Madeleine Eastoe is an Australian retired ballet dancer. She was a

principal dancer A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. A principal may be male or female. The position is similar to that of '' soloist''; however, p ...

The Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur and direct ...

Biography

Eastoe started ballet at age six, in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Australia. In 1994, Eastoe moved to Melbourne to study at the Australian Ballet School. She joined

in 1997. She had some opportunities early on, including filling in for a soloist to dance ''

Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux ''Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to a composition by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky originally intended for act 3 of '' Swan Lake'' (Op. 20, 1875–76). With costumes by Barbara Karinska and lighting by Jack ...

'' with

David McAllister David James McAllister (born 12 January 1971) is a German politician who has been a member of the European Parliament since 2014. He is a member of the Christian Democratic Union, part of the European People's Party. He is the current Vice Pre ...

. Eastoe was promoted to principal dancer in 2004, after debut as the title role in ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...

''. She had since danced lead roles in other productions, such as the title role in ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

'', Lise in ''

La Fille mal gardée LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

'' and Odette in

Graeme Murphy Graeme Lloyd Murphy AO (born 2 November 1950) is an Australian choreographer. With his fellow dancer (and wife since 2004) Janet Vernon, he guided Sydney Dance Company to become one of Australia's most successful and best-known dance compani ...

's '' Swan Lake''. She danced the latter on tour in UK, Japan and Paris, including the opening night in London. She originated the role of Juliet in Murphy's ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

''. In 2009, Eastoe appeared in the 2009

Li Cunxin Li Cunxin (born 26 January 1961) is a Chinese-Australian former ballet dancer turned stockbroker. He is currently the artistic director of the Queensland Ballet in Brisbane, Australia.Queensland Ballet (2012)Li Cunxin returns to the stage ...

biopic '' Mao's Last Dancer''. She played

Houston Ballet Houston Ballet, operated by Houston Ballet Foundation, is a professional ballet company based in Houston, Texas. The company, consisting of 59 dancers, produces over 85 performances per year. History Tatiana Semenova (1955–1967) Houston dev ...

's Lori Langlinais, and danced with Chi Cao, who portrayed Li. In 2015, Eastoe retired from the Australian Ballet. She reprised the role that led to her promotion, Giselle, in Adelaide for her farewell performance. After retirement, she taught adult ballet class at the Australian Ballet and pre-professional classes at the Melbourne School of Classical Dance.

Selected repertoire

Eastoe's repertoire with The Australian Ballet includes:

Awards

*Telstra People's Choice Award, 2006 *

Green Room Award The Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, drama, fringe theatre, musical theatre and opera in Melbourne. The awards were started in 1982 when Blair Edgar and Steven Tandy formed the Green Room Awards A ...

, 2005 * Helpmann Award nomination, 2003 Source:

Personal life

Eastoe is married to choreographer Tim Harbour. They have a daughter. She worked at the Australian Ballet's wardrobe department during her pregnancy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eastoe, Madeleine Australian ballerinas Australian Ballet principal dancers Living people People from Canberra Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century ballet dancers Australian Ballet School alumni 21st-century Australian dancers Telstra People's Choice Award winners Prima ballerinas