Ballerina Travels With Baby

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31091, 21 June 1966, Page 2

Ballerina Travels With Baby

Having a baby has made no difference either to the figure or the future of Austral-ian-born ballerina, Mrs Leonie Tillson, who is principal female dancer in “Oh What a Lovely War!” The baby, Gabrielle, now aged nine months, interrupted her mother’s successful career last year, but Mrs Tillson returned to the boards in "good trim” and plans to

continue her career in classical ballet.

Under the stage name of Leonie Leahy, Mrs Tillson has danced around the world, touring the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and New Zealand. Her husband, Mr Ken Tillson, has also toured in China. Her husband, who has “many strings to his bow,” has danced in ballet companies and played in musicals, plays and films. The couple met as members of the Australian Ballet Company in which Mrs Tillson was principal dancer. She also was principal dancer with the New Zealand Ballet Company for its performance of “The Nutcracker.”

While with the Australian Ballet Company, she danced with Fonteine and Nureyev.

She also danced in the original production of “My Fair Lady,” with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison, and her English-born husband was a member of the original cast of the Australian production of the same show. She began ballet training at the age of 11 and believes that although “it involves a lot of hard, hard work” a grounding in classical ballet is the best basis for any kind of dancing. “Oh What A Lovely War,” although basically a documentary about the First World War, was also “a satirical, musical drama which encompasses the whole range of human emotions,” said Mrs Tillson. “I find the show quite satisfying to do. That is the trouble with being a ballerina. Normally you do not And other forms of theatre very satisfying to perform.”