Australian Ballet star Kirsty Martin bows out

Kirsty Martin, one of the enduring stars of the Australian Ballet, has announced that her days as a dancer are coming to an end after 15 years on stage. Martin will retire after the final performance of The Merry Widow in Melbourne on July 4. She joined the company in 1995 and was promoted to principal artist in 2003.

“Kirsty is one of those exceptional dancers [who] just lights up the stage. She has a star quality that draws audiences to her,” AB artistic director David McAllister says. “Her luminous performances will be remembered fondly by all those who have watched her.” The Australian

Which is all very good. Only that Martin says “I’ve been so fortunate to have had such a long and rich career.” She’s 35…

Gramilano( Editor )

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano’) about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.

His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.