Facing the pandemic #3: West Australian Ballet
We are now four weeks into the Covid-19 lockdown in Australia with no clear end in sight. It is apparent, however, that any proposed easing of restrictions will be a gradual process, and as venues like theatres were the first to shut down, they will also most likely be the last to reopen. To say that it’s a devastating time for the performing arts is an understatement, but for dancers, whose careers are already short, lasting 10 to 15 years, it is especially cruel. Unlike singers and musicians, who can practice at home, dancers can’t jeté around their living rooms, and daily Zoom classes will only go so far in keeping those highly trained physiques in shape. A six-month hiatus in training and performance could therefore be devasting.
Artistic Director of the West Australian Ballet, Aurélien Scannella, is particularly concerned, and while adhering to the government directives about distancing, he agrees that what dancers need is space. “So, it’s challenging. What’s important for the dancers is to keep a certain consistency - a roster and a schedule,” he insists. “We can’t have a full class for the dancers at home, it’s not really possible, so we are doing a barre on line, then we have half an hour of conditioning training with our head of well-being, and that makes an hour to an hour fifteen for the dancers in the morning. We also organise a social catch up via Zoom, just to ask how they are and what they’ve been doing. We try to give them purpose, some tasks to do, either daily or weekly; for example, creating video content so we can put it on-line for our donors. We’re trying to keep them in as good shape as possible, both physically and mentally.”
Lay-offs, however, are out of the question. “I’ve always fought for my dancers, but even more now,” Scannella declares. “Dancers are the ones who are always working hard all year. Around the world they are working their butts off every single day. It would be really unfair to cut contracts. We haven’t talked about it yet, it’s not on the table, and at the moment we’re good. We can keep all our full-time employees for the next 12 months. But I will fight until the end if it gets to that point – it’s something I will never accept.”
In spite of the uncertainty, Scannella is trying to be optimistic. Financially the WAB is managing, with only maintenance to pay on their home base in Maylands, and all renting costs waived by His Majesty’s Theatre. His hope is that their self-imposed 90-day shutdown will suffice, allowing the company’s season of Dracula to go ahead in September. But meanwhile, they have also made the difficult but necessary decision to let all their casual workers go. “The company is in survival mode at the moment,” he confirms. “By cancelling or postponing all our performances we’re making savings – cutting all the costs involved with putting a show on stage – and everybody is very understanding about the situation. No-one is making a profit on someone else’s back.”
And if they can’t get back on stage in September? “It’s really hard to say,” contemplates Scannella, “because all the people we employ have been working with us for many years, and it would be devastating to go further (with cuts) than we have at the moment. We have plans, but we don’t want to make a decision right now, because we don’t know what the next week will bring.”
Scannella admits that, like many, the company was taken by surprise with the swift advance of the Coronavirus pandemic. “I don’t think we realised how serious it was. Europe took its time to react but thank God Australia made the right decision at the right time.” And echoing the sentiments of all performing artists, especially dancers, he adds, “At the moment the numbers are looking good – so let’s hope for the best!”
– DENISE RICHARDSON
