Presenter
As principal artist of The Australian Ballet, Robyn Hendricks brings the world’s classic fairytales to life with a grace and presence few dancers can match.
But in many ways, the most riveting fable is how this South African-born superstar came to be centre stage in the first place.
If it wasn’t for her canny grandfather, she may well have followed the rest of her family into academia.
Observing that Robyn loved nothing more than to dance on her toes every chance she got, he encouraged her to attend ballet classes at the relatively late age of eight.
That was a big change of pace for the sports-loving Robyn in rugby and soccer-mad South Africa.
But after just a few challenging years of fast-tracking her induction to the art, Robyn’s close-knit family was waving her off to chase her dancing dreams in Australia.
She joined The Australian Ballet in 2005; she was promoted to soloist in 2011, to senior artist in 2016, and to principal artist the same year.
“Over her time with The Australian Ballet, Robyn has honed her ability and grown into an artist of great intelligence and beauty,” says artistic director David McAllister.
“It is always a joy to see a dancer who has worked tirelessly to achieve their potential be elevated to the highest position.”
In first of The Carousel’s inspirational women podcast series, Robyn shares the secrets to her success, how she overcame career-threatening injury, and how a real-life ballet romance has helped inspire her to the top.
To view in iTunes, click here.
