Australian dancer, Leanne Benjamin has become one of the most significant Ballerinas in the United Kingdom and abroad. She has danced with the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet (now Birmingham Royal Ballet), London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet), Deutsche Oper Ballet and spent 20 years dancing as a Principal Artist with The Royal Ballet, London. Leanne has worked and created with the most influential choreographers of our time. We are elated that Leanne has generously shared some insight from her biography 'Built for Ballet'.

Today’s dancers face different pressures from the ones we faced. They may have more autonomy and self-determination, and they may be able to build their fanbase via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, but it’s impossible to overestimate the stress that social media puts on them. Not only can they watch just about every great performance of the past on YouTube and put pressure on themselves as they try to live up to them, but also their own performances and lives are always out there for the whole world to see, and to comment on. It takes a lot of mental strength to resist the insecurities that can arise from being bombarded with videos of other dancers doing technical feats with apparent ease. The constant search for perfection isn’t made any easier if you are constantly comparing yourself

Not long after joining the Royal Ballet, I made a mistake that I have always regretted. Anthony Dowell chose a small group of us to go to Frankfurt to do a workshop with the choreographer William Forsythe, who was due to make a new ballet for the Company. The ballet never actually came to pass, but that’s another story. As it was, I was sent with Michael Nunn, William Trevitt and Deborah Bull to explore possibilities with him. I feel so shocked and ashamed of myself when I look back, because I did exactly what Kenneth MacMillan had complained to that boy about in Berlin. I didn’t concentrate hard enough or immerse myself fully in what we were doing. I had my debut as Odette/ Odile in the Royal Ballet’s Swan Lake coming up, and when there was a break, I’d start practising balances. I can’t imagine how irritating that must have been. Here I was, with one of the world’s most dynamic and experimental choreographers, the creative heir to the great classical tradition, and I wasn’t there for him. As a result, quite rightly, I wasn’t cast in the proposed new work—and though in the end the ballet didn’t happen, I didn’t dance in Steptext, the ballet he revived instead. It was devastating and such a lesson.

I learnt something else. Deborah was quite confident with Forsythe in the studio; she realised what an opportunity it was to be working with someone like him, just as I had when Kenneth arrived in Berlin. Perhaps because I was in awe of Forsythe, I backed off, got nervous, kept myself to myself, and let the opportunity slip. I wasn’t mature enough to realise how valuable these kinds of moments are, or to recognise that if you miss them, they are gone for good.

I met him some years later when he came to the Opera House. By then I was brave enough to go up to him and apologise for my stupidity. We had a good chat and it stopped playing on my mind as much. The irony of it all was that I was perfectly suited to dancing his work and loved the physical challenge of it. Although I missed that moment, I did dance in three of his works.

Not creating a ballet with Forsythe was such a lost chance, because he is one of those choreographers who, through the sheer force of his spirit and his personality, can lift dancers to new levels. After I retired, I watched him at work in Canada, preparing an evening of his works for the National Ballet of Canada, and you could see the effect of his inspiration on the room. The improvement in technique and delivery was huge. My own regret at missing out on that experience is one reason I always encourage dancers to seize every opportunity to learn from the greats, to overcome their shyness and show their own personalities in order to make the most of every second they are together. I couldn’t quite be myself with people I admired in those days, and I wish I’d been more relaxed and more mature.

Invaluable insight from Leanne.

The journey from a classroom to centre stage can be disconcerting because there is a lot of competition and few jobs to go around. But you do it because you have to, you feel compelled to, and as you know, when you achieve your goals, nothing is better.

Having had a long career in the dance world, I’d like to offer up a few things for you to think about....

 1. Surround yourself with support.

Throughout my career I was lucky to have support from my work colleagues, family and friends, and I couldn’t have done it without them. They were there for me—whether I was riding high from dancing the greatest ballets or suffering the lows of injuries or insecurities.

When things get tough, remember to seek out the support you need, and be there to support others.

 2. Compete with yourself, not others.

It is natural to want to compare ourselves to others. Are my fellow dancers stronger than me? Faster? Can they jump higher? Even the best of us can get caught up in these thoughts and fears. As an impatient dancer, I had to remind myself of a useful saying—‘If you look at the peak you might slip on the pebbles.’ Focus on being the best you can be and set realistic goals for yourself that you can achieve day by day.

 3. Don’t be put off if things don’t go your way.

No matter how high up the ladder you go, don’t expect things to go your way, all the time, or frankly that often. Even the biggest stars have been rejected far more times than awarded the role they wanted, or given an opening night, or the right partner, or invited on the right tour, or given the right seat on an airplane! Try not to be defeated over short-term and irrelevant disappointments. Throw yourself into work and continue to learn. You never know when you may be called on to step in, and when that call could change your life.

 4. You learn more from criticism than you do from praise.

Let’s face it, we all hate criticism but positive correction, particularly in ballet, is necessary. Try not to be discouraged by it, be open minded, stay curious and embrace feedback constructively. And when you get praise—acknowledge it, celebrate and enjoy it.

 5. Be consistent and reliable.

This is important going into any job. Be the person who always delivers. If you let people down too many times, no matter how talented you are, they will lose faith in you. Work out what it takes to deliver reliably and without losing your individual spark, be consistent in your training, preparation and performance.

 6. Treat people you work with respectfully and expect nothing less in return.

In most professions, and in the arts in particular, there are times when tempers flare or people snap and when that happens, it’s almost always a barrier to progress. Treat everyone you work with, from stage door workers to the artistic director, with respect and with compassion. Be your peers’ number one cheerleader, stand up for those that may not be as confident as you, welcome newcomers, and—why not do the English thing ... be there with a cup of tea when someone is struggling.

And, finally,

 7. Remember your passion.

It’s amazing that we get to do what we love, meet exceptional people, travel the world, create new work and unlike most professions, we are lucky to end our evenings with flowers and applause. But with blisters on our feet, the repetition of daily class, and a bad en dedans pirouette, we can lose our inspiration. When this happens, try to remember what made you want to dance in the first place. Hold on to that.

As Martha Graham said: ‘Great dancers are not great because of their technique; they are great because of their passion.

Leanne Benjamin 2022