Lucette Aldous awarded Order of Australia

Lucette Aldous was recently made a Companion of the Order of Australia, the highest merit in the Australia Day Honours List. From henceforth she’s gained the distinction “AC” to accompany her name.

Lucette Aldous AC is a legend in the Australian dance community, inspiring everyone as she continues working into her 80th year, having now instructed young dancers in Perth’s ballet schools for quite some time after retiring from an impressive career on stage.

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, she commenced her early training in Australia, and later at The Royal Ballet School in the U.K. She then danced at Ballet Rambert (under Dame Peggy van Praagh) and The Royal Ballet. Returning to Australia in 1970, she quickly rose to the rank of Resident Principal Dancer with The Australian Ballet, where she remained until 1976.

She’s specifically noted for her partnerships with Rudolf Nureyev, first in The Nutcracker while with The Royal Ballet, and subsequently in the role of Kitri in Don Quixote for The Australian Ballet.

She’s on faculty with The Perth School of Ballet in Osborne Park and the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), which she was a founding teacher for.

Her award is for “eminent service to the performing arts, particularly to ballet, as a principal artist at the national and international level, to dance education, and as a mentor and role model for young performers”.

This award arrives about 10 years after she was recognised at The Australian Dance Awards with a Lifetime Achievement Award at age 70. She is thrilled to receive her AC designation.

Read more about prima ballerina Lucette Aldous AC and her reactions to her award at www.theaustralian.com.au.

Photo: Dame Lucette Aldous AC. Photo by Barry Moreland.