Lexie Smiles (Kunze, 1955)
Pirouettes with pioneers
A passion for dance took this Grammar Woman to the highest levels of ballet when it was finding its feet in Australia
Lexie Smiles shared the stage with ballet luminaries Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev and credits her days at Brisbane Girls Grammar School with instilling the confidence and persistence she needed to pursue a remarkable dance career.
Interestingly, during her years at Girls Grammar it was a love of music that inspired Lexie and stayed with her throughout her life.
`One of my favourite memories from Girls Grammar was with Miss Beverley Paterson, my Modern History teacher, who ran the Gramophone Club after school,’ Lexie remembers. `She played classical music and opera, talking about them and explaining parts. This awakened and heightened my appreciation of music—so vital to a ballet career.
`When I left the Australian Ballet, it was the music I missed the most. It had filled our days.’
Lexie’s love of dance was first kindled by her mother Marjorie. Her self-worth was encouraged by BGGS’s then-Principal Kathleen Lilley. `Both these women engendered a feeling of support and confidence in my own abilities,” Lexie says.
After leaving school in 1955 Lexie pursued both ballet and visual arts, studying under well-known Brisbane ballet teacher Phyllis Danaher, and attained the highest qualification in ballet. In 1959 she received a life-changing invitation to join the 36-member Borovansky Ballet Company, which later evolved into the Australian Ballet.
`It was a big learning curve to be part of a professional company, but I had lots of fun with the other dancers.’
`She was so humble and he such a showman.’
Lexie Smiles on Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph NureyevLexie’s early career coincided with a pivotal period in Australian cultural history, as ballet was emerging as a significant national art form. Touring Australia and New Zealand with a full orchestra, she often danced before audiences that included royalty and movie stars.
`Sometimes there’d be quite a buzz backstage, knowing a famous person—or even a Queen or King—was in the audience.’
Among her most vivid memories was working alongside Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev when they joined the Australian Ballet as guest artists, revealing: `She was so humble and he such a showman.’
Lexie is quick to acknowledge many Australian women have gone on to greater heights in the ballet work but is proud to have been a founding member of the Australian ballet at such an exciting moment in history.
Looking back, Lexie credits Girls Grammar with instilling the value of persistence that both enabled and guided her career.
`If you have a goal or an ability you’d like to foster, then keep that aim after school graduation,' she advises current students. `Keep focused and work diligently and consistently. Even if you are extraordinarily gifted, preparation and groundwork are essential.'
Today, she continues to value her connection to BGGS and the friendships formed during her Girls Grammar years—enduring reminders of where her journey first began.
Lexie Smiles (Kunze, 1955) shared the stage in this production with guest artists Dame Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev
Lexie Smiles (Kunze, 1955) dancing the role of Cinderella as guest artist with the Ballet Theatre of Queensland
Lexie with Artistic Director Edouard Borovansky
Lexie in Year 12 at Brisbane Girls Grammar School