Ballet legend Lynne Hanton honoured at NT Performing Arts Awards with top awards for 50-year career
Lynne Hanton never expected recognition for teaching classical ballet in Alice Springs, but her five decades of dedication have earned her two prestigious awards. Read the details.
Lynne Hanton OAM finds something magical in classical ballet – perhaps because it’s a timeless art, having remained largely unchanged for more than 300 years, or because it presents a unique form of storytelling and fosters a vibrant community.
Whatever her reasons, Hanton has remained a stalwart in the Central Australian classical ballet scene, having spent more than 50 years teaching, mentoring and directing at Duprada Dance Company and the Australian Dance Academy.
Her journey also spans international study with American Ballet Theatre and David Howard and performance with the West Australian Ballet.
Hanton’s commitment to classical ballet was recently recognised at the Northern Territory Performing Arts Awards, at which she received the Ultimate Legend and Inspiring Educator awards.
“It was completely overwhelming, to be honest,” she said of the award.
“I wouldn’t have imagined that I was either of those … I was knocked sideways and didn’t see it coming.”
Asked why she was surprised, she said it was because rarely were performers and educators from Alice Springs recognised with major awards.
“I didn’t think it would happen to me,” she said.
She admits classical ballet, particularly in Alice Springs, might come across as unique to most.
“When people think about art in Central Australia, they would most likely not choose classical ballet,” she said.
“It’s an unusual thing to find in most capital cities, let alone in a small, regional town.”
But over the years, she’s watched the scene grow into what it is today.
“I’ve been teaching people from the age of three, all the way up to professional studies,” she said.
“So we’ve got second and third generation people here continuing to make the circle bigger and bigger.”
And yet, despite its uniqueness, she’s always been drawn to it, even from a young age.
“Classical ballet has a specific technique,” she said, “and your dancers have to be on point.”
“That’s the world I was living in and performed in, and I think it’s a beautiful thing; it’s an amazing way to create expression.”
“When you’re doing classical ballet, your interpretation is how you feel, which you’re passing on to other people. It’s not like watching a movie where you sit back and the story is spoon fed to you.”
Hanton said she wanted NT performers to know they were just as professional and talented as their southern state counterparts.
“There are professional qualities in everything, and the Northern Territory should take pride in being professional, the same as every other state or city or country,” she said.
“The amazing thing about classical ballet is you can’t dumb it down, because then it becomes something else.
“Classical ballet has stayed the same for 300 years, and it’s not going to change after 300 years.”
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Originally published as Ballet legend Lynne Hanton honoured at NT Performing Arts Awards with top awards for 50-year career
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