17 Facts About Gailene Stock

Gailene Stock CBE AM was an Australian-born ballerina, teacher and Director of the Royal Ballet School in Covent Garden.

Gailene Stock was the second of three daughters to Roy and Sylvia.

Gailene Stock had been due to take her Royal Academy of Dance exam.

Gailene Stock decided to return to The Australian Ballet, where she spent 7 years, rising to principal dancer under director Robert Helpmann.

On that tour, Gailene Stock recalled, she did 69 performances in 69 days.

Gailene Stock later went on to dance for three years in Canada as principal ballerina with the National Ballet of Canada and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.

Gailene Stock was pursued to North America by an Australian colleague, Gary Norman, whom she married.

Gailene Stock then was named director of the National Ballet School, Victoria, and took on other administrative positions before being made director of the Australian Ballet School from 1990 to 1998.

Gailene Stock accepted the post with the proviso that her husband taught the boys at the school.

Gailene Stock moved to The Royal Ballet School in 1999, with her family.

Gailene Stock immediately set to work changing the curriculum in order to make the student dancers more employment-ready upon graduation.

Gailene Stock opened the doors to students from all over the world, which angered many of the establishment within the English ballet.

Gailene Stock served twice as the president of the jury at the Prix de Lausanne and as a jury member for the Young America Grand Prix.

Gailene Stock married fellow Australian and principal dancer Gary Norman while they were touring North America in 1977.

In 1998, Gailene Stock became the first Australian representative on the Executive and Artistic Committees of the Royal Academy of Dance, London.

In 2013 Gailene Stock was diagnosed with a brain tumour and took leave from The Royal Ballet to receive treatment.

Gailene Stock died a year later on 29 April 2014, aged 68.