At five years of age Lisa Edwards put on her first pair of ballet shoes and knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life on the stage.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Since starting at the Dance Academy at Dubbo Ms Edwards has danced her way through Europe and Australia and this year marks her 10th year with Queensland Ballet.
"The best part is that you're doing what you love. You make such great friends that you'll have for life," Ms Edwards said.
"And the costumes and headpieces. There's a lady, Suzie, and she makes the most beautiful headpieces."
The hours are typical of most full-time jobs. Ms Edwards said she worked 9.30am to 5.30pm during the week and half a day on Saturday.
Ms Edwards said she danced in about 130 performances per year and had been cast in a range of roles from the lead in Giselle to the Suger Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker.
During the recent G20 summit in Brisbane, Ms Edwards performed Cinderella Pas de Deux on a tiny stage for the wives of the visiting dignitaries.
"It's such a rewarding job, especially when you nail it and you hear the response from the audience," she said.
However, like every job, Ms Edwards said there were also aspects she didn't enjoy.
"The tiredness, soreness and the blisters are the worst. Brisbane is a lot more humid then here, but you get used to it," Ms Edwards said.
She said she went through a pair of pointe shoes per day, rarely breaking them in unless it was a performance that required softer shoes.