Vanessa Morelli —
Born in Melbourne, Vanessa began her dance training at the Jane Moore Academy of Ballet and after completing her secondary school education she trained at Ballet Theatre Australia.
Vanessa has completed Summer Intensives with The Australian Ballet School, Edward Ellison Ballet in New York, Ballet Theatre Australia and with Nina Osipyan. She completed full-time Pre-Professional training and performance at Ballet Theatre Australia in 2012.
Vanessa was chosen as a finalist for The Australian Institute of Classical Dance Awards, and successfully auditioned and was selected to compete in the Youth America Grand Prix Finals in 2012.
Vanessa joined Queensland Ballet as a Company Dancer in January 2013.
Repertoire highlights
-
Snow Queen in Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker
-
Shall We Dance in Derek Deane's Strictly Gershwin
-
Mary in Greg Horsman's Coppelia
-
George Balanchine's Serenade
-
Another You in Paul Taylor's Company B
-
Nicolo Fonte's Bolero
Did you know?
- Vanessa decided to be a ballerina when she was little and saw a ballerina on the Wiggles television show.
-
When Vanessa was little she would put on performances at family dinners.
Why is ballet still relevant and why has it endured as an art form?
"I really believe ballet is still relevant in this day and age as it is a universal language. Ballet uses French terminology, yet a dancer can perform anywhere in the world and still communicate to an audience through dance. A dancer can be technically capable, however many ballets portray a story and these ballets rely on the interpretive power of the dancers themselves to really bring them to life.
Ballet is always changing and every dancer will have a different way of expressing a narrative or character. For example, watching our QB Principals perform the same role in different shows is always exciting, as they each portray their characters so uniquely and individually which is so special. So when you watch a new dancer perform a role it’s as if you see it again for the first time.
The art form also endures for the dancers themselves because as a dancer you can never stop learning. Even when you become professional, you can be refining your technique in the studio or being inspired watching others perform on stage – a dancer is always learning. There is truly so much ambition and commitment within the ballet world that I have no doubt it will continue to endure as an art form."
