Q&A: Laura Tosar

From her first Queensland Ballet performance in Strictly Gershwin in 2016 to the upcoming season in September, the Cuban-born Soloist reflects on her seven-years with the Company.

Giselle, Act I, behind the scenes: Laura Tosar has been in 17th century France since breakfast. Hidden from view and unbeknownst to the audience, she sews a dress and chats with her mother, considering her day ahead in the village. By the time she hears that knock at the set door, she feels genuinely excited.

“From the morning I wake up on a performance day, I’m already Giselle, or the Queen, or whoever I’m playing,” she says.

“I will literally take my breakfast and my tea like Giselle would – being gentle and kind and happy. Later I’ll do my makeup slowly, the way she would, because Giselle wouldn’t rush it. Then when there’s a knock at the set door I’m genuinely intrigued, and I’m not sure if it’s Hilarion or Albrecht, or someone else. I feel like if I didn’t do all of that, it would look and feel very unnatural – not just for me, but for the audience, too.”

Creating a backstory for her characters is something the Soloist has recently poured her focus into. It’s a tip she learned from prima ballerina Alina Cojocaru (former Principal of The Royal Ballet and English National Ballet) who guest starred in Queensland Ballet’s production of Manon last year.

“I was an understudy for Manon and I learned so much from Alina,” Laura recalls. “She spoke to us about the importance of being in character before arriving onstage, because if you try to fake it on the stage it’s not going to come naturally. The audience is not going to be drawn to you because it doesn’t look real. Little things like this make a massive difference.”

We meet on a busy afternoon at the Thomas Dixon Centre, after the first rehearsal for Cathy Marston’s My Brilliant Career. Still dressed in her rehearsal gear, Laura’s enthusiasm for Marston’s unique teaching techniques shines through.

“She’s fascinating – it was incredible,” she says.

But it’s no surprise to Laura that she’s still learning, despite discovering dance when she was four years old. She says ballet is an artform you never stop learning from. 

“Especially Giselle – that’s why it has been in the repertoire for so many years; because there’s constant learning about Giselle and her character. At the end of my first show as Giselle in Cairns, they said ‘good, you’ve done your first show – now the work can be begin!” 

Born in Havana, Cuba, Laura’s first love was Flamenco, until she was told she had ‘ballerina legs’.

“The first class at Pro Danza was just a little fun, but I loved it. And mum said ‘do you still want to do flamenco?’ and I said ‘no, I want to be a ballerina!’” she laughs.

“In Cuba, ballet is a serious sport. They started preparing me to audition for National Ballet School - a very famous Cuban ballet school, which you can do when you are eight years old. This includes private lessons just for stretching, as well as ballet classes, to prepare your body, your coordination, your rhythm and musicality.”

Laura auditioned alongside 2000 other hopefuls in a threemonth process. She was one of only 40 girls and 25 boys that made the cut. 

“From there, it was very disciplined, Russian-based training. You do Grade 5 to 9 and in Grade 9, there’s a massive exam where they cut half the students, and the final three years are like a pre-professional school. From 9-12, you’re not treated like a student anymore, you do full-length ballets.” 

In 2014, Laura and Patricio Revé (now a Queensland Ballet Principal Artist) were preparing for Swan Lake when they heard Mao’s Last Dancer was coming. 

“We had both seen the movie and were like ‘oh my god!’” she recalls. “We were told that morning that Li would be teaching morning class. We had about two minutes’ notice. I remember then, he came back the next day to take the Swan Lake rehearsal… we exchanged contact details and he offered me a spot here at Queensland Ballet. After I finished my schooling, as I was in Grade 11 at the time, and performing obligations at The Cuban National Ballet, I moved to Brisbane.” 

Laura’s first Queensland Ballet performance was Strictly Gershwin. The 18-year-old had never been to Australia before and barely spoke English. 

“Everyone was so welcoming, although the Aussie accents…” she laughs. 

“When I arrived Yanela Piñera (Queensland Ballet Principal Artist), Camilo Ramos (former Queensland Ballet Principal Artist, now Academy Pre-Professional Program Coordinator), and Victor Estévez (Queensland Ballet Principal Artist) were there to guide me, which was really helpful. I had grown up watching them when I was at ballet school in Cuba.” 

Seven years later, as we approach a second season of Strictly Gershwin, I ask Laura about her experience being promoted to Soloist during the 2022 Bespoke season. 

“I had no idea that was coming,” she says. “At the time I had stopped thinking about it and I completely forgot about titles, and that’s when it happened. When you concentrate on something like that you’re working towards the wrong goal, rather than concentrating on your body or your movement.” 

A bout of Covid-19 saw Principal Artist Mia Heathcote miss the premiere of Greg Horsman’s A Rhapsody in Motion. Laura was chosen to learn Mia’s spot the week before opening night. Then her dance partner Alex caught Covid-19, and she helped Patricio learn his spot. 

“It was a massive challenge for me, but both of us pulled it together and it went well. And after the first week everything went back to normal and I was relaxed - and that’s when I got promoted. It’s good to have recognition but I feel like, in this world, it’s about working hard and learning, and listening to the teachers, and having zero ego. Titles will come if they’re meant to come,” she says. 

And that’s the advice she offers to young dancers, too. “Never stop learning, never think you know,” she says thoughtfully. 

“Be willing, be open, obviously work hard and look after your body. Make sure you warm up, and you cool down, because it’s a hard career on the body and bones and muscles. Ice, heat, stretch, eat well, sleep well, because when you’re injured you can’t dance. But never stop learning.”

See Laura in Derek Deane’s Strictly Gershwin at QPAC’s Lyric Theatre running 28 September to 7 October.