On Saturday night, principal dancer with Queensland Ballet, Rachael Walsh, took her final bow as the curtain fell on the company’s production of Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet.
Walsh is retiring from the stage after 16 years with QB, having joined its ranks in 1998 as an Australian Ballet School graduate. She was promoted to principal dancer in 2002. “I’m very grateful for the opportunities and experiences I’ve had during my career,” she remarks. “It has been an incredible journey that has held many surprises and moments I’ll treasure. I’ve been able to work with the most remarkable people, and have been inspired daily by my mentors, colleagues and generous audiences. I want to especially acknowledge and thank François Klaus and Robyn White, both wonderful artists who nurtured and encouraged me from an early age.”
While Walsh maybe be leaving her position as principal dancer, she is not planning to be gone from QB for long. “Queensland Ballet is a unique and precious company,” she says. “Its joyful spirit and energy makes it a very special place to work. I greatly admire Li Cunxin as a director and a friend, and I believe very much in his artistic vision. I have so enjoyed working with him as a dancer, and I’m very excited about stepping into the future with the company in a different role.”
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Walsh as Juliet alongside Christian Tatchev as Romeo in Francois Klaus's Romeo & Juliet (2010). Photo: Ken Sparrow.
Walsh and Zac Chant in Francois Klaus's Cloudland (2005). Photo: Ken Sparrow.
Walsh in MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet. Photo: David Kelly.