From Ballet To Acrobatics, These Billys Have What It Takes

ONE THOUSAND contenders, six months of searching, five major auditions, one Billy bootcamp workshop, and now four very excited boys are ready to share the spotlight. One of the Billys, Nick Twiney, 14, seemed to speak for all the boys when he said he was "a little bit nervous" about holding together a show that calls for intense stamina and what Daldry called "the X factor, that star quality that carries the show". Nick, of Sydney, Lochlan Denholm and Rarmian Newton, both 13 and from Melbourne, ...

Pointe To Promenade

HUNTER Valley-raised dancer Robert Curran is pointing his ballet shoe into new territory.

Ballet In Black Despite Deficit

THE Australian Ballet almost tripled its operating loss last year, but its executive director, Richard Evans, said he was pleased with the result.

A Few More Leaps, Then Heathcote Calls It A Day

WHEN Steven Heathcote saw David McAllister at their Australian Ballet School audition he said to himself "Holy hell, I haven't got a chance. This guy's amazing."

Heathcote Ready To Hang Up The Ballet Shoes

ON AVERAGE an AFL footballer is on the paddock for about 100 minutes a week, six months a year, for perhaps five or six seasons. Most will succumb to injury at some point and, at best, miss a few games. At worst, their careers will be cut short. The ones who can push their bodies on and on - the Bradleys, Tucks, Harveys - are rare. Principal dancer Steven Heathcote is in his 25th season with the Australian Ballet. Since 1983, he has trained six days a week and performed two or three shows a week ...