JUNE / JULY 20 17 | W W W.DANCEAUSTRALIA.COM.AU12 / FEATURE
here is no single term that
encompasses what Janet
Bridgman does. To describe her
as a ballet teacher, ballet coach
or Pilates instructor suggests that
these are separate activities. On one level, of
course, they are. Twice weekly she gives
company ballet class to Australian Dance
Theatre (ADT); other mornings see her giving
class to the pre-professional stream at Adelaide’s
Terry Simpson studios, where she has also
provided one-on-one coaching for over ten
years. Wearing another hat, she is ADT’s
in-house Pilates instructor, and she also teaches
at her own Dynamic Dance Pilates studio. Yet
although these roles may seem separate, each
draws on the same knowledge base, garnered
from a life-time of performing, teaching, and
studying how the body works.
This approach can be attributed to
Bridgman’s experience of having to work things
out for herself and make opportunities when
A DYNAMIC
DANCE
CAREER
T
Janet Bridgman's work weaves together the
experiences of a life-time in dance, writes
Maggie Tonkin.
there at first seemed to be none. British-born,
shegrewupasamigrantinAdelaide’snorthern
suburbs, where she trained under Pamela Halse.
Sheleftschoolat15andstartedadressmaking
apprenticeship, working during the day in order
to fund ballet classes at night with Adelaide
teacher Eileen Hogarth. At 17 she was offered
her a contract with the nascent Queensland
Ballet by Leslie White. Bridgman attributes
much of her early learning to the expert
teaching skills of White, who, at that time, was
also ballet master.
An 18-year international career followed, first
inSouthAfricawiththePACTBallet,thenin
Europe, dancing with the New London Ballet,
Düsseldorf’sDeutscheOperamRhein,the
Zurich Ballet and Ballet Frankfurt. In the latter,
Bridgman danced leads inRomeo and Juliet,
Swan LakeandGiselle. She also enjoyed the
challenge of dancing in some of Forsythe’s edgy
new works, in the early days of Ballet Frankfurt
when the "Forsythe technique" was in its
experimental stage.
Returning to Adelaide in 1991, Bridgman
intended to retire from the dance world to raise
her newborn daughter. However, in 1992 she
was offered the position of rehearsal director at
Meryl Tankard’s Australian Dance Theatre. In
2001, she undertook Pilates training, adding the
new role of Pilates instructor to that of ballet
teacher at ADT. Gradually, she devised her own
dancespecificexercisemethodcalledDynamic
Dance Pilates, incorporating a lifetime of dance
learning with new information from Pilates.
Here she was inspired by the renowned work ofDreas Reyneke, an ex-Rambert dancer who,
alongwithAlanHerdman,introducedPilates
to London in the 1970s. During her many
visits to Reyneke’s studio in Notting Hill,
Bridgman had been impressed by his integrity,
generosity and experience.
For Bridgman, one-on-one dance Pilates
instruction is particularly rewarding: “It gives
me the opportunity for quiet observation,” she
says, “I can then identify habits which hold
the dancer back and bring to light areas
where the dancer can find previously
undiscovered strengths.” In her own experience
of becoming a professional dancer at 17, without
the benefit of full-time training, Bridgman
worked with the visualisation and positive mind/
body connection, which now underpins her
teaching style. Seeing the benefits of her method,
ADT have generously provided her with space in
their studios where she can give one-on-one
tuitiontotheADTdancers,andalsotodance
students from the broader dance community.
Now, with recently semi-retired husband
Anthony Bridgman, she is heading to Europe
on an open-ended trip to research how Pilates is
currently being utilised by prominent
companies and dance institutions in UK. No
doubt she will be missed at ADT, where, with 25
years’ service, she is the longest serving
company member. On her eventual return, she
looks forward to incorporating all this new
information into a uniquely holistic approach to
dance that has benefitted and inspired so many
dancers Australia wide.
-MAGGIETONKINJanet Bridgman rehearsing
Sleeping Beauty's Bluebird pas
de deux from at PACT Ballet in
South Africa, circa 1973.
BELOW: Bridgman today.PHOTO: PLINIO REINALDO HURTADOPHOTO: ANTHONY FORSEY