Hi there!
My name is Nicole Ellis and I like to introduce myself as a Dancer/Podiatrist. I kept my dancing up all through my Uni years for my own personal enjoyment and fitness. I am specifically trained as a Ballet dancer but have since branched into Cheerleading for the NRL, NBL and other more commercial styles of dance required for overseas contract work such a being a Showgirl in Las Vegas! I have recently returned to Melbourne after completing a 15-month dance contract in Tokyo Disneyland.
1. What drew you to Podiatry as a profession?
I had taken a gap year after completing high school to study Ballet full time. After giving my all and realising it wasn’t for me University was my next choice. I come from a very academic family so have always had an appreciation for how important it is to study and work towards attaining a degree. As a dancer I knew I wanted to study something that related to the Human Body, and after researching I found that Dance Podiatry would be a perfect fit for me as it would keep me in the dance world and it is also a relatively niche market so job opportunities wouldn’t be a problem!
2. Has arts and sports always been a big part of your life?
Massively so! I have always been extremely physically active with dancing outside of school and taking all forms of sports within school. I have been dancing since I was 6 years old, which means every Saturday for the past 26 years has been dedicated to dance with multiple days during the week also spent going straight from school/uni/work to dance classes. I love to keep busy! There is nothing more satisfying than being physically fit, and I fond that even though it consumed a lot of my time it also helped to keep my mind sharp whilst studying and working.
3. For someone so young you have accomplished a lot in your short time, can you let us in on some of the highlights and how hard you had to work to grab those moments?
The obvious highlights to being an international dancer are the travel. I have been lucky enough to live in Las Vegas, Japan, and all over Australia whilst getting paid for it. I have complete control over my life in terms of what I want to do next and where I want to go, however there is also the downside between contracts where I have been lucky enough to have jobs waiting for me when I return to Melbourne each time, but for others it can be a little difficult to find steady work due to the nature of contracts needing you to be able to pack up your life when they need you. It is definitely hard work; you have to hustle and audition and put yourself out there, and in between contracts you work hard so that on top of life’s normal expenses you can afford dance classes to keep your body in the physical condition it needs to be for a dance contract. It definitely keeps me busy but I consider myself very fortunate to now have friends all over the world, to get paid to do
what I love, and to have Podiatric Qualifications under my belt for when I’m ready to begin that part of my career. Who knows maybe I will begin practicing Podiatry part time to keep my knowledge up to date and still dance on the side – it’s completely up to me!
4. You have just returned from Japan playing a number of Disney characters on stage, who was your favourite and when you did return to Australia what was the thing you realised you missed the most?
My favourite Disney Princess to portray was Aurora, better known as Sleeping Beauty, as the scene she dances in is extremely romantic and opened the whole scene for a Princess Ball. It also involved me ‘sleeping’ on stage, which is a pretty rare experience!
What I missed most about Australia was being able to communicate clearly with people. Not having a language barrier is a truly wondrous thing! And the good old Aussie mateship and friendly approach is extremely refreshing. The variety of culture and nightlife that we have here is phenomenal, and I definitely do not intend to take it for granted now that I’m back! Also being able to start my day before 10am is definitely a welcome opportunity, as all shops, Gyms and cafes in Japan don’t open until 10am – far too late for me!
5. What do you have planned next in the adventuring life that is Nicole Ellis?
I’m hoping my next adventure will be to dance on a Cruise Ship! Getting paid to perform is the ultimate joy, but doing it whilst travelling to beautiful exotic islands really wouldn’t be half bad! I’m also looking into practicing Podiatry part-time to keep up my knowledge, and hopefully I can achieve a healthy blend of the two disciplines: Dance and Podiatry!
Thanks for spending the time with us Nicole, all the best for the future!
Jackson McCosker
Director/ Chief Editor
FootNotes Publishing 