Meet the graduate: Joel Woellner

Trained: International Classical Ballet Academy with Julia Regi and Houston Ballet 2.
Now: Principal Artist with Queensland Ballet

 What is the main overall lesson you learnt?

Growing up I had the mentality that to make it into a professional company was the end goal. Through my experience however I’ve learnt that there is no end goal in ballet. The end goal is to constantly hone technique, find more nuances in artistic expression and habitualise hard work on a daily basis. Having been a student with Julia Regi – she coached and encouraged me in these areas and as a professional I recognise the importance of these lessons which have served me well in my later career. An overall lesson I’ve learnt is that there’s always more to find in your work and making it into a company or professional school is just the beginning of the journey.

What was one of the main life-lessons you learnt through your full-time studies?

Ballet is an extremely demanding career path and one of the main life lessons I learnt is to believe in yourself. One of the first serious steps in a young ballet dancer's career is choosing a professional school to study at and I am so happy I chose to study with Julia at ICB Academy. This often involves moving nationally or internationally and growing up much faster than a person at that age. Many things will be thrown at you, but having tenacity and believing fully in what you want to achieve is key to succeed.

@jwoellner

@icbacademy_sydney

@qldballet