Meet our New Company Dancers

The Ballet Centre studios are once more filled with the delightful melodies of Bizet and Chopin against the excited chatter of dancers to create a unique symphony. It’s the beginning of a new year of rehearsals, performances and beautiful art, and alongside our veteran company dancers, we are delighted to introduce three new talented artists to our team. Samuel Akins, Olivia Harris and Matthew Paten.

What is your earliest memory of dance?

Matt: I remember always wanting to go to dance class. My parents finally caved and enrolled me, but as soon as I went, I would just cry because I hated it. It took me a while to feel more comfortable, but when I eventually went with a friend, I started to really enjoy it. And I haven’t stopped since.

Sam: I started in musical theatre. Someone saw me and said to my parents, “You need to put your son in ballet.” At the time I was doing a lot of after-school activities; I was part of the swimming team and soccer and baseball, but then I saw ballet and I just fell in love with it like crazy.

Olivia: I don't remember starting ballet classes because it was probably at such a young age, but I do remember I was always dancing around the house growing up. When you’re really little and dancing in ballet concerts, you usually have a teacher in front of the stage so you can watch the choreography, but I remember I always knew it all by heart and took it very seriously, even at three years old

Olivia and Matt have joined The Australian Ballet’s corps de ballet straight from The Australian Ballet School. While other young adults fresh out of high school might be enjoying a gap year, or at the very least a few months reprieve after exams, it’s straight into a full-time job for these two dancers. Aside from the physical demands of long days in the studio, the dancers are adjusting to the normal pressures and insecurities anyone has when starting a new job. Sam joins us after two years at the Paris Opera and eleven years as a professional dancer.

Have there been any challenges in making the switch from full-time student to full-time company member?

Olivia: You might be completely exhausted and sore, but then suddenly you need to learn new choreography quickly. Mentally, that can be tough and become stressful. So even though you’re always pushing yourself to be your best, to keep going beyond your own boundaries and improving, you need to remember to be patient with yourself, to show yourself kindness and to treat yourself with love and care.

For Matt, it’s about staying on top of his health and fitness and rising to meet the challenges of a full-time company member. Now instead of working his way up to what used to be the pinnacle of the day, ballet class, the day starts with class and gets progressively more intense.

Matt: The standards all rose. Class used to be where you’d want to be showing your best; now it’s just the warmup.

Even though Sam has been dancing professionally for over a decade, he still recalls the challenges in staying on top of the administrative side of things.

Sam: You’re suddenly working with all these different people and learning how to balance the dynamic of professionalism with the art of ballet. We’re trained in technique, to do the steps and the work for the stage, but we’re not really trained how to answer emails, so that side of it can be a challenge at first.

How do you relax?

Olivia: I love being outside. Whether that be a walk at the end of the day, any chance I can get, I try to get outside.

Sam: Something I’ve learned in my time is that once the day’s done, you have to finish it and get back to yourself. You’ve given so much of yourself to the art form during the day (and night when performing!) that you need to find those breaks where you can to recharge yourself. I haven’t lived in Melbourne for a while, so leaving work at the end of the day and discovering a new bar or new restaurant and exploring the city has been great.

Matt: That’s interesting. I struggle with switching off at the end of the day; it kind of stays with you, so learning to find other things separate from ballet is something I need to work on.

Sam: It’s definitely a muscle you have to work to create that distinction.

Do you have a dream role to dance?

Olivia: My entire life it’s always been Juliet; I’ve always loved the youthful playfulness of her character and her innocence as well. However, about three months ago we were looking at the Olga and Lensky pas de deux in Onegin and it is such a powerful piece that I changed my mind. There’s such power and pain in both Tatiana and Olga’s characters; they embody pure emotional drama, and I do love a bit of drama. They’re such empowering female roles. I would love the opportunity to dance to either of those.

Matt: I love the character of des Grieux, his solo and the pas de deux, so I’m excited to see the company perform Manon this year. I also really like contemporary works and choreographers like Forsythe who create such exciting pieces.

Sam: I’m really enjoying having works created on me; it’s really special to be part of that process and have that role be unique to you. No matter if it’s a corps role, a soloist, or a principal, they’re all really wonderful.

Would you consider yourself to be drawn to more story-based narrative ballets or contemporary non-narrative works?

Sam: I think the beauty of contemporary dance comes from its adaptability. The older classical works were often created on one person, and so hundreds of years later, we're still mimicking this one person or character. I think there is more freedom in contemporary dance, and because many contemporary choreographers are fortunately still with us, their works are still alive and lively, and they’re happy to adapt and change.

Matt: In contemporary works, you're not playing a character, you're just dancing, so I feel that helps you to bring yourself to the role rather than if you’re in narrative ballet and putting on a character and acting. In contemporary works, you’re just being yourself; it’s definitely more vulnerable, but I like that aspect.

Olivia: There is so much fulfilment and reward when you put yourself out there. It can take some time and fleshing out to interpret a contemporary work. It can be daunting and it’s also very personal, but I love when you fully develop the range and the depth of the character and the story in your own way.

What’s something you’ve learned while dancing that isn’t necessarily dance-related?

Matt: I’ve learned that life isn’t always that serious. I used to take everything really seriously, but once I let go, I realised that life ebbs and flows just like dance and I found a lot more confidence.

Olivia: I would say truly listening to people. I’m naturally a bit stubborn, but being in a creative art form like ballet has given me the opportunity to actively listen and learn from people with diverse backgrounds and training.

What’s something you are hoping to achieve while at The Australian Ballet?

Olivia: To be fulfilled by the works that I'm doing and hopefully have the opportunity to perform some of the dramatic roles and characters and tell their stories.

Matt: I’m working towards being more confident as I settle in and to keep pushing myself and developing my artistry.

What’s the best part about your job?

Matt: We get to dance every day! We were watching rehearsals when we first started, and I was thinking, how are we getting paid to do this right now?

Olivia: I think the best part is those moments where you look around and realise you're actually doing what you’ve been training for your whole life. Also getting to work with so many incredibly talented people and see them every day is priceless.

Matt: These people who we looked up to for so long are now our colleagues, and we can learn from them, which is amazing.

Sam: I love telling stories. I love diving into a story and becoming so entranced by a character and their story that you forget you’re on stage. But when the curtain lifts at the end and you see the audience, you feel their energy and remember that you did this for all these people. That’s the best part. Also, it sounds cheesy, but I like inspiring other young dancers and Black dancers. I love that I can share my gift, but it feels amazing to be able to make an impact in the wider dance community.