Many dancers switch from one dance style to another, having to adapt physically and emotionally to a new technique and new type of professional life. Australian dancer Diana Loosmore had the unusual experience of switching from contemporary dance to ballet after being out of pointe shoes for 12 years! She retired from Scottish Ballet in 2013 after a long dancing career and now teaches and choreographs in Glasgow.
As a graduate of Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Diana Loosmore spent several years working in Australia before moving to London. Initially she worked with a wide range of contemporary dance projects, choreographers and companies (including the Siobhan Davis Bank project, Jeremy James, Mark Bruce and Rafael Bonachela Red Rain Dance Theatre). But for the last three years in London she was a member of the contemporary company led by Richard Alston. It was after this stint of touring and performing that she decided to change her life. “I was actually looking at moving away from dance and felt the need for change after working in small companies.”
Shortly thereafter a place came up with Scottish Ballet under new director/choreographer Ashley Page. She decided to take it. “I was most excited about working with the director -- his vision -- and also the fact that the company was a repertory company which for me meant versatility, new challenges and experiences.”
At Scottish Ballet Diana found she enjoyed being one of 36 dancers. “We were a company of dynamic personalities, an eclectic mix with a broad range of talents from modern dancers to the more classical. The wide range of work meant people were being stretched in ways that they had not previously and I enjoyed being a part of it. I was able to appreciate and perform a wider variety of works by many different choreographers.”
For a while she was out of her comfort zone, having to find her confidence and strength back on pointe. “I had a strong training in classical ballet and had taken ballet classes throughout my career, so for me everything that I loved about dance was under the one roof. I could be in pointe shoes, then jazz shoes or heels and back to bare feet in one day.
“Retraining my body back into dancing on pointe was a challenge that I didn’t really expect that far into my career but my understanding and knowledge of my body was far greater and helped me to focus and push through. The sewing of ribbons and the pain were my least favourite things and I always preferred being more grounded and barefoot.”
Loosmore also had to adapt to a different daily schedule. “My routine was different in that the working day was more fragmented than being in a smaller company. I was working with different people and staff on a range of works so this kept things fresh. The balance of classes was now more classical than modern and I liked being involved in a bigger, more structured environment. There were also narrative ballets and doing character roles was another new and interesting process for me.
“On the whole I feel very satisfied with my career, a journey that maybe most do the other way around. I grew and developed in smaller, more contemporary companies, working solely with one director/choreographer and while company life was intense and the pressures different (e.g. not always having a second cast for injury, physically demanding programs), to be part of something bigger, constantly changing and learning fed all sides of me as an artist. All of my experiences bought great rewards and depth to my work and gave me another 10 years in dance!”
- GERALDINE HIGGINSON
See more examples of clever dancers who have taken up different styles of dance in the Apr/May issue of Dance Australia. Dancers interviewed: Teri Crilly (Queensland Ballet); Neighbours actor Josef Brown; Scott Ewan (Australian Dance Theatre) and Gemma Beckett Osborne, now at the Moulin Rouge.
Above and top: Diana Loosmore in action.