Georgia Swan's Story —
Pointe Shoe Appeal
At the age of 13, I put on my first pair of precious pointe shoes. I was so excited and couldn't wait to get home and practice before my first pointe class. When I joined Queensland Ballet as a Company Dancer in 2016 I started a ritual of numbering my pointes to help me keep track - I am now up to 358 pairs!
Transforming into character is one of my favourite aspects of our beautiful art form. We spend weeks in the studio rehearsing before opening night, it's fun to develop your character knowing it’ll help convey the story for the audience. Adding the costume is the final layer in bringing your character to life, like adding the icing on a cake!
I cherish every opportunity to perform. A career highlight was playing Edith in the world premiere season of Greg Horsman’s La Bayadère. Edith’s costume allowed me to transform into a bold character. A feisty and spoilt girl engaged to marry a prince, she wears a deep red wig which helped me get in a fierce mood to play the role. As Edith, I had the privilege to wear the most elegant, beautiful and sparkly costumes made especially for me by our in-house wardrobe team. They also play an important part backstage maintaining our costumes and fixing any wardrobe malfunctions during the shows!
Another memorable costume is the Odette tutu in Swan Lake. The gorgeous white tutu is simple, yet stunning. It is the epitome of classical ballet for so many. I’ve never felt like more of a ballerina in the moments before entering the stage wearing this beautiful costume.