The Australian Ballet

Meet the Coryphées: Riley Lapham

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Riley Lapham with artists of The Australian Ballet, Don Quixote (Nureyev) 2023
Photo Rainee Lantry

Meet Coryphée Riley Lapham who knew from the very beginning that ballet was in her future.

When did you start dancing?

I started dancing when I was six in my hometown of Wollongong, New South Wales. My mum was reading me a book that we borrowed from the local library, inside of which was an illustration of ballerinas en pointe. It sparked something within me so I asked my mum if I could start classes. She enrolled me at the Beverley Rowles School of Dance, a studio that solely offered ballet and affectionately known as ‘the tin shed’, as that’s exactly what it was. It was the absolute best introduction to ballet.

When did you join The Australian Ballet?

I joined The Australian Ballet in 2019 after training for four years at The Australian Ballet School.

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Riley Lapham, La Bayadère Pas D'Action (Petipa) 2022
Photo Daniel Boud

When did you know you wanted ballet to be your career?

There wasn’t a particular “ah-ha” moment, but I was so passionate about ballet from a very young age and that passion continues to this day. I just kept taking the next intuitive step as it presented itself which has led me here. As I got older (around 13 or 14) I remember wondering how the industry worked and if people could get paid to do this, and more importantly, could I get paid to this? But when I started out, ballet was just something I intrinsically knew I wanted.

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Riely Lapham, 2022
Photo Pierre Toussaint

Do you have a dream role to dance? 

So many. The top of the list would be Odette/Odile, Manon, Kitri and Giselle. The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by William Forsythe looks so fun and challenging. I loved his Artifact Suite when we performed it a couple of years ago. Neoclassical is my favourite; big, dynamic and lots of travelling. I’d also love to sink my teeth into something dramatic and narrative based like Marguerite and Armand.

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Riley Lapham and Jett Ramsay, The Vow (Jervies) 2022
Photo Daniel Boud

Who was your favourite dancer growing up?

When I was young, I was very taken with Ukrainian Prima Ballerina Svetlana Zakharova and her incredible facility. As I grew up, Argentinean ballet dancer Marianela Núñez became my regular inspiration (and still is).

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Riley Lapham with Principal Artists Joseph Caley and Jill Ogai
Photo Christopher Rodgers-Wilson

What’s something people may not know about ballet? 

Something people may not know about ballet, is how connected the global dance community is, ballet particularly. Especially now with social media, we can have our finger on the pulse of every company around the world and their dancers. We celebrate each other’s wins and back each other through tough times, even across oceans. It’s actually quite a small world, and I’m very grateful to be a part of it.

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Riley Lapham and Jett Ramsay, Concerto (MacMillan) 2022
Photo Daniel Boud

What’s something people may not know about you? 

I have three!

  • I have a Czech background
  • I speak French
  • I can recite the entire periodic table by heart

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