National Library of Australia - Gateways

ISSN 1443-0568 | no. 68 | April 2004


Oral History: Interviews with Dancers David McAllister and Steven Heathcote

In 1982, two fresh-faced, aspiring young dancers set off from their home town of Perth to join the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne. At the end of 1983—before they had finished, strictly speaking, their training—they were both given jobs with the Australian Ballet. They began their careers performing as Bell Dancers in the company’s production of Spartacus. Those two young men were David McAllister and Steven Heathcote.

A black & white photograph of David McAllister by Sue Adler

Sue Adler
David McAllister [2001]
b&w photograph; 23.3 x 15.1 cm

Pictures Collection, nla.pic-an24408858

Now McAllister is artistic director of the Australian Ballet, and Heathcote is one of the company’s, and Australia’s, most admired dancers. Both have been honoured with the award of an AM for their services to Australian dance.

McAllister and Heathcote were both interviewed recently for the National Library’s Oral History Collection. The interview with Heathcote was recorded in December 2003 in his dressing room at the Sydney Opera House during a season of The Three Musketeers. The season marked the end of Heathcote’s twentieth year as a dancer with the Australian Ballet. This length of service, unusual for a dancer, means that his depth of knowledge about the Australian Ballet’s history during the 1980s, 1990s and into the 21st century is vast, and this experience is reflected in the interview. In particular he is able to comment on the changing directorship of the company over that period. Heathcote has worked with three of the company’s artistic directors—Maina Gielgud, Ross Stretton and McAllister himself.

Heathcote has always been an articulate advocate for his art form. His advocacy for dance and for the Australian Ballet as the country’s flagship company is also reflected in the interview. This is especially evident in the way in which he considers, analyses and comments not just on his own career but on the role of dance as a significant force in our culture.

And Heathcote’s personal warmth and strength of character also emerge throughout the interview. He is a real family man and loves to talk about his two children and his wife, Kathleen Reid, a former dancer herself. It is not hard to see why Heathcote enjoys a high public profile and holds a special place in the hearts of dance fans across the country.

The interview with McAllister was recorded in March 2004 in Melbourne at the Australian Ballet Centre. McAllister is a great talker—an interviewer’s dream, really—and the time allocated for the interview was not nearly enough. As a result the interview concludes a bit like a radio serial. It winds up at a dramatic moment in McAllister’s career, and will be concluded at a later date.

McAllister’s active performing career was shorter than Heathcote’s. It lasted a mere eighteen and a half years. He stopped dancing in mid-2001 when he was appointed artistic director of the company. McAllister’s knowledge of the company’s history nevertheless equals that of Heathcote but, not surprisingly, comes with a slightly different slant and focus. As a dancer his style and strengths were different and he performed different roles and sought different challenges.

The interview also highlights McAllister’s ongoing interest in developing new career options. During periods when, due to injury, McAllister was unable to perform he threw himself into administrative activities, coaching and teaching, all of which now stand him in good stead at the helm of the Australian Ballet.

It was a long journey from Perth to Melbourne in 1982. The beginning of the journey of a lifetime really. Both Heathcote and McAllister, firm friends and colleagues, now have that journey, and the stories that both preceded and followed it, recorded for posterity.

For further information, contact
Dr Michelle Potter, Curator of Dance, National Library of Australia, mpotter@nla.gov.au
Or Oral History Collection: oralhist@nla.gov.au

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