I had the opportunity recently to ask Stephanie Little-Hales some questions about her journey as a ballerina. Stephanie is a fantastic dancer, she graces the stage with phenomenal poise and elegance, her love for ballet is incredible. Below are her responses.

Q1: When did you start ballet?

I started at around 10 years old

Q2: Where do you currently dance?

Melbourne conservatoire of ballet

Q3: How long have you been en pointe for?

Around 7-8 years

Q4: What pointe shoes do you currently wear?

Grishko 2007

Q5: How did you first get involved in ballet?

I always had an interest in dancing and my sister wanted to try hip-hop but our mum said we should try ballet, so we enrolled in a local dance school

Q6: What is your favourite variation?

The Royal Ballets Sugar Plum Fairy

Q7: What company would you love to work for?

I would be happy to work for any company big or small, but I’ve always loved Houston Ballet

Q8: Do you have a favourite memory/moment in ballet?

My favourite moments are always dancing on stage, it’s so fun to portray different roles and seeing my friends

Q9: Who are your ballet roles models? Dancers that inspire you.

Marianella Nunez and Yasmine Naghdi and many more

Q10: Best advice you’ve ever received from a teacher?

Keep smiling, if you show the audience that you messed up they’ll notice, but keep smiling and they won’t notice a thing

Q11: Advise you’d give a young version of yourself?

Don’t be so hard on yourself

Q12: Best thing about being a ballerina?

Being able to dance on stage and create joy for the audience, and the discipline is a good life lesson

Q13: Hardest thing about being a ballerina?

It’s very hard to have the certain look that everyone is looking for, and it takes a toll on you physically and mentally

Q14: It seems like such hard work, did you ever have days growing up where you were like “ugh maybe I’ll just pick an easier career so I can be like a normal teenager”?

Luckily I did after school ballet all the way till year 12 where I graduated and then started a more serious approach to ballet with full time. There are many times where I feel I should get a ‘normal’ job and quit ballet, but I want to see how far I can take this profession as its a big dream of mine

Q15: Classical or romantic tutu?

I love classical tutus

Q16: Have you ever suffered a serious injury?

I’ve had a few injuries but thankfully nothing extreme

Q17: What do you like to do when you aren’t dancing (your free time)?

I try to catch up with old friends and enjoy time with my family on days out on the weekend