Local product and legendary ballet dancer, Paul Knobloch, has taken time during the COVID-19 pandemic to come home and give back to the local dance community by hosting free classes for the dance school that first helped him hone his craft.
Since returning home, Knobloch, a Ballet Master for The Australian Ballet, has reconnected with Dance Development Centre, formerly Canberra Dance Development Centre, to run a series of free online classes in his spare time.
Dance Development Centreโs Director Jackie Hallahan have continued to keep the school running through their online classes, while allowing Knobloch to use their space to teach the Australian Ballet from Canberra.
โThey reached out to me and have been sharing through Instagram live โฆ I know a lot of places are doing it through Zoom and charging,โ Knobloch said.
โIโm fortunate with Aus. Ballet weโre still getting paid, but I know that a lot of dance schools, the kids donโt have that time to come together in their training.
Knoblochโs classes present a rare opportunity for young dancers to be in the same โdigital studioโ as many of his professional dancer friends from across the world.
He says the live classes have taken off with up to 70 people, many from the local dance community, joining in.
โI just wanted to offer dancers of all levels an opportunity to take ballet classes alongside other professionals Iโve worked with.
โThrough my experience of dancing overseas in America and Europe, a lot of my friends over there arenโt as lucky as me to be getting paid.โ
โEven though weโre alone, weโre all together and you can feel a bubbling of energy โฆ You could rarely fit 70 people together in a studio space, so itโs quite a lovely gathering,โ he said.
Knobloch said heโs spent time during the pandemic to reflect on his goals and wants to pass on the expertise heโs acquired over his decorated career to the next generation of dancers.
โI think in my capacity now as a ballet master, teacher, coach, I want to help fruit grow on other peopleโs trees, itโs a time I can help nurture other generations.โ
He has found the time spent lately in Canberra with his family to be enriching.
โDance has taken me all around the world and at this time I came home to be with my family โฆ Iโve very rarely had this amount of time with my mum.
โTo be able to draw in this family time, itโs a blessing in disguise, especially with Motherโs Day and Easter; theyโre rare times I wouldnโt have had in Canberra for 20 years having travelled and danced around the world,โ Knobloch said.
