They say ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ and the saying rings true for mother-daughter duo Effie and Hara Papoulias. These beautiful women are both renowned within the Victorian dance community, sharing their talent and expertise amongst the younger generations of dancers. Effie, the state organiser for Cecchetti Ballet Victoria, and Hara the Resident Choreographer for the Broken Heel Festival, as well Assistant Dance Director for the Victorian State Schools Spectacular, both know a thing or two about what qualities are required to ensure one succeeds within this industry. Breaking away from the stereotypes and stigmas attached to the dance industry, Hara is an advocate for changing the perception and bodily expectations of dancers, creating a safer, healthier and more accepting environment for dancers to thrive in. Highlighting the importance of resilience and that things happen for a reason, they emphasise the need to keep the love strong and if you aren’t smiling while you’re doing it, it’s not worth it!

Experiencing first hand the admiration and encouragement they have for one another, you can see how they are the favourite teacher amongst their students. Their warmth and passion shines through with their genuine desire to give back to the dance community and beyond. Proving that dance doesn’t always have to be serious, this mother-daughter pair highlight the importance of loving what you do and ensuring you make the choices that serve you best. Sharing their love for dance and dance education, we had a chat with Effie and Hara about their dance careers, what it was like growing up with a mum who danced, and their admiration of one another.

Have a look below for their beautiful interview, plus the photos from their photoshoot - Effie’s first ever! We think she’s a natural!

Walking into the studio together the first thing you notice about Hara and Effie is the similarity in their looks - aside from the height difference! Their charm and warmth makes you feel welcome and comfortable in their presence, and it’s endearing to watch how they interact with each other. You couldn’t even tell it was Effie’s first (ever) photoshoot from the way she conducted herself. While she may be directed, albeit lovingly, by Hara, the two work seamlessly to create the beautiful photos that highlighted our mother’s day campaign. After a morning of shooting we sat down over coffee with these lovely women about how they both started on their dance journeys. Happy to share her story, Hara explained that she didn’t start her dance journey from a young, young age like many do. “I was quite sporty when I was young and actually started with Little Athletics. I still ended up at the dance studio when mum was teaching but not because I was doing classes”. She then goes on to tell us that after seeing all of her friends dancing she gave it a go and ended up falling in love with it, stopping all her sporting commitments and dancing every night of the week. Despite being a little behind the other dancers, she relished the challenge of catching up and getting to the level that everyone else her age was at. Effie on the other hand told us how when she was young she used to dance in the lounge room with her sisters. “My mum eventually put us into Physical Culture and I loved it but it was very acrobatic with lots of tumbling and tricks”. It wasn’t until she moved to Rosebud on the Mornington Peninsula that she eventually started ballet classes at Rosebud Ballet School when she was 13 years old under the guidance of Sandra Allan OAM. “I loved it from day one. I haven’t done another style since! I tried jazz but it just wasn’t for me. There was something with classical ballet that kept drawing me back to it and I haven’t stopped since” she tells.

Asking what it was like to grow up with a mum who was a dancer and dance teacher, Hara told us how she was a little too naughty at times, always trying to do the opposite of what she was told. “Mum always had to be diplomatic in the classroom and couldn’t treat me like a favourite, so I wouldn’t get a lot of corrections or compliments to make it fair for everyone. But don’t get me wrong! On the drive home I would be hit with all the corrections that I had missed!” she explained with a laugh. She continued to tell us how when it came to concerts or competitions, Effie would worry about everyone else’s buns, ribbons or costumes and she would always be left til last. They managed to get around this by waking up super early before any event and doing Hara’s hair and makeup immaculately, lacquering it to her face and head so it wouldn’t move for the entire day! While it’s not the stereotypical story of ‘my mum is a ballet teacher so I’m going to be a ballet teacher’, Hara claims that her mum has still been an influence on her career as a performer and her own teaching style. Discussing whether there were any other dancers in the family, they told us that Hara’s younger brother used to dance for a while and was “actually quite good” but ended up loving soccer more so he gave it up. “I really believe that the classical ballet helped his soccer because he got great turnout and you need to turn your foot out to hit the soccer ball!” Effie explains with a smile.

Passing on their knowledge and leaving a lasting impression are some of the aspects these women love about being a dance teacher. Seeing the results of hard work when students finally get a certain step or exercise or even something as simple as learning their right from left is what fulfils these caring women to keep sharing their expertise with younger generations. “To be able to explain something in detail and pass on your knowledge is what I love” tells Effie. “You get taught from your teacher and you then pass your knowledge and experience on to others and hope that they too pass on what they they’ve learnt”. A dance teacher for over 30 years, Effie has seen a lot of changes throughout this time. Telling us how the kids are more educated about their bodies, she also discusses how the advances in technology over the years have allowed students to gain inspiration from anywhere. While this does raise expectations from the students compared to many years ago, it still encourages aspirations and goals to work towards. She continues to tells us that even how the students come to class now is so different. “They all have these beautiful leotards on that definitely weren’t around when I was younger!” she exclaims. Aside from her teaching, Effie is also the state organiser for Cecchetti Ballet Victoria. Growing up she did all of her examinations through Cecchetti Ballet Australia and in 2013 took over from Sandra Allan OAM who was the former state organiser for Victoria for 24 years. She told us how “It’s a bit of a full circle actually because she was my first ballet teacher and now I’ve taken over from her. I’ve got big shoes to fill but it’s been great!”

As well as being a dance teacher, Hara is also involved in the dance community as a choreographer and performer. “I don’t like to put all my eggs in one basket and rely on one thing” she tells. “I prefer to be that hamster on a wheel, chasing its tail rather than sitting around, waiting for that next gig to come”. Working as the assistant choreographer for Victorian State Schools Spectacular, she explains how she loves being able to teach the next generation of dancers who will be the next superstars. “I get inspired by doing anything that’s involved with entertainment. There was one year where I didn’t have a lot of work so I went and did a sewing course so I could work in the wardrobe department. I was making costumes and then ended up making one of the best connections of my life with Philmah Bocks, one of the leading drag queens in Australia. Now I work with her and am the resident choreographer of The Broken Heel Festival in Broken Hill, NSW!” she tells. Telling us of her endless goal list of creative endeavours she wishes to pursue (make-up artistry and set design are on there!), Hara emphasises her need to grow and evolve as both a person and performer. “I don’t ever want to be in the same cycle, doing the same thing over and over again. I want to learn and gain new skills. I’m always up for a challenge!”.

Discussing highlights and key moments of their dance careers, Effie starts with her very first dance concert (which she still remembers the choreography for!). She goes on to say that being chosen by Dame Peggy van Praagh, who at the time was involved with the Australian Ballet Company, and being one of her 12 Victorian scholar recipients was a highlight. And then 20 years down the track, also having Hara be chosen as a Victorian scholar was a very special moment. She also told us how she taught Suri Cruise her first ballet lessons when Katie Holmes was here in Australia filming a movie. “I got a phone call saying that they wanted to do private ballet classes and would I be happy to teach them. Of course I said yes. It was great! I wasn’t allowed to take any photos so the only proof I have is the imprint in my memory but after that I got another phone call saying she loved it and wanted another class. This time her dad was coming in on the class as well so I actually taught Tom Cruise ballet too! Suri was only 3 years old at the time so it was more play dance but I taught them both how to do pony canters and point their feet!” she reminisces. Hara goes on to tell us that working with Deon Nuku on Victorian State Schools Spectacular has been one of the most rewarding things she’s done. It’s the sixth year she has been involved and she loves watching these young talented performers who are the next generation of superstars. While it may be different from Victorian State Schools Spectacular, choreographing for the Broken Heel Festival has also been amazing. She has loved being able to work with drag queens from all over Australia and New Zealand and be involved in another area of our Arts industry. As a performer her highlights would be anything that revolves around a live event (and there’s many of them). “I just can’t explain the energy. When you’re on stage you’re just bouncing off the energy of the vocalist or principal performer. You might make eye contact with an audience member and you get to share that experience with them for that split second too. I always come off stage buzzing. With live theatre anything can go wrong and I love the spontaneity that comes with it. I don’t think I could ever pin point one thing I’ve done as a highlight. It’s just the feeling I get when I do it” she tells.

“You need to have resilience and versatility in this industry. They balance each other out. When something doesn’t go your way you need to be able to flip it, adapt, change, and you’ll always come out on the other side”.

Knowing the difficulties that can arise with wanting a career within the dance industry, we spoke about the qualities that came to mind. Resilience was the key word that resonated with both women. “I’ve seen so many disappointments but that’s apart of life. If you don’t allow those disappointments to make you grow as a person, then this industry may not be the right one for you” Effie shares. “I try and talk with my students and turn that negative into a positive, using it as something to learn and grow from. When it starts to get too hard, it can be time to move on” she says. Agreeing with her mum, Hara tells of her repeated knock backs before she was accepted into VCASS (Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School). “The personal growth I got from not being there is what I needed. You need to have resilience and versatility in this industry. They balance each other out. When something doesn’t go your way you need to be able to flip it, adapt, change, and you’ll always come out on the other side”. Hara continued to share her experience dealing with body image and her weight. “I didn’t meet the stereotype of what people expected me to look like and that was really difficult” she says. “I’ve been on both sides of the scale at different times of my life. Body image has really got me down. Going into auditions I would always wonder how much of what I looked like was a factor as to why someone had been chosen over me but that’s where that resilience comes in”. Telling us how you need to make the experience for you and not anyone else, she goes on to say how she feels like she has found her balance now. “I don’t let other stereotypes enter my mind and affect my relationship with my body. Everyone is going to have their own opinion. They are always going to be telling you how you should be dieting or whatever but it’s more about your relationship with yourself!”. When asked what they’d like to see change within the dance industry, body image was discussed by both women. “Every time we do a dance class we stand in front of the mirror and critique ourselves. We go to an audition and compare ourselves to the person standing next to us. We go to a gig and there’s a pre-set costume that doesn’t fit our body type. We end up attacking ourselves and we don’t need to do that. The old school mentality of how a dancers body should look has started to improve and we just need to keep shifting it” Hara says. “I’ve seen it from both perspectives - a teacher and a mother, and have seen how detrimental the effects can be in regards to body image. It’s really hard. Dance is for everyone. It’s an inclusive environment. Shifting the perceptions around body image would be a great thing to change within this industry” Effie shares.

Seeing the way they interact with each other, their loving yet teasing jokes to one another, we asked Effie what was the most rewarding part of being a mum. Instantly replying with a laugh she says “The fact that I know that they love me and they don’t tell me?!”. She then goes on to say how she is proud of the fact that she has brought up decent human beings who are loved by others. “It’s a hard job being a mum sometimes. You don’t know if you’re doing the right job half the time. But when you see that they are kind, caring people, you know you have done a pretty good job” she explains. They both go on to share some of their favourite memories together which include teaching together on Saturday mornings. “Mum is very particular. She could spend a whole hour on port de bras. So when I started learning as a student teacher, the kids were listening to her as she was going in depth on the detail of a certain step and there I was mimicking her behind her. It was kind of a good cop, bad cop scenario. The kids were always so entertained by the two of us. And I wasn’t ever making fun of mum. I was just elaborating on what she was saying in a more dramatic, enthusiastic way! She would be so serious and intense and I would be lighthearted, always creating another analogy for them” Hara tells. She then goes on, with a cheeky smirk, to mention another of her favourite memories. “As a child I was at a competition dance school so I did a lot of comps and mum would make my costumes. I remember often being in bed asleep but waking to mum measuring my body…”. “I would lift the doona up, grab her ankle, measure the elastic around her ankle, go to write it down but then forget and have to go back and remeasure the elastic. If her arm was hanging out of the bed I would think ‘perfect’ and measure the elastic around her wrist. I was doing all nighters to get everything done! But the costume making was always fun!” Effie tells with a laugh.

Sharing what they admire about each other, Hara goes on to say “My mum is always able to put aside her own needs or emotions and she’ll always do what the other person requires of her. That’s what gives her her strength. Not only as a teacher but as a mother too. Even if I had said some hurtful things as a teenager, she would always be able to put that aside and be there for me. Her unconditional love. While she may be a little person, she has a lot of strength and that’s what I admire about her”. To which Effie replies with “Hara’s honesty and the way she approaches people is the way I would approach people. I feel good knowing that I put her on the right path, or at least guided her towards the right path because ultimately people have choices and we choose how we want to be in society. I know lots of people who say ‘I’m never going to be like my mum’ but it’s nice to see some qualities that I know I have within myself in her. She is a caring person and isn’t afraid to put the needs of others above her own. I also admire her resilience. She surprises me because when I think something is going to devastate her she comes out and is better than I would have been in that situation. I learn a lot from her, even if I am the mother. She teaches me a lot of things”.

Rounding up our chat we asked this mother-daughter duo something that always makes them laugh to which Effie replied “Today?!“, referring to the photoshoot (which made us laugh!). But she then goes on to share some of her experiences in the classroom. “At the age that I am now, I’m not always as physical as I once was. I try to be but to compensate I use my hands a lot. It always makes me laugh when I say to my younger students ‘Okay, standing in first position we are going to do four sautés’ (demonstrating with her hands) and I ask them ‘Do you have it?’ and they all say ‘Yes’. So I put the music on and they all stand there beautifully and use their hands, mimicking exactly how I showed them instead of doing the actual jump” she says with a laugh. “Another one is when I say ‘Remember to pull that string that comes out of the top of your head’ when they are doing turns and they grab the imaginary string that is coming from the top of their heads. They are very literal with what they do. They always make me laugh”. Hara continues to then share how bloopers videos always give her a giggle, particularly after the last year and how many online tutorials were done. “Whether it be cameras falling down, pets coming into screen and walking in front of the camera, being tongue tied or students missing the start of an exercise. They are golden moments and I don’t think I’ll ever delete them!” she says. When asked for a fun fact about each of them, we come to discover that Effie has a penchant for power tools and DIY projects. “I’ve just purchased a drop saw to add to my power tool collection. I love to do plastering, painting, floating shelves - you name it! I wear the goggles and ear muffs - I look hilarious!” she explains. On a different vain to the power tools, Hara discloses that she has ‘quite a collection of socks’, seventy seven to be exact. “They’re a mix of colours, patterns and lengths. My students will buy them for me as gifts. They’re all obsessively, compulsively folded and lined up. That’s probably my neatest draw!” she exclaims.

Finishing up with final words of advice for aspiring dancers, teachers or choreographers, Effie emphasises the importance of loving what you do. “Just love it. Be in it because you do love it. If it gets too serious, the love goes. Just love. Have your heart in it and smile”. Hara explains the importance of remembering why you are doing what you are doing. “Come back to why you started. Have a little moment during the week to give yourself that reminder as to why you started. It’s easy to get pulled down into the politics and drama that comes with it but if you can get past that by being resilient and being versatile, you’ll be fine. And remember it’s not worth it if you’re not smiling while you do it!”.

Follow Hara & Effie’s Journey’s here: @harapapoulias & @effiepapoulias

Article by Sheree Ronai-Horvath
Photography by Elly Ford

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