Biography
Born in Melbourne, Australia, Chelsy Meiss trained at Karen Curlis School of Dance, Thelma Williams School of Dance and The Australian Ballet School. She joined the San Diego Ballet in 2005, became a member of the Corps de Ballet of The National Ballet of Canada in 2008 and was promoted to Second Soloist in 2011.
Ms. Meiss’ recently danced Juliet in the world premiere of Romeo and Juliet by Alexei Ratmansky. She has also danced in The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, La Fille mal gardée, Giselle, Onegin, Cinderella, Don Quixote, The Four Temperaments, Symphony in C, Opus 19/The Dreamer, The Four Seasons, In The Upper Room, West Side Story Suite and Glass Pieces.
She danced in the world premieres of Pur ti Miro and Watch her and the company premiere of Russian Seasons. Ms. Meiss also appeared in the North American premieres of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and The Seagull.
Ms. Meiss has danced with The Australian Ballet, The Royal Ballet, San Diego Opera and Paris Opéra Ballet.
In 2009, she was awarded the Patron Award of Merit by the Patron’s Council Committee of The National Ballet of Canada.
Chelsy Meiss is sponsored through Dancers First by Diana St. B. Weatherall.
You were born and trained in Australia. What brought you to Canada?
After training in Australia I danced with the San Diego Ballet for three years. Dancing in San Diego was a wonderful experience but I always wanted to dance in a National Ballet Company. I heard great things about the National Ballet from dance news in magazines and online and one of my coaches in San Diego had also affirmed good things about Artistic Director Karen Kain. I sent the company my resume and DVD and was invited for an audition class at the end of May and then Karen offered me a job here!
When did you know you wanted to be a professional dancer?
I always knew I wanted to be a professional dancer, whether it was in musical theatre or in classical ballet. I started dancing very young at my Mum's dancing school and when I was fifteen I was accepted into the Australian Ballet School. This is where I focussed on ballet and where I saw myself becoming a professional ballet dancer.
Tell us about being selected by Alexei Ratmansky to be one of the Juliets in his Romeo and Juliet.
It was like a dream come true! When I saw my name on the casting I was frozen for a second, I thought 'That's my name!' I was elated! I was so excited, happy and grateful that he chose me. 'Juliet' was always a role I have wanted to bring to life in dance.
Do you have another dream role?
Odette/Odile in Swan Lake.
What are you looking forward to in the upcoming summer season?
Elite Syncopations! This will be my first time dancing this ballet but I've seen it before and it is very fun and entertaining. I am also understudying Chroma which I'm thrilled to learn, it is a very high energy ballet set to a fantastic score – orchestrations of music by The White Stripes!
When you are not rehearsing or performing what do you like to do?
On my down time I have private pilates lessons, physical therapy, massage and acupuncture as these all help my body to stay in top shape which is the most important thing for my art form.
What’s on your ipod?
For the past few months I've been hooked on listening to Beethoven. I've been reading up on him a little bit and I find his music and life story such an inspiration.