As a student you hear all sorts of stories from your teachers and the people you meet over the time about the hierarchy of the company. That it’s very clicky. That you have to stand holding onto a door because if you stand in front of anyone you’re in big trouble.
5 Mar 2007
Halaina Hills
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Performing Arts
Dancer Halaina Hills joined The Australian Ballet company this year. She tells us what it’s been like to shrug off the training slippers.
The Back Story
For the last 3 years during my training, I thought every single day about my future, my dancing and my dancing future. Where would I be? Would I be happy? Would I even have a job? Or would I be searching for a job in a ballet company for the next year? (Or ten!). Well now I know.
Halaina Hills was born in Sydney where she lived in a family of 7. She began her ballet training at the Valerie Jenkins Academy of Ballet before moving to the full time school of Tanya Pearson Classical Coaching Academy. During this time Halaina received various awards and scholarships including reaching the finals of the McDonald Performing Arts Classical Scholarship held at the Sydney Opera House. In 2004, Halaina moved to Melbourne to commence her training at the Australian Ballet School. In her second year at the school she was chosen to go on The Dancers Company Tour performing roles in The Nutcracker which toured to regional Victoria and South Australia. 2006 saw Halaina again tour with The Dancers Company to Queensland, NSW and Victoria performing a number of lead roles as well as receiving the Christensen Award for Excellence. She graduated from The Australian Ballet School with an Advanced Diploma of Dance, joining The Australian Ballet in January 2007. Halaina is the youngest of five children and enjoys playing the violin and piano.
