The lovely Lucinda Dunn announced that she will be retiring from the stage after the Australian Ballet’s season of Manon. She will perform for the last time with the company in Sydney on Wednesday 23 April.
Dunn retires after an unprecedented 23-year career with the Australian Ballet. “Lucinda’s dancing has captivated audiences across Australia and around the world. She has inspired generations of young dancers to follow in her stellar footsteps,” says AB artistic director David McAllister. “As the longest serving ballerina of our company, her dynamic stage presence will be missed but the treasure of her wonderful performances will live on in all of our memories long into the future.”
Dunn has no regrets as she prepares to leave the Australian Ballet. “After spending more than half my life with the Australian Ballet, it feels like a lifetime ago that I joined the company as a 17-year-old,” she remarks. “My journey through the ranks of this special career has been marked by many memorable and unforgettable experiences, performances, partners, tours and coaches – but it is a fitting time to retire. I’m extremely fortunate to have had a lasting career and been a part of history within the Australian Ballet, and am privileged to have had such a satisfying and inspiring career.”
Dunn will not be resting for long – she will become artistic director of Tanya Pearson Classical Coaching Academy (TPCCA) and Sydney City Youth Ballet in January 2015, taking over the reigns from Tanya Pearson. A student of Pearson's, Dunn won the Prix de Lausanne in 1988 and then continued her training at the Royal Ballet School before joining the Australian Ballet. Pearson comments, “I could not be more thrilled to have Luci carrying on the Tanya Pearson legacy. She is not only one of my most successful students, but also someone I hold in the highest regard as a brilliant coach and teacher and perfect to continue the national and international reputation of the Academy.”