Canberra-born Rachel Rawlins has been applauded worldwide for her devastatingly beautiful portrayals of iconic roles: Juliet, Odette, and Princess Aurora, to name just a few. In The Silver Rose Rachel takes to the stage as the Marschallin, a beautiful, strong and deeply complex character. We spoke to Rachel about travel, ballet and nighties.
What is your favourite art form other than ballet?
I appreciate and admire so many art forms. I think if I had to choose it would be music because, for me, without it there is no dance.
What makes you feel at home?
My family, friends, and Australia.
Who is your all time favourite choreographer, and why?
All the Australian ones I’ve worked with, of course! I love Cranko and Macmillan’s works. I also love Jiří Kylián’s works because they are so musical; he portrays emotion without narrative perfectly. He is also so clever with comedy, which is always so hard to get right.
What’s your favourite costume to wear on stage?
I like nighties, and they appear in so many ballets. Odette in Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake starts in a beautiful one; it’s so flattering and soft. In Graeme’s Nutcracker – The Story of Clara, Clara wears a simple night dress, and the kimono she wears for just a moment in the third act is exquisite. I like to dance in them because I feel comfortable and the fabric floats so elegantly. The costume department has made me so many exceptional costumes – the incredible detail and volume of what is created for the company is completely overwhelming. In The Silver Rose as the Marschallin I wear this dress which is like a shimmering golden Klimt painting. The costumes are so important to how I feel on the stage and I am so lucky that they are all so special.
What has been your favourite pas de deux during your time with the company?
There have been so many it’s impossible to pick! I think what makes a pas de deux really special is the trust, skill, musicality and relationship that the partners share. A special mention for Kylián’s Forgotten Land, Petit Mort and Return to a Strange land. Also, the pas de deuxs in Madame Butterfly, Raymonda, Manon, Swan Lake, Giselle and Romeo and Juliet are completely fulfilling and danced with a lot of emotion. In the more classical style, the technical challenge of The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote and The Nutcracker can be very rewarding. I am looking forward to performing the Marschallin in The Silver Rose; the duets in this ballet are so full of passion and drama.
If you could live in any other city in the world, where would it be and why?
There are many cities I would like to visit. Prague (because I’ve always wanted to go) St Petersberg (for obvious ballet history reasons), Rio de Janeiro (because it would be fun), Buenos Aires (because I have a friend there) and there are ones which I would love to go back to: Paris (because it’s so chic), New York (for the buzz), and Rome (because there is so much more to see) but for now I’m really happy living here.
The Australian Ballet performs The Silver Rose in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide
No wonder she loves the Romeo and Juliet pas de deux. I’ve watched her performing this ballet from the wings more than once, and she made me all teary – even though I was only watching side of stage!!