephen Baynes has an amazing ability to create very unique characters, and his choreography always feels nice
to dance. The sets and costumes are extremely glamorous and beautiful; I felt like I was in an old Hollywood movie in this
ballet. And having Steven Heathcote and [Kirsty's husband] Damien Welch alongside me was, of course, an added bonus.
Velocity
Stanton Welch’s Velocity is a one-act ballet that I was involved in the creative process for. It’s a very
exciting ballet, with lots of high-energy dancing, combined with controlled and lyrical movement. I really enjoyed doing his
choreography; it was a lot of fun and a great challenge!
Swan Lake
Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake is a demanding ballet from beginning to end. Odette’s character is very complex and can
always be explored further. I danced this role alongside Damien Welch, who has brilliant stage presence and always gives a
lot of emotion to every role. He helped create some very memorable performances for me, even though we nearly killed each
other in rehearsals!
Symphonie Fantastique
Symphonie
Fantastique is just a really nice ballet to perform, with a lot of freedom in its expression and interpretation. I always
enjoy doing contemporary pieces - it enables you to create unique, interesting movement.
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Ballet Baby Boom Continues
16 March 2009
The Australian
Ballet is delighted to announce that Principal Artists Kirsty Martin and Damien Welch are expecting a baby in late July. The
new child will be the first sibling for their young son Oscar.
This exciting news continues the
ballet baby boom that began last year. Lucinda Dunn gave birth to daughter Claudia Radojevic in July while Lynette Wills welcomed
her second child Sophie Bella Burke in mid December. Olivia Bell and Madeleine Eastoe also recently announced that they
soon will be expecting the pitter-patter of little feet.
Congratulations to Kirsty and Damien
from everyone at The Australian Ballet!
Always on her toes
SMH - Michael Shmith
September 11, 2008
Kirsty Martin is a dancer at the peak of her career, and mindful of the effort it takes to
stay there.
ON THE bare stage of the State Theatre, to the rinky-dink of a piano, the full hierarchy of the Australian
Ballet is rehearsing Manon with the minimum of sets and costumes and the maximum of effort. Somewhere amid the melee
of movement and swishing of swords — so 19th-century Paris — Act II of Kenneth MacMillan's classical ballet does
its best to emerge.
Then comes the magical pas de deux between Manon and des Grieux. Suddenly, everyone else stops moving
and talking. The clear reasons for the attention are principals Robert Curran and Kirsty Martin, who dance the roles in tomorrow
night's opening performance of the AB's revival. Even at rehearsal, with occasional stops and starts, it is easy to discern
the pair's sleek and tense thoroughbred qualities.
Later, in her dressing room, Martin curls up into a chair. For someone who spends her professional
life defying gravity, Martin is surprisingly down-to-earth. She made her debut as Manon nine years ago, during the ballet's
Sydney season. "I was very young and only did a couple of shows at the last moment. I don't have a great memory of doing it,
as it happened so quickly. When you're young, you just do it, and don't think about it too much. If it happened now, I'd probably
be a little more panicked."
Not that she is. In fact, she sees the role clearly: "Manon's quite nice and fun and a bit of a flirt.
But a little bit of her is materialistic and shallow, and she gets swept away. She definitely loves des Grieux, but goes along
with the money, which is a little naughty of her."
Of course, Manon pays the price: exile and death in the swamps of Louisiana. It's another tragic role
for Martin, who has recently danced the doomed heroines of Swan Lake and Giselle.
The contrast to this is Martin's Dionysian side: contemporary dance, which she likes to juxtapose with
more traditional ballets. "I like to do lots of different things at all times. You're always having to think about how to
tell a story and approach it differently. But it keeps you fresh, learning and growing as an artist."
Contemporary dancing she describes as being second nature, especially after her two years with Jiri
Kylian's Netherlands Dance Company. "That was a huge learning step. I learned a lot about myself and my body. Then (in 2002)
I came back to the ballet, where you really do both."
Martin went to Holland to be with her fellow AB principal Damien Welch, whom she later married; they
have a 3½-year-old son, Oscar. Motherhood, although it clearly delights her, is also a reminder of responsibilities away from
the relentless schedule of professional dance. "The older you get, the longer it takes from turning yourself inside out and
doing lots of things with your body and then being all elegant the next day," she says. "I do like doing both, but I have
to commit to one fully; I don't like half doing something."
Dancing, she says, has got harder. "We're so busy. You get to do all styles, that's fantastic, but
you feel like you don't get enough time to really prepare before you move on to the next."
Coming up straight after the Melbourne season is the AB's tour to Paris, London and Manchester and,
for Martin, Swan Lake and Symphonie Fantastique.
Martin loves what she does — she has since she first danced around the family lounge room when
she was four — but she is under no misapprehension about the effects of passing time. "There's the combination of your
body starting to get worn out and the strain of a very draining career. It has highs, which are fantastic, but I find the
pressure harder to deal with as you get older. The constant of having your body tuned to its best every day, with lots of
discipline and commitment — I'm fine with that, but I find it harder now because I don't always have time to do it.
I'm a mum and want to be there for Oscar. I need to spend time with my child."
What is often overlooked by those who see dance only from the aesthetic point of view is the mental
fatigue. "I personally feel the mental strain is harder than the physical," Martin says. "My brain's getting a bit more fragile
these days. I really struggle with having the confidence. I used to just never doubt myself when I was younger: just do it
without thinking about it. But the more opportunities you get given, it is a lot of pressure."
Being a principal is also exacting. "You can tell yourself that it's just a title, but you've got a
lot of responsibility. Out there, people pay to come and watch you. Little things can really faze your mind. I doubt myself
and whether I'm really meant to be here. I definitely find it hard."
Each dancer is different, she says. "Some feed off their emotions and feelings to dance, which is what
I'm like: it must come from inside. But some dancers don't really feel anything; they think technically, dancing more from
a textbook."
But she still loves it? "Yeah. I'll always love it. The hard thing is when you stop enjoying it. Sometimes,
when you're not enjoying it, that's when it gets really hard. It takes the heart out of it."
Manon is at the State Theatre from tomorrow until September 23.
The Role of Odette
The Australian Ballet interviewed the 4 dancers who performed the role of Odette in the
2008 season of Graeme Murphy's Swan Lake. The dancers were asked what the role of Odette meant to them. This is Kirsty's
interview:
Kirsty Martin danced her first Odette in 2004, partnered by Damien
Welch, one of the original Prince Siegfrieds. The on and offstage partners were the ideal royal couple: darkly glamorous,
sexy, perfectly matched. “She’s a very regal Odette,” says David. “There’s quite an introspection
to her portrayal. And she’s so elegant – she really does look like her Royal Highness from the minute she steps
onstage, so it’s interesting to see that crack and shatter as the ballet goes on.” Between their 2004 performances
and reprising the roles on the company’s 2007 tour of Japan, Kirsty and Damien had a son together, adding
an extra charge to their onstage relationship.
“Anything I do with Damien feels that little bit more special,” says Kirsty.
“I think we have a good rapport on stage; we look right together as partners. It’s nice to do a role that emotionally
charged with someone who you feel comfortable with.
“The storyline’s very open to interpretation, and I think everyone’s take on their
character is really unique to them. Every Odette and every Prince have definitely put their own personality into the role.
We’re telling the same story but it’s always fascinating to see how different the ballet can look with the different
lead roles.
“I personally feel like every time I do the ballet, from performance to performance, can be completely
different. One night you might be feeling a bit more vulnerable, and one show you might be a bit of an angry Odette. There’s
so many different emotions that can come out in the ballet, and that’s what is really interesting about the role.
"It’s unusual choreography – classical, but requiring a lot of difficult movement as well.
You’ve got to tackle that first. Then I think about the story I’m trying to tell and what Odette’s going
through. I don’t analyse it too much though; I like to keep it spontaneous, otherwise I don’t feel like I’m
being true to myself.”
The Australian Ballet Dancer Download: Kirsty Martin
What’s been your most memorable performance to date and why?
My first principal role,
Nikiya in La Bayadère. My first show was so exciting – it felt like a dream and I wasn’t nervous at all.
What’s your greatest indulgence?
Chocolate.
How do relax after a performance?
Hot shower, a bite to eat and maybe a drink!
What obsessions do you foster outside ballet?
If I have the time I love to cook – just
about anything.
Are there any principal roles you’d love to perform, but haven’t yet?
Juliet
in Romeo and Juliet.
What’s your favourite summer meal?
Barbeque.
What makes you laugh?
Damien (Welch, Principal Artist and Kirsty’s partner), my clumsiness
and my son Oscar.
Pointe taken on mum's ballet move
Angela Cuming
November 26, 2006
Three years ago Kirsty Martin was asked if having a baby would be the end of her dance career.
The principal artist with the Australian Ballet replied: "I'm hoping I could have my first child and return to dance. It
would be hard work, but I know my body well enough and I'd be prepared to give it a go."
She did give it a go, and now 18-month-old Oscar, the son she shares with fellow Australian Ballet dancer Damien Welch,
is a regular in the dressing rooms of the Sydney Opera House.
Both parents are starring in the Australian Ballet's production of Raymonda, opening on December 1.
The production, by choreographer Stephen Baynes, is inspired by the story of Grace Kelly and set in the 1950s Hollywood
golden era.
But while mum might get the adulation on stage, behind the scenes it is Oscar who is enjoying the spotlight.
"He definitely enjoys the attention from all the girls," Martin said. "But he never gets to see me in a proper performance.
He is always fast asleep by the time I go on stage."
There is no word yet on whether Oscar has inherited his parents' dance genes.
"Most people think he is going to grow up to be a front rower because of how he is built," Martin said.
"But he also loves to sit on my lap and watch while I am doing my hair and make-up."
Raymonda was originally a 19th-century ballet. This production was two years in the making. More than 260 costumes
were made, including 131 dresses, each with more than 10 metres of hand-dyed net.
"They're definitely beautiful dresses to wear," Martin said.
Partners on and off the stage
October 8, 2006
Producer
: Marianne Latham
The world premier season of the Australian Ballet's latest production,
Raymonda, has all the glitz and glamour of 1950s Hollywood. Playing the role of Raymonda, based on Grace Kelly, is
Kirsty Martin who is the epitome of beauty, elegance and perfection. In real life however, when the performance is over and
she's taken off the tulle, tinsel and tiaras she goes home to change nappies and likely or not get up in the night to feed
the baby.
"Ten months after Oscar was born I started back and that was a good amount of time because I wanted to be
with him as much as I could," she says. "Originally I think I thought I could be back in six months but you know time kind
of flies by when you have a baby and I was still in my pyjamas after three months."
Her partner of 10 years understands
the demands. Damien Welch not only plays opposite her in Raymonda, he is also the child of ballet parents; Marilyn Jones and
Garth Welch.
"I don't feel like it's affected our performances but I think sometimes you get a bit brain dead during
rehearsals," says Damien. "As far as just coping with having him waking up through the night and everything, I think every
single person who's had a child has been through exactly the same thing."
Damien was also the child of ballet dancing
parents, Marilyn Jones and Garth Welch. As a child, with his brother Stanton, Damien was used to living a life surrounded
by ballet.
"I'd be playing soccer and Stanton would be playing with his friends or whatever and we'd have to meet up
at mum and dad's ballet school to wait for them to get a ride home, and so we'd end up spending a lot of time in our teenage
years hanging out at the ballet school with these fulltime students. We weren't dancers and it had an atmosphere about it
which was a bit different".
Stanton eventually took up ballet dancing and then choreography and at the age of 16, Damien
finally decided he too would give it a go.
"There were a lot of girls involved, you know there's one guy and 35 full-time
dance girls at mum and dad's school" he recalls. "I actually had another friend who used to play baseball with me who also
used to come and wait for mum to give us a lift home, and one day he actually suggested to me why don't we try. He said, 'I
want to try a ballet class but I'm only going to do it if you do it with me.' Well he did one and I'm still doing it."
Meanwhile
Kirsty, brought up in the small New South Wales town of Leeton, was busy winning ribbons at country eisteddfods.
"I
can remember all though my childhood it was my hobby. I loved that more than anything. I hated school pretty much and I'd
just go home and dance around the lounge room," she says. "I had never seen a ballet performance until I was 16 when I went
to the Australian Ballet School".
It was while at the Australian Ballet School that Kirsty met Damien.
"I knew
Stanton first and we sort of became friends and then I met Damien at one of Stanton's parties," says Kirsty. "I thought he
was funny. He was nice he was …he just made me laugh basically and it just went from there."
"Stanton had mentioned
to me that I should see Kirsty dance because she was amazing," says Damien "I think she was coming down the steps and I was
going up and I was like, 'Yeah, very attractive', and we got talking and here we are, 10 years later."
In Raymonda,
Damien plays Adam Drake, a 1950's Cary Grant/Errol Flynn romantic Hollywood lead who often plays film roles opposite the glamorous,
Raymonda,
"I thought Damien was just perfect for this very charming good looking movie star who's certainly a bit
of a Lothario" says choreographer, Stephen Baynes.
Although the ballet is based on a 19th century Russian classic,
Stephen Baynes decided to make in more interesting by basing the lead characters on Grace Kelly and Prince Ranier of Monaco.
"Well,
it was a starting point really in that Grace Kelly was a movie star in the '50s and she relinquished her acting career —
her role as a Hollywood movie star — to marry into an established royal dynasty, and that's pretty much the start of
our starting point of the story," says Stephen.
"From the beginning when we devised this character and we began to
think of someone, we knew which era it was and we had the basis of a scenario, I thought straight away, 'Well, Kirsty's the
obvious choice for … this role.' She's a beautiful dancer and she has great physical gifts, great natural gifts and
she's a very elegant performer."
In a dream sequence, Raymonda is concerned that marrying into a royal family will
not hold the same appeal as the glitz of Hollywood and imagines herself having a love affair with Adam Drake.
"It's
interesting when dancers who are partners dance together because I thinks there's an openness that their experience with each
other that you don't normally get when you're dancing with someone that you're not involved with," says Artistic Director
of the Australian Ballet, David McAllister. "When Damien looks at Kirsty on stage you can see this incredible love they have
for each other and vice versa and that's something it's wonderful to experience as an audience."
"You feel it when
you're on stage and you're falling in love with a person and it's actually the person you love you can definitely feel there's
that little bit extra there," says Damien.
Kirsty and Damien, both principal dancers with the Australian Ballet, danced
with the Nederlands Dans Theatre between 2000 and 2002, and although they enjoyed the experience, prefer the variety of dance
with the Australian Ballet.
"When Kirsty and I were in the Nederlands Dans Theatre we really missed acting because
contemporary ballets don't often have a mood or a flavour that you're trying to physically portray in a character. We missed
that so I think it's something which is part of our love of dance."
"He's an extraordinary performer on stage," says
David McAllister. He inhabits a character and he is so comfortable with being on stage and he brings so much of his life experience
to every role he does and he's incredible suave and sophisticated on stage and you see him sometimes in real life and you
say, 'Where did that go?', because he's such a dude in real life".
"I might be a bit biased of course," says Kirsty,
"but Damien's got a great natural acting ability and he brings that to his roles and definitely to his dancing too. His personality
… he's a bit loud. He like the attention and you can see that in his dancing and that's what makes him unique and that's
what makes his dancing special."
And there is no shortage of praise for Kirsty, either.
"If you were going to
construct the perfect ballerina and put everything into the melting pot to create a wonderful, beautiful artist," says David
McAllister, "you would sort of want the Kirsty Martin mould I think. She has everything that you could ever dream of to be
a great ballerina."
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