In the Oct/Nov '16 issue of Dance Australia we ran a Careers Special, entitled "Life after dance", all about the many career paths open to dancers, aside from performance. This profile is one of a series that appear in the article.
Rachel Crompton is Pilates director at Elixr Health Clubs. Prior to training as a Pilates instructor she had a dance career which took her from Queensland’s Darc Swan all the way to the Moulin Rouge in Paris, and as a freelance choreographer, working on the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, as well as Sydney Showboat. She talks to Nina Levy about her career path.
Why did you choose to leave your performance-based career?
I was 32, which is getting quite old for a dancer, and job opportunities weren’t as frequent. I had felt like I had ticked all the boxes I wanted to as a dancer and was ready to move on. Plus I was getting to a point in my life where I wanted some job security. I had also fallen pregnant and knew there would be no dancing work for a long time.
How did you transition from dancer to your current position, Pilates director at Elixr Health Clubs?
I was doing Pilates at my local gym and totally fell in love with it. I felt it gave my muscles and body a similar work out as dance. In 2002 I studied my Certificate III and IV in Fitness then did my full Pilates instructor certification and became an instructor at Elixr Health Clubs in Sydney. Elixr was one of the first Pilates clubs in Sydney. We also continue to evolve the Elixr Pilates style with updated scientific research, so as an Instructor, I will never stop learning and never stop taking courses.
What does being a Pilates director involve?
I audition and train new instructors for Elixr Health Clubs. I also look after the timetables of almost 200 Pilates classes across our two clubs, look at member feedback, write Pilates and fitness courses, and importantly look after quality control – I love helping our instructors become better. I monitor and give them feedback on their teaching - there’s always something to improve or something new to learn. This applies to me too!
What don’t you miss about performing?
I love performing, there is nothing more fulfilling. What I don’t miss are the rehearsals and the aching body that goes with it, the constant nursing of strains or injuries.
What do you enjoy about teaching Pilates and being a director?
I love the buzz you get from teaching classes. It is so rewarding making a positive difference to people’s lives. I also equally enjoy the satisfaction of having private clients as I have met some incredibly successful people I would never usually meet. I have made great friendships with many of them.
What skills/knowledge did you bring from your performance career to your Pilates career?
Discipline, hard work, passion, and the ability to ‘see’ the body and to correct it - to see where people hold tension, which muscles are weak, what parts of the body need mobility or stability. Teaching a class is in many ways like a performance. You have to bring a certain amount of performance energy to your presentation. You have to correctly program the class, keep people interested and motivated and make them want to stay till the end.
Want to read more like this? Subscribe to Dance Australia here!