Homegrown Newcastle talent Rhys Kosakowski is breaking barriers and pushing boundaries all over the world - through dance.
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It was difficult to secure an interview with the elusive dancer. The young man is hard to get a hold of, to say the least.
When he's not occupied with his ballet training, you can find him teaching dance students, working with talented photographers, collaborating on art projects, and even honing his eye for visual aesthetic at the local florist.
But this hectic schedule is the norm for 24-year-old Kosakowski, and he evidently thrives in this fast-paced and creative routine. And it's apparent, there's no slowing down any time soon.
Kosakowski, originally from Newcastle, grew up training at the National College of Dance under Marie Walton and Brett Morgan. At age 12, he set a precedent for himself and the exciting career that would come to fruition when he landed the title role of Billy Elliot in the Australian production of the award-winning British dance drama.
This formative experience combining dance, art, theatre and travel motivated the young star to really "get serious" about ballet and from there, there was no stopping him.
A dance competition held in Sydney presented the opportunity to further his studies overseas, at the Houston Ballet School, a dream come true for someone hoping to take his love for dance onto the world stage. The academy is internationally acclaimed and connected with the Houston Ballet, the fourth largest ballet company in the United States, with nearly 70 dancers.
The Houston Ballet is renowned for its formidable group of technically flawless artists, and training at their academy exposed Kosakowski to performances of caliber unlike anything he had seen before.
He worked hard, and via the strong impression his captivating stage presence, and magnetic movement qualities made, he was offered a full company contract after just one year as an apprentice.
However, the life of passionate and fiery artist rarely runs smooth, and after a few years, Kosakowski began to feel his creative inspiration waning. Inside the rigid structure of the ballet company, Kosakowski, full of ideas and energy, found himself growing restless.
"As dancers we work our bodies and our minds so hard," he says. "If there's no joy coming from the results of the work, it starts to feel pointless."
"One time," he says, "my agency contacted me about this job - American Vogue wanted to fly me to New York to shoot with Irina Shayk [supermodel and partner of actor Bradley Cooper].
"But we had a show. The company wouldn't let me go."
It can be rare as a ballet dancer to find home in a company that allows artistic expression outside of the company's main repertoire. This inflexibility is often the price one pays to have regular work and a stable contract, but it can also result in lack of personal fulfillment, and a pervading sense of artistic entrapment. This exactly the state of mind Kosakowski found himself struggling with in Houston.
"I felt like I was coming in to work every day to be told what to do, to stand on the side and do the same roles over and over again. And then, every time we would go on tour, around America or Europe or Australia, I would see all these interesting, exciting things going on in the rest of the world. I wanted to be a part of it."
He also spoke of difficulty encountering homophobia in Houston, a traditionally conservative city. Being away from home can be enough of a trial in itself, without the emotional turmoil that comes with being confronted with close-minded attitudes.
This amalgamation of issues pushed Kosakowski to become curious about what else the fertile dance and queer scene in America held.
"I realised that I didn't want to settle down and become bored - I wanted to travel and try new things and work with creative people. If I didn't put my foot down and decide to move, I feel like I would have been stuck [in Houston] and missed out on so much."
So, in the name of artistic freedom, Kosakowski swapped his regular 9-5 routine in cowboy Texas, for freelance life in Los Angeles, the home of Hollywood.
The move was huge for Kosakowski's career. Despite the initial trepidation of leaving a life he knew and loved, LA proved to be full of everything he had been missing.
One measure of his commercial success: Kosakowski boasts 143,000 followers on Instagram, where his images project a contemporary dancer at the peak of his powers.
His stream of work, photoshoots, filming, collaborations and magazine interviews were a testament to his risky decision. But after two years in the diverse and creative hub, Kosakowski began to think about his next step.
"I loved LA. Every second of it. My friends, the culture, the work, the weather - I even fell head over heels in love. But it was a dead end. There was only so much I could do there, and I knew that to take my career journey to the next step and surround myself with inspiring, creative people, I had to leave.
"It was the hardest thing to do, but I think you can feel it when it's time to move on."
And move on he did.
Kosakowski has just recently come home to Newcastle, allowing him to reconnect with friends and family, take a break from his busy freelance schedule and put some creative energy into his next move.
The hustle and bustle of LA has given him a renewed appreciation for his home and he relishes in the chance to slow down and breathe in the salty Australian air.
But, he hopes to see an artistic growth within the dance industry of his homeland.
"Australian dancers are some of the hardest working in the business," he says. "I love coming home and being a part of this tiny community where everyone really loves what they do and is supportive of one another. But unless people start trying new things, being a bit more experimental and pushing the boundaries, the industry here will never grow.
"I never really saw myself creating a base here [in Australia]. It's the most beautiful country in the world, but after living away for so long, it would be hard for me to feel creatively fulfilled in such a small community. I would be feel trapped."
He speaks of how he hopes to see the dance culture in Australia evolve, to see more interdisciplinary cross-overs that parallel the work in America and Europe, and how he'd like to contribute to this change in some way.
For someone that holds steadfast beliefs about the importance of dance, art and culture to the contemporary world, the possibility of the Australian dance community taking part in this discourse is hugely exciting.
"Dance is one of the first things that humans ever did!," he says. "The way we communicate, socialise, love and relate to people - it all comes from dance! So why do so many people see it as something unnecessary or unimportant?"
One thing for sure - the Newcastle dance community is lucky to claim patronage of such an exciting and forward-thinking young artist. Fans should be on the edge of their seat to hear what the next step in his career entails.
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