Wahroonga dancer Larissa LongSee’s attempt to save career abroad
A dancer from Wahroonga may be forced to return to Australia after establishing a successful career travelling the world.
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Larissa LongSee is just 25 but she’s already established a name for herself as a dancer abroad with an extensive portfolio including London Fashion Week and the New York City Center ballet.
She said there are limited opportunities as a professional dancer in Australia which has seen her pursue a career overseas.
But it’s come with its own challenges with the dancer dealing with another visa battle which could force her out of London for good.
“My visa ends in January currently. There’s a bunch of boxes I have to tick to get a new visa approved and some of them have been to have performed internationally and I have all those ticked. The last is to have significant media recognition,” Ms LongSee said.
“I have danced for Rambert Dance Company, London Fashion Week, NBC Universal Television, just to name a few. I’d really like to continue working where I am. When I first came here I had no contacts so I just applied for everything.
“Now with all the contacts I’ve made it’s finally starting to happen and I’m getting consistent work. To go home and put everything on pause would just be a nightmare.”
She said visa problems are a common problem for dancers and it’s not the first time she has had to start all over again.
“I sent a video audition for Alvin Ailey, one of the biggest modern dance companies in the US for a summer school where they can train you for six weeks,’’ she said.
“At the end you have a chance to audition for the actual school which only takes in 18 people each year.
“I got into the school and danced with the company for three years and left the country because my student visa had expired. A lot of the people from the years before me applied for an artist visa to stay in the country but the policies changed.”
Ms LongSee began dancing at Abbotsleigh in Wahroonga when she was eight and went onto to train at full time dance school Ev and Bow in Kirrawee before taking the plunge and moving overseas.
She said one of the aspects she loves about dance is meeting people from all corners of the world.
“There’s ups and downs. One thing I will say is you get to meet a lot of people from many different cultures and I think that’s a beautiful thing.
“Dancers don’t have to have perfect English, it’s a job that unites people from all over the world.”
She said to pursue a career in dance, a person must be passionate and dedicated.
“I train every single day. When I was at dance school it would be 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. It was ballet every morning and then different techniques, either contemporary or jazz or hip hop or musical theatre.
“Then in my third year we had a late night rehearsals. Sometimes we’d finish at 9pm to 10pm at night.
“I know a lot of people who’ve given it up which is sad. No matter how hard it gets, I really want to dance.”