After many years of planning, the Australian Ballet School finally has residence for boarders.
It has taken many years, and a great deal of fundraising, but the Australian Ballet School (ABS) has finally achieved what so many elite schools around the world take for granted: it now has now has a student boarding residence. At an overall cost of $8 million, the ABS can now ensure that the many young people who take the huge step of leaving their families to follow their talent will have a safe place to live.
Marilyn Rowe House, as it is called, opened officially on January 30, and is now home to 23 aspiring dancers, ranging from 13 to 18 years old. Ten are international students, from Japan, China and New Zealand. First available places are being offered to the youngest students, in Levels 4 and 5. The House can accommodate 37 altogether.
For this article, Dance Australia was given a personal tour by the new head of boarding, Steven McKee. Hailing from Northampton in England, he has moved to Melbourne especially to take up this position, excited at the prospect of building a new boarding school from scratch. His previous post was as Head of House, King's Magna Boys, at the Queen Ethelberga's Collegiate, where he was responsible for 120 boarders. He does not have experience with dancers, but he believes this is actually an advantage. "While our students are training towards being professional dancers, I believe they do need a separation from the dance world in their personal lives,” he says.
Marilyn Rowe House is a turn-of-the-century Queen Anne mansion which has been renovated and extended. The original house was purchased last year for $4.7 million, and is situated in Parkville, one of Melbourne's most elite suburbs. The house faces onto the extensive sports fields of Royal Park and, though it is on the other side of the city from the ABS, is near a direct 20 minute tram route. It has lovely stained-glass bay windows, ornate dark wooden panelling and a wooden staircase up to the second floor. Many of the charming original features of the house have been retained while a new extension has been added seamlessly to the back.
The former lounge and dining rooms, complete with quaint fireside nook, are to be used for common or study areas. There are seven bedrooms of different configurations in both sections of the house, ranging from the smallest – two x two singles – to the largest, which has 10 beds arranged as five bunks. All have plenty of bathrooms nearby.
The new section is made up of a commercial kitchen and dining area, another larger common room, attractively furnished, bedrooms, and an enclosed outdoor area with barbecue.
The residence has been set up in conjunction with the Australian Boarding Schools Association, which oversees this country's 180 boarding schools housing 25,000 students. McKee has as an assistant Dr Daisy Brookes, who recently joined the School as its Executive Head of Student Life. Her role is to provide counselling support to students as well as manage the Student Health and Well-being team.
For the fee of $17,900 a year, students receive, aside from their basic accommodation, washing, cleaning and bed linen, cooked dinners and continental style breakfasts, and some organised activities. They will be free to entertain themselves in their spare time: the House has a system which can locate the students and fulfil its duty of care without intruding on their privacy. Lights out is 10pm, a rule McKee doubts he will have any problem enforcing. “Our students work so hard that they are quite happy to take themselves off to bed when they're tired,” he says.
Take a sneak peek here:
Pictured below is a bedroom for five and the entry hall and staircase.