Dance Australia – June-July 2017

JUNE / JULY 2017 | WWW.DANCEAUSTRALIA.COM.AU

24 /FEATURE

LEFT: Artists of

the Australian

Ballet in Alice

Topp’sSame Vein,

"Bodytorque

DNA", 2014.

rebel.Sheisprizedinsteadforherabilityto
conformandbeobedientanddothingsina
certain way."
Hercommentsimplyalsothattheclassical
male dancer has learnt a certain toughness
of character, which gives him the confidence
classical female dancers possibly lack.
“It'saboutbreakingdownthosefearsabout
failing. And putting your ideas out there.
Becauseasdancerswearerepresenting
somebodyelse'sideas.Whenit'syourown
[ideas], you're responsible for, that's a
differentpressure,”Toppsays.
Time, space, opportunity and the
encouragementtofindanindependent
voice: these are all areas that need to be

GovernmentPartners LeadPartner Principal Partner

24 AUGUST – 2 SEPTEMBER

ARTS CENTRE MELBOURNE

Valerie Tereshchenko. Photography Justin Ridler

BALLET TO TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY

providedtowomeniftheclassicalballet

worldistocultivatefemalechoreographers.

“I'dloveformorewomentohaveago,”Topp

says.“Untilyouhaveagoyoudon'tknow

howyou'regoingtofeelaboutit.

“It can be really intimidating, but only by

makingartcanyoulearn–itgivesyouforks

in the road. You won't know what you can do

until you put yourself in that position.”

Balanchine once said: "Ballet is a female

thing. It is woman." But he clearly meant

woman as the dancer, not as the creator.

HewasspeakingofthewomanasMuse,that

19th-century poetic notion of the woman as

theinspirer,themanastheinspired–the

womanastheadmiredobjectofbeauty,

themanasthegeniuscreator.Buttimehas

movedon.Classicalballetwomen–take

Topp'sadviceand“goforit”.Makeyourselves

exceptionstotherule.Itisabsurd,inthe21st

century, that an artistic field is so poorly

represented by the female viewpoint.

PHOTO: JEFF BUSBY

Sheisprized

instead for her

ability to conform

anddothingsin a

certain way.”