It’s no exaggeration to say that the Australian dance industry would not be the industry it is today without Yvette Lee. Prolific and diverse, the impact of her work can be felt across every facet of the entertainment world from musical theatre, to television, to live events and festivals (such as the beloved Victorian Dance Festival - which Lee has been Artistic Director of for the past three years). Better still, Yvette’s reputation speaks not just to the quality of her work, but to an enduringly generous and kind nature that has made her as adored as she is respected. Loved by peers and students alike, Yvette has provided opportunities for dancers of all ages, sharing a legacy that has been established through hard work, determination, respect and kindness for those around her. With the excitement around the recent collaboration between Energetiks and Yvette Lee for the ROAR Collection, we thought this would be the perfect time to gain more of an insight into the life of this industry icon plus show off this fierce, bold new collection.

Having a mother who was a dancer, Yvette grew up knowing the importance of a strong foundation in ballet. “I went to an amazing ballet school and only really trained in ballet until I was about twelve. I didn’t love it but that was the one thing my mum was really strict on” said Yvette. It was when she moved to Dance Factory that she started to incorporate jazz into her training. “I had teachers like Barbara Warren-Smith, Cameron Mitchell, Andy Hallsworth, Kelly Aykers and all these incredible people who gave me really great jazz foundations and taught me everything about style”. At the age of eighteen she booked her first commercial job through Jason Coleman where she danced at the Logies. “As such a young dancer it really opened me up to the world of commercial and television work” she admits. “From there, possibly the most pivotal part of my career was meeting choreographer Ross Coleman, who has since passed away. I met him by chance at an audition for a television show he was doing called ‘Starstruck’ and he hired me for that as one of the resident dancers for Channel 9”. The influential meeting with Ross Coleman and the friendship that entailed opened Lee up to the world of musical theatre, something that she hadn’t really experienced to that point. “He taught me everything I know about storytelling, choreography and choreographing for musicals” claims Yvette. “Aside from that he was just an exceptional friend and one of our country’s best choreographers. He’s the reason I’m now able to juggle both the commercial and musical theatre work that set up my career”.

While she loves producing, creativity and design are the things that resonate deeply with Yvette. Whether it’s done through dance or directing, she feels that this is what ignites her passion for what she does. “Sometimes if I start working on a design brief I can stay awake for two days! And it’s purely because all these ideas are sparked within me. I get so excited I can just be up for days and days; the time sort of slips away” she exclaims. Regardless of what she’s working with, bodies or lights, Yvette finds the process of starting with something blank and being able to bring it to life one of the most rewarding things. “I could just do it for the rest of - well hopefully I can do it for the rest of - my life!”.
When asked what’s required, aside from talent, to succeed in a creative field, she states “being able to keep a level head regardless of what’s going on around you, being polite and being kind”. She further adds with a laugh “it really comes down to good old basic hard work, ‘work hard, be kind’, that old catchphrase. You need to be a hard worker and apply yourself, and know how to manage yourself in a kind and respectful way. Those who have had the longest careers are still incredibly well respected, and you’ll see they are just the kindest people. They have taken care with other people, real care, not just about dance either but emotional care too. A good work ethic is important, whatever industry you’re in!”.

Despite having its many benefits, Yvette acknowledges there can be moments of trials and tribulations within the performing arts, as with any industry. “I think it’s a short fall in the entertainment world that they attempt to sideline people as they get older. I’m getting older myself, and while I’m not actively saying this is happening to me, I’m conscious of it occurring because I’ve seen it happen before” she states. “There’s a lot to learn from the generations that have come before because with experience comes knowledge and sharing that knowledge is one of the best ways for a community to function and improve”. Understanding the need for momentum and reinvention, Yvette acknowledges the need for younger generations, but also wants to emphasise the importance of learning from our predecessors. “Elders in villages and traditional communities are respected for the wisdom and knowledge they have gathered over the years. We seem to lack the same respect for the elders of this industry. I wish there was a bridge for that. I don’t know what that bridge is exactly, but if I find it, I will definitely be the advocate for it”. In spite of this, the ROAR campaign is a great example of how dancers from all different generations can come together and work unanimously. Mackenzie, the youngest of the dancers in the campaign, looks up to Yvette Lee as a role model and having the opportunity to work and learn from her idol epitomises what Yvette had been discussing - sharing knowledge between generations to support the growth and sense of community within the dance industry. This sense of community that dance creates definitely overrides some of the challenges faced within the industry for Yvette. “Things like VDF (Victorian Dance Festival) and the State School Spectacular with the mass of dancers and performers on the field, seeing all those people connecting with the music and feeling proud of themselves is such a great thing to be apart of. When you see everybody just connecting with each other and feeling like they really belong somewhere, those are the moments where you know everyone is there for the same reason, the same love and there’s no judgement. That’s incredibly beautiful and it’s because of dance” claims Yvette.

The only thing more impressively broad than the scope of Yvette’s work is the variety of roles she has taken on throughout her career, from teacher and choreographer to creative director, producer, dancer, mentor, and now – most recently – designer. The ROAR collection, a collaboration by Energetiks and Yvette Lee was created to support that inner confidence we all have. Designed to merge fashion with dancewear, she says “I wanted something that you could wear, like the leggings for example, and pair it with a dance shoe, but then take that off and slip a heel on and go to dinner in it. I also wanted the collection to cross all ages and look good on all body types. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for such a long time and I’m just so excited that we’ve done it”. Promoting confidence within yourself, self love and the ability to be proud of what you’ve achieved, Yvette states “we all work so hard everyday, working on our craft and working within the industry as dancers. ROAR is about celebrating that. Being proud of the work you’re putting into yourself and what you’re projecting. It’s about pride!”. The effort and attention to detail invested in the creation of the collection can also be seen in the campaign. “I come from a mixed race family. My father is Chinese, my mother Australian, so it was really important for me that we could incorporate a real mix of different ethnicities, and all of the girls in the campaign have such a rich cultural background” Yvette discusses. “In the middle of the shoot we actually wrote it down and worked out that there’s something like twenty-four different nationalities between us! I’m so proud of that. The fact that we live in this incredible country where you can just run into five girls with twenty plus nationalities between them, that diversity is amazing!”. Trying on the collection for the first time, Yvette knew that she had created something that would resonate with a lot of different dancers. “I couldn’t have hoped for anything more than how it turned out. The fabrics are so comfortable, the cuts are perfect. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do my whole life, so it was just one of those really amazing moments” she explains.

Being comfortable in her own skin and with who she is didn’t always come as second nature to Yvette and she acknowledges that we all go through a period of trying to work out where we fit in. “Coming from a mixed-race family is an added layer of confusion to try and decipher when trying to work out where you belong” she says. “The biggest thing I learnt was to just be true to who you are. That’s the key to self confidence”. Explaining with amusement how she has an eclectic group of friends where everyone is different and they hardly agree upon anything, she states the best part of their friendship is that they are all exactly who they are and she loves them all for that. “That’s where you find the best connections. When you’re confident and unapologetic about who you are, people will gravitate towards that because there’s honesty and realness behind it. It didn’t come to me until much later in life, but I remember that moment it sort of clicked and I went ‘I don’t care if people like me or not, I’m just going to be who I am’ and after I made that choice everything turned around”.

Although her schedule is often jam packed, she still manages to enjoy some of the more simple things in life. Her adorable Pomeranian Eddie is the source of a lot of her joy. “He always makes me laugh, especially when he shoves his face in toilet paper rolls! He does it when he gets angry, it’s the best. He has this stash of toilet rolls and when he gets mad he will just shove his nose inside of one” she laughs. Not only is Eddie one of her main sources of joy, he’s an essential part of enjoying a day off. “We do everything together. I really like my days off to be calm and after spending so many years being crazy, it’s nice to have some moments now of stillness and quiet. Anything that can slow the body and mind down is ideal for me” she tells. When asked what she imagines she will be doing when she’s eighty years old, Yvette says “I think when I’m older I want to be spending more time in nature, doing yoga and for everything to be turned down a trillion notches! I always feel most comfortable when I’m in Bali. There’s something about that place. I think I’ll end up retiring there one day”.

The unrelenting passion, determination and motivation that Yvette exudes is something to aspire towards. Even with the vast array of work experiences she’s had, she still has work she’d love to tick off her bucket-list. “I would love to creatively direct a stadium show. That’s the one thing I haven’t done yet that I’d really love to do!” she says. As for final words of advice for aspiring creatives Yvette says “before anything else just really spend time working out who you are and what you stand for. Don’t try and project an image of yourself that isn’t real. If you can bring a real honesty to who you are, when you release that into the world, everything will generally fall into place for you. Know yourself, trust yourself, and be proud of who you are”.

A beautiful person inside and out, Yvette is the mentor, role model and friend we all aspire to have. If you’d love to see Yvette in her element and have a dance with her, you can see her at VDF this year. Details about the event and tickets are linked below.

To keep up to date with all of Yvette’s creative work follow her on Instagram: @yvettelee_

For more information or tickets to VDF click here or follow their Instagram: @vicdancefestival

#comedancewithus

Article by Sheree Ronai-Horvath
Photography by Elly Ford

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