Nicole dances her way to greatness

Professional ballet dancer Nicole Ferriera-Dill has set out to make her mark in the international and South African and ballet industry. Ferriera-Dill will be appearing as the principal lead as Odette in Joburg Ballet’s upcoming production of Swan Lake on 18 April.

Ferriera-Dill was humbled by the opportunity to be part of this year’s production “Dancing a principle role in Swan Lake is a dream come true for me,” she said.

She spoke about her career and how she started her formal training from a very young age. “I started my training when I was five years old. I qualified in both the Cecchetti method with Joy Cooper and Royal Academy of Dance  at the Pro Arte Alphen Park in 2008 I was awarded the RAD Solo Seal with Natasha Ireland, who was my coach at the time,” she said.

Ferriera-Dill completed her graduate year at Joburg Ballet Theatre  in 2007 and started dancing in the theatre’s corps de ballet in January 2008. “I have appeared in numerous ballets and corporate events with the company and danced in Janice Honeyman’s pantomime, Pinocchio at Joburg Theatre”, she said.

Ferriera-Dill has also been trained in jazz, Spanish and contemporary dancing. Her dreams and career aspirations have been to travel more as a dancer, to be able to see different parts of the world. “I want to perform in different theatres, to different audiences,” she said.

Apart from being a dedicated dancer, Ferriera-Dill has also given back to her community. “I have donated an original painting I’d created for an auction to raise funds for the ballet company. I have also taught ballet classes at my sister’s dance studio,” she said.

Five fun facts about Nicole Ferriera-Dill include:

• She has her own studio at her home where she paints.
• She has a passion for horse riding. Ferriera-Dill once herded cattle in Namibia.
• She loves travelling and experiencing new cultures.
• She enjoys decorating her house and restoring old furniture to give it a new lease on life.
• She wants to climb Kilimanjaro.