Biography Robyn Klaus
Robyn White was born in Townsville and received her early dance training in Mackay before becoming the first Queensland winner of The Australian Ballet Society’s bursary to the Australian Ballet School. She was one of the first graduates of the School to be offered a contract with John Cranko, then Artistic Director of the Stuttgart and Munich Ballet Companies.
After three years, Robyn accepted a contract with Hamburg Ballet under the directorship of John Neumeier. She was promoted to soloist and danced principal roles in many Neumeier ballets, including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, King Arthur’s Saga, and Petrushka Variations. She had particular success in Balanchine ballets, and performed as a principal in Agon, Divertimento, and Four Temperaments, as well as in works by choreographers Felix Blaska, Gigi Caciuleanu and Rudi von Danzig.
After François Klaus’ appointment as Artistic Director, Robyn took on the position of Artistic Associate at Queensland Ballet from January 1999 until December 2012, acting as chief company coach and assisting in the dramaturgical development of new works.
Together with François, she founded the Professional Year program in 1999, an elite training program intended for a small number of students bridging the gap from student to professional dancer. The program combined classical and contemporary dance training with associated musical and theatrical disciplines; it also actively incorporated students in company training and performances. Robyn was also responsible for establishing and developing the Junior Extension Program (2002) and the Ballet Stream of the Queensland Dance School of Excellence (2011) for younger students, acting as principal teacher and coordinator for all three programs until December 2012.
Robyn’s other professional teaching credits include work for the Bern Ballet in Switzerland, the Semper Oper in Dresden, Germany and the West Australian Ballet. She has also conducted master classes for the Swiss Ballet Teachers Association involving talented ballet students selected throughout Switzerland.