What’s it like being a touring Australian ballerina with an 18-month-old daughter?

Complicated.

Throw in a husband who isalsoa touring ballet dancer and it’s even more complicated.

Welcome to the life of Amy Harris, a senior artist at the Australian Ballet, who is touring with a toddler.

It’s work life balance, en pointe.

Jarryd Madden, Amy’s Husband, with Willow:

A photo posted by A m y H a r r i s (@amyharris_7) on Sep 3, 2016 at 5:47pm PDT

A senior artist at the Australian Ballet, Amy performs up to 200 shows per year; ferrying Willow, her 18-month old girl, between the Opera House, London, and their home in Melbourne.

“You have to be organised”, she tells Holly Wainwright onI Don’t Know How She Does Itpodcast.

Harris, who began dancing at the age of three, was awarded the Telstra Ballet Dancer Award in 2012 before getting pregnant. The 33-year old says she still ran classes and did pilates up until she was 31 weeks, at which point the number one question she receieved was: ‘Are you going to come back after your baby?’

She did, albeit slowly. “My body has been amazing… it’s been great, I’m quite surprised” she told Holly.

She says it was seeing mentors such as Madeline Eastoe juggle the physical demands of ballet with motherhood that paved the way. Harris would see her do a three-act ballet, and run home to relieve the nanny. At one stage, the principal dancer took Harris hunder her wing, telling her “It’s ok to go into the change rooms and have a little cry. You don’t always have to be strong.”

Now, with the help of family, and a nanny “who does all the ballet babies,” it’s a family that is raising the barre on raising children.

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