What it takes to go from tin shed dance classes to performing for 3000 people
By Chantal Nguyen
Thirty-one dancers will step on to the vast overwater stage at Mrs Macquaries Point on Friday for the opening night of West Side Story, this year’s Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour. For many of those young performers, that moment will represent the highest point in their careers to date, and the fulfilment of years of gruelling sacrifice.
Hailing from towns as distant as Mount Gambier and Alice Springs, the hand-picked all-Australian ensemble represents more than 20 cultural backgrounds.
But what unites them is their ability to tackle the high-octane choreography in Leonard Bernstein’s epic musical, which requires explosive theatrical energy, marathon stamina, and lightning-fast precision.
The opening night of West Side Story will be a big moment for Bree Stephens, Ella Fitzpatrick and Eli Clarke.Credit: James Brickwood
Nineteen-year-old Eli Clarke, a proud Western Arrernte, Arabana and Gurindji man, grew up in Alice Springs. His first dance school was run by a mother-daughter duo in a “super-duper hot tin shed”.
“You think of Alice Springs and you think of all the stereotypes: ‘Oh, it must be hard being a male dancer in a country town’. But I was at this [primary] school where a few of us boys all took up dancing at the same time. I don’t think we were aware of … [male dance] not being socially accepted. We just went for it. And everyone was really supportive,” he says.
At 16, Clarke won a scholarship to Sydney’s prestigious Brent Street dance school. Coming to the city was like landing on “a different planet”.
“I remember on my first day meeting these northern beaches girls who asked, ‘Do you have a beach? Are there hippos in Alice Springs?’”
The high-octane choreography requires explosive theatrical energy.
With no housing, family, or friends, it was sink or swim.
“I was doing over 40 hours of dance schooling a week,” says Clarke. “I had to make new friends, learn to look after myself, but at the same time, work to be seen … like, recognised in my abilities whilst also learning these foreign dance styles.
“It was very stressful. But I just stuck my head down and really worked hard.”
It paid off – before he had even finished high school, Clarke’s dedication earned him a spot in West Side Story.
Twenty-year-old ensemble member Ella Fitzpatrick also learnt to dance in a shed. Her Wagga Wagga school had metal roller doors that would be opened during the heat of summer.
For many of the dancers, West Side Story represents the highest point in their careers so far.
Fitzpatrick’s parents worked multiple jobs to afford her dance lessons. Between shifts, they drove her to workshops in Sydney and Melbourne until her talent was rewarded with a scholarship. “They were incredible, and I’m so grateful … If they didn’t do that, I probably wouldn’t be here doing West Side Story,” she says.
Of Filipino heritage, Fitzpatrick credits the Wagga Filipino community with fostering her love of singing and dancing. She remembers constant karaoke: “I’m quite familiar with Celine Dion!”
Meanwhile, Bree Stephens’ first dance school was run by two sisters in an old Launceston church hall. For Stephens, 27, dance provided an escape from family violence at home, where – as the oldest child – she cared for her mother and three younger siblings.
“My dance teachers were really supportive, particularly for us kids who were vulnerable. [They] were understanding of Mum’s situation. They could see how much I loved what I did, the passion I had,” she says.
Encouraged by her mother to dance professionally on the mainland, Stephens was initially overwhelmed by Sydney’s tall buildings.
“You feel like this tiny speck in this huge city. You move to a state where you have no friends, no family … you really have to dig deep to figure out who you are.”
Stephens’ resilience paid off, and soon she was modelling at Melbourne Fashion Week, hosting corporate events, and winning musical theatre roles.
‘Three thousand people in the audience, it’s just insane. There’s so much positive, vibrant energy there.’
Bree Stephens
Revival choreographer and Broadway veteran Kiira Schmidt Carper couldn’t be happier with her ensemble.
“Working with these dancers has been a dream,” she says. “The stage talent is simply incredible and recreating [American dance legend] Jerome Robbins’ choreography on this cast has been thrilling.
“Regardless of whether they have grown up in the city or regionally [their quality] is exceptional.”
The diversity “only makes their storytelling richer”.
Clarke, Fitzpatrick, and Stephens all have family flying to Sydney to cheer them on from the grandstand. Sharing this opportunity with them, Stephens says, is “absolutely spectacular”.
“When do you ever perform with the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge right behind you?” she says. “And three thousand people in the audience, it’s just insane. There’s so much positive, vibrant energy there.”
West Side Story, March 22 to April 21, Mrs Macquaries Point
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