All Rachael Gillespie wanted to do was dance. Ever since she was a little girl she’s dreamed of performing on the stage and being a part of Northern Ballet. MARION SAUVEBOIS speaks to the junior soloist about growing up ballet-obsessed, her journey so far and where she dreams to be

AS THE PRIMA leapt in the air, landing ever so softly, imperceptibly gliding en pointe towards the hypnotic Heathcliff, 13-year-old Rachael Gillespie watched with bated breath, committing every flawless movement and graceful turn to memory.

That day she swore to devote her life to dance and earn a place with Northern Ballet.

The Highworth-born ballerina’s childhood dream became reality eight years ago when she joined the acclaimed company. Last year, her dance journey came full circle as she was cast as young Kathy in Northern Ballet’s Wuthering Heights.

“Wuthering Heights triggered something in my heart,” says the 28-year-old junior soloist. “It was the first ballet from Northern Ballet I had seen. When I first came to the company I was in awe – these were the people I had been watching on stage since I was 13. It was such a privilege.

“I count myself extremely lucky that I am where I am. There are not many jobs in the world for ballet.”

Rachael took her first ballet lessons at the age of three with The Judith Hockaday School of Dance and Drama in Highworth after a friend of her mother’s suggested dance to subdue the “hyperactive” child.

“She just said ‘Take her to dance classes to calm her down’,” she chuckles at the thought. “I was just bouncing around with my friends and I loved it. I started as a toddler with ballet class and I moved on to tap, jazz and contemporary but ballet was always my favourite.”

Soon ballet became an integral part of their spirited daughter - and their own – life. They were drafted to drive her to and from ballet six days a week after school; but on one non-negotiable condition: she had to finish her homework before every dance practice.

She began attending Central School of Ballet in London in the summer and on weekends. Finally at the age of 16 she successfully auditioned to enrol full time.

“I put everything into it,” she recalls softly. “All you can do is work hard. I just thought ‘If it works it’s meant to be. I built up to it. I was going there every Saturday and I was going to see as many shows as I could, I was always at ballet. I never spent my weekends with friends. You just have to do everything you can.”

Balancing the school’s strenuous training regime and academic work stood her in good stead for the demands and rigours of a professional ballet career.

A typical day would see her dance and hone her technique for up to 10 hours a day. After a physically taxing training, A Level revision awaited between 6pm and 9pm.

“It takes a lot of drive when you first go away to school,” she admits. “You need determination to cut it. You must love it, which most people do, to do it.”

AS part of her third and final year Rachael joined the school’s student company Ballet Central and enjoyed her first taste of the touring life, performing in professional productions across the country. Within six months the striking dancer had been spotted by The Scottish Ballet and offered a four-month apprenticeship.

After graduation, she went head to head with scores of accomplished students all competiting for a handful of fiercely coveted spots with the nation’s most select and prestigious ballet companies. Undeterred, Rachael threw herself into her auditions. Throughout though only one company truly captured her imagination, Northern Ballet, with its audacious and visceral retellings of literary classics, resourcefully translating the subtlety and sensuality of language into movement.

“The stories and productions are phenomenal – so real,” she remarks excitedly. “There are a lot of traditional ballets where you get stories that are very rough. I just thought, ‘If I could be part of it,” she pauses. “It was what I had wanted since I was in school.”

That was eight years ago. Back in Leeds for rehearsals after touring as Clara in The Nutcracker, the clock has truck 3.15pm on a Wednesday. Rachael’s brief break from morning classes is nearing its ends and in less than 15 minutes, she will be called back to the studio for a three-hour run-through. She is currently juggling rehearsals for three ballets.

Undaunted by her challenging schedule and the daily strain to her body, she has pursued her dream with dogged resolve, dedicating years to correcting and improving her technique ready for each new performance.

“You always put pressure on yourself,” she says. “There’s always more you can do in the studio. You can always work more; it makes you a stronger and more versatile dancer.

“That’s in the studio but when you perform on stage you let go of everything that you’re worrying about in the back of your mind. You release all your inhibitions. It’s a wonderful feeling.”

In an often ruthless industry fixated on perfection and precision, living up to exacting standards day after day and pushing through pain and injury has taken its toll on the most consummate dancers.

Thankfully, Rachael has remained blissfully immune to the dance’s world unsavoury foibles, storied pettiness and envy (“There is no time for rivalry,” she reasons.). She credits her company for shielding its dancers from the darker side of dance and its wholesome approach to work and discipline.

Surprisingly down-to-earth and refreshingly unconcerned with fame or personal recognition, she is genuinely grateful for the extraordinary chance to live out her passion. “When you start it’s hard and you have to learn to trust yourself,” she reflects. “You have to keep level-headed. There are people out there doing heart surgery – we’re not saving lives. You just want to be grateful for the opportunity to dance. But it can’t just be about you. You don’t want to feel alone on stage. You want to feel part of a team.”

“It’s a home for me,” she adds fondly. “We work together, we’re there 24/7. It’s more of a lifestyle now. You get used to it physically. Touch wood my body has not suffered. We’re well looked after and it’s an incredibly body-aware company.”

Although only recently appointed junior soloist, over the past few years she has been put forward for principal roles. Recent highlights include dancing the parts of young Kathy in Wuthering Heights, Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and performing in Hong Kong to her family as Wendy in Peter Pan. Appearing in Madame Butterfly was also a stand-out moment for the ballerina.

While classical ballet careers are relatively short-lived, she refuses to torment herself contemplating a future beyond performing – or for that matter project herself past the next tour.

“It’s not for ever and you need to enjoy it,” adds Rachael, who is poised to take The Great Gatsby to Shanghai and Beijing at the end of January with Northern Ballet.

“You’ve worked hard for it and you can’t waste time or throw it all away. You just have to make the most of everything. Not everyone was able to get a job, some have had to quit because of injuries. You have to realise how lucky you are to be here.”

Only after a heavy prompt does she concede that a promotion to principal dancer – the highest rank in any company - would be the crowning glory of her career.

“It’s a lovely dream,” she laughs. “But I don’t want to get ahead of myself. I’m aware that there’s a lot of work to get it.”