By John Bailey
Lisa Pavane arrived at the Australian Ballet School as a starry-eyed teenager. Forty-six years later, she’s leaving after nine years as its director.
The school celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2024, but has only been overseen by four directors across that period. Each person who led the school clearly left their mark; during Pavane’s tenure, the old stereotype of the draconian ballet taskmaster who demands everything of their students has been replaced by an approach she describes as “holistic”.
Lisa Pavane is retiring after nine years helming the Australian Ballet School.Credit: Hilary Walker
“We’re so fortunate in the way that we’re looking at our young people and their health and wellbeing. That’s a real lens now,” she says.
“It’s a very vigorous vocation, so having that education around how you look after your body and how you learn about it and how you fuel it, prepare it, condition it, is leaps and bounds from when I went to the school.”
When Pavane was a student, there was an implicit understanding that dancers were to be seen and not heard. Now the atmosphere is one of collaboration.
“We’re trying to break down that hierarchy, that power between teacher and student and really levelling it out. Inviting young people to step into the space, to be their own learners and understand their learning. We’re inviting a lot more conversation.”
Greg Horsman and Lisa Pavane perform in Giselle, 1990.Credit: The Australian Ballet
Dancer and choreographer Kevin Jackson says that Pavane’s interest in giving students more chances to explore their own artistic voice and contribute to classes has lifted the local ballet scene on the whole. “Lisa’s been a visionary in her response to investing in homegrown talent. She’s given the students of today the opportunity to experience the creative part of the profession, and allowed a space for choreographers to explore their art.”
Pavane says that a nurturing learning environment leads to far better outcomes than a whip-cracking, disciplinarian approach.
Lisa Pavane is proud of the way the school has become more receptive to outside influences during her time at the helm.Credit: Lynette Wills
“We know through positive education and psychology that when they’re happy, they’re thriving, they’re flourishing, they’re feeling comfortable in the space, then their brain is open and they’re much more open to learning. That’s our philosophy, embedded in what we do every day now.”
Pavane is also proud of the way the school has become less of a closed shop and more receptive to outside influences during her time at the helm. “I’ve worked to try and open up the school so that we have more accessibility and more connection with the community.
“We have an incredible love and passion for teaching and dancing and nurturing the future generation of dancers. We can all learn from each other. We’re really trying to inspire that and not feel that we’re better than anyone else.”
In the nine years she has been the school’s director, Pavane hasn’t been the sort who leads from afar.
“Lisa is very involved,” says Jackson. “She’s always there for assessments and will come into rehearsals for the productions we do, as a mentor not only to the choreographer but also to the students.”
Pavane has been an influential mentor in Jackson’s own career, from his time training as a teacher at the school to his development as a choreographer. But along with the success stories come those who don’t find a career in dance is on the cards.
“We talk about the holistic person and the skills that they learn, whether it be from one year, three years, five years of this amazing discipline, that they can take into all walks of life. When we hear back from young people that have left the school for whatever reason they speak so highly of the skills you learn from being in this artistic field,” says Pavane.
After graduating from the school, Pavane rose to become a principal artist at the Australian Ballet before enjoying a long international career. En Pointe, the final Australian Ballet School performance under her stewardship, will be performed at Hamer Hall on May 28 and at The Round, Nunawading on August 21.
She’s looking forward to a little break, but she’s not putting her feet up for good.
“This school gave me my life, it gave me my career, and I’ve loved every minute that I’ve spent in it ... I’m certainly not going to be putting on my slippers and sitting on the couch with my knitting needles just yet.”
En Pointe is on at Hamer Hall on May 28 and The Round on August 21.
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