Australian Ballet Principal Ty King-Wall Retires

When much-loved Australian Ballet principal dancer Waihi-born Ty King-Wall retires this month at 35, he could be forgiven for rushing to make up for some of the things he has missed out on, Catherine Lambert writes for The Sydney Morning Herald.

“Well, I hate to tell you this, but ballet never stopped me having a burger and chips,” King-Wall says. “In the role I’m doing at the moment in Anna Karenina, I lose four to five litres of sweat in every performance. So a burger, chips and a beer is pretty normal.”

King-Wall began dancing aged seven in his native New Zealand. He joined the Australian Ballet in 2006 and rose quickly through the ranks to be made a soloist in 2010, senior artist in 2011 and principal artist in 2013, Lambert reports.

When he suffered a chronic back injury at the age of 27, he questioned if he would ever dance again.

“It was a long road back, but to be able to dance for another eight years at the highest level makes me feel very fortunate,” he says.

Original article by Catherine Lambert, The Sydney Morning Herald, April 4, 2022.

Photo by Edwina Pickles.