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…
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
