Tale of a dancer

fourth wall’’ where a dancer feels the connection with the audience.

‘‘When you have shared energy and really connect with the audience, that’s an incredible moment. It’s a special thing to be able to perform on stage. I’ve always found that has been my release – being able to get so completely in the zone, giving your soul.’’

Boyle grew up predominantly in Auckland with her three older brothers. Her mother taught her violin from the age of 5 and was pretty keen on her following a career in music. While not fulfilling her mother’s wish, music played a huge role in her success as a dancer.

At 5 she followed her best friend into ballet lessons and loved it immediately. ‘‘I think I loved all aspects of performing, of being out there. I’d dress up and perform to my teddy bears listening to my dad’s Tina Turner albums. I was always looking to portray a character, to be someone else.’’

Studying at North Shore Ballet Academy under Delphine Burkett, Boyle loved the athleticism of ballet, loved getting sweaty, getting that endorphin high.

She wasn’t aiming to get anywhere with it: ‘‘I just loved the movement. I liked what it did to sculpt my body. I enjoyed improving and excelling at this art form.’’

At 15 she won a national ballet competition and suddenly realised she could take this further – actually make a career out of it.

She started auditioning for schools overseas and won a place at the English National Ballet School. It was a coup but, being a ‘‘home girl’’, she turned it down in favour of a place at Te Whaea: New Zealand School of Dance.

Going so far away from her parents and brothers was just too hard, she says.

But after a year at Te Whaea she stalled, unsure whether she wanted to devote her life to the art. She quit dance and worked in a cafe churning out flat whites while contemplating her future.

Of course, her hiatus was never going to last long. After a year she took a dance class, which was enough to reignite the fire.

‘‘That step away helped me decide that I really and truly wanted this life. I wanted to be a dancer.’’

After finishing her studies, she spent two weeks dancing with the RNZ Ballet. At the end of her sojourn, then artistic director Gary Harris told her she was too tall (she’s 5ft 8, 1.72m). There were no men in the company tall enough to partner her so he was unwilling to offer a place, she says.

At the end of 2005, resigned to auditioning for companies overseas, she decided to do a formal audition for the RNZB for no other reason than to gain experience in that process.

That paid off. ‘‘After the audition Gary pulled me aside and said the next contract was for me. I won him over.’’

It was a daunting experience, being the new kid on the block. She would watch how the established professionals in the company worked, pick the dancers she admired and found ways to work like them.

Back then, she was bullet-proof, she says. ‘‘I could put my leg right up there and bash my body about. I was fearless in the early days taking crazy contemporary roles without worrying about breaking a rib. As a young dancer the world is your oyster. It’s a whole new world with so many possibilities. It was only about eight years later I realised my body will deteriorate.’’

Her body has taken a bashing all right: stress fractures, broken wrist, forearm and elbow, back trauma, torn calf muscle, neck spasms, sprained ankle.

Pain is a common companion for ballet dancers. Adrenaline is a powerful painkiller, she says, but it’s become less effective in recent years.

‘‘I am a more mindful dancer these days. Because I understand my body a whole lot better than I did when I started with the company 13 years ago, I attack technical roles with a better understanding of my body.’’

Her last role as Artemis – Greek goddess of the hunt and nurturer of young people – is befitting of her new career as a teacher.

Following her retirement she’ll join RNZB Education, teaching open classes around New Zealand during the RNZB’s Black Swan, White Swan tour. She will also continue to teach students through Te Whaea.

Boyle steels herself against raw emotion when she considers the end of her career performing on stage.

‘‘It’s been a long love affair. I have had my ups and downs but when you’re out there, you have the most pure, innocent and uninhibited relationship on that stage with your art form. It’s a beautiful feeling.’’