An interview with Eilis Small | Why Dance Matters

The Royal Academy of Dance will soon hold the annual Margot Fonteyn International Ballet Competition, where promising dancers from across the world dance their hearts out in front of some of ballet’s big names.

In 2014, the Australian ballerina Eilis Small took part in the predecessor to the Fonteyn, the Genée, held that year in Antwerp, but didn’t make the final. Yet she now has a fulfilling career with Birmingham Royal Ballet – she’s here to prove that what happens in a ballet competition shouldn’t stop you from living your best dancing life.

Eilis Small was born in Canberra, Australia. She trained at the Lisa Clark Academy and Australian Ballet School, and took part in the Genée International Ballet Competition. In 2018, she joined Birmingham Royal Ballet, where her roles include creating the lead role in Daniela Cardim’s Imminent, alongside prominent roles in Carlos Acosta’s Don Quixote,

David Bintley’s Cinderella, The Nutcracker Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty.

LINKS

Eilis Small at Birmingham Royal Ballet
https://www.brb.org.uk/profile/eilis-small

The Fonteyn
https://www.thefonteyn.org/

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