Meet Jenson Blight
Studied: Queensland Ballet Academy.
Presently: Queensland Ballet Young Artist Trainee ‘24; Dutch National Ballet Junior Company 24/25 season.
Did you learn anything unexpected about yourself through doing your full-time studies?
I learned so much – but a stand out would be my capacity for growth, both artistically and technically.
When I first went in at 14, I don’t think I realised fully what I was getting myself into; that my everyday goal was to get better, push for more, and how people’s expectations of me would grow with that. Not only this, but also that I had the ability to handle all of these aspects with maturity.
I learnt that I definitely loved ballet, and it made me realise how much I dance for myself and not for others.
How did you cope physically with the demands of the workload?
Rest is so important when you’re training as intensely as ballet students do. It’s precious time, usually only one day a week where you need to do something different and rest your body.
Sleeping a full eight hours every night and making sure you’re eating enough food to fuel your body is important as well. Treating yourself as a human being with human needs rather than a ballet dancer 24/7.