We go behind the scenes of The Australian Ballet with Sharni Spencer, the Telstra Ballet Dancer Awards nominee who has just finished playing the titular role in Alice in Wonderland.
7am I wake myself up with a homemade latte on my De’Longhi machine and have eggs on toast for breakfast with my husband, Michael, who’s a structural engineer.
9am I head straight to The Australian Ballet centre at Southbank, Melbourne, for my morning Pilates class. I’m always better for it – Pilates really warms me up for the day.
11am We have a 75-minute ballet class six days a week. It’s our time to practise and prepare for rehearsals. I’ve just finished playing the lead role of Alice in Alice in Wonderland and have Sylvia and The Nutcracker coming up.
12:15pm A 15-minute break to have a snack before we head into rehearsals all afternoon.
12:30pm On performance days, we rehearse for 2.5 hours each afternoon. For the most part I really enjoy rehearsals – except for the hamstring exercises. I hate a hamstring curl.
3pm Time for a late lunch. On show days, I’ll have a good meal like rice and fish, so I don’t feel heavy for the performance but still have a lot of energy.
5pm I like to be at the theatre quite early to get into my flow. I do my own make-up and get into character. For Alice, I wore a wig, which I loved because it helped me embody the character.
6:30pm A pre-show warm-up.
7:15pm I get the 15-minute call and head to side-stage. I always feel a mix of anticipation, excitement and nerves before I step onstage. I meditate and try to clear my mind to calm my nerves.
7:30pm When the curtains open, it’s a surreal feeling. For Alice, I was onstage for almost 2.5 hours straight! I ran on pure adrenaline.
10pm I come offstage exhausted but buzzing. It’s a euphoric feeling of satisfaction and relief. After my last Alice in Wonderland show, I got really emotional. I had tears in my eyes; it was very bittersweet.
11pm After winding down with the cast (which usually involves taking off my make-up and sitting around laughing about costume malfunctions), I head home. My husband usually makes me vegie pasta for dinner.
1am After being on such a high after a show, it takes me a while to switch off. I binge-watch Schitt’s Creek on Netflix and have a cup of tea before heading to bed around 2am. I’m a very good sleeper.
Vote for Sharni in the Telstra Ballet Awards at telstra.com/ballet
This article originally appeared in the October issue of marie claire.
