Mentor of Dance

MENTOR
OF DANCE

A Memoir of Maxwell Collis and the South Australian Ballet Theatre

Sandrushka

Contents

• Author’s Note Act I
• Publisher’s Introduction
• Preface: Max Speaks
• 1. The Early Years Act I
• 2. Dancing for Borovansky
• 3. The Birth of Ballet Victoria
• 4. Overseas Experience
• 5. Returning to Adelaide
• 6. Camelot: Birth of a Dream Act II
• 7. The Latter Years — Ballet Victoria
• 8. The Teacher’s Legacy
• 9. The Director
• 10. Ring the Curtain Down
• South Australian Ballet Theatre Act III
• The Philosophy of Training
• Epilogue: The Last Bow

I did not set out to write a book. I set out to remember a man.

A man who lifted my freckled face in his hands when I was a child and asked, “Would you like to be a dancer too, Sandrushka?” A man who taught me that movement was truth, that discipline was love, and that art was a form of courage.

This book is not simply a biography. It is a testament — to a life lived in service to beauty, generosity, and the belief that dance could shape not only bodies, but souls.

“Talent does not belong to you. You are only a vessel for its growth.”

We are honoured to bring to readers the story of one of Australia’s most influential yet under-recognised figures in the development of classical ballet.

This biography offers a rare and intimate view into the evolution of Australian dance from the 1930s through the late twentieth century — the early Borovansky years, the founding of the Victorian Ballet Guild, the creation of South Australian Ballet Theatre, and the rise of Ballet Victoria.

Written by someone who knew Collis personally, trained under him, and carried his teachings into adulthood, the result is a biography that is both authoritative and profoundly human.

F. Maxwell Collis

A foundation member of the Borovansky Ballet, he danced under the Maestro himself before becoming a principal artist with Ballet Rambert in London. Upon returning to Australia, Max founded South Australian Ballet Theatre, the first classical ballet company in South Australia, and later contributed significantly to the development of Ballet Guild, Victorian Ballet Company, and Ballet Victoria.

Renowned for his teaching philosophy, his musicality, and his ability to inspire dancers of all ages, Max shaped hundreds of students — many of whom went on to dance professionally across Australia and internationally.

I have a friend. She was introduced to me by her father at an after-performance party. He said, “This is my daughter, Sandra.” I leant forward, took her freckled face in my hands and kissed her forehead, and asked, “Would you like to be a dancer too, Sandrushka?”

She was tongue-tied and simply nodded. That was in 1957, and she is still very much my friend. She is responsible for this book.

I have had the happiest of lives! … Dance we must!

I was born on the 31st of August, 1925, in Hampton, Victoria — second of three sons to Beryl and Frank Collis.

My mother’s family were Scottish. Her father was a lay preacher, a gentle, well-read man who quoted Shakespeare to us from the time we were small. My father played clarinet and alto saxophone, and on special occasions performed at Government House.

My dancing debut came in 1934. My partner was Joan Corbett, a little girl who lived six houses away. We danced a gavotte before sixty-five thousand people at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.