A Word with a Ballerina: Scottish Ballet's Quenby Hersh

Like most girls (and many boys), Quenby Hersh wanted to be a ballerina since she was a young child. Her babysitter dragged her to shows and at the ripe age of five, she decided that this was the life for her. A whirlwind of training, scholarships, and international awards later, she now finds herself playing six different roles in the Scottish Ballet's touring production of The Sleeping Beauty.

According to Hersh, it looks to be yet another intriguing display of the company's pairing of classical and modern expressions of ballet. "Ashley Page, the [artistic] director, made it specifically for the company and its dancers, so it's really well suited to what the company does."
Quenby was completing a one-year graduate programme at the Royal Ballet School, when Ashley Page attended a class to scout the newest member of the Scottish Ballet. She was offered a role in Cinderella and since then has performed in a number of Page's best works.

Her favourite? Pennies from Heaven. When asked why, we are reminded that beneath the well-honed talent of a mature artist, lives a woman to whom we can all relate: "I've always wanted to live in the 1930s – the fashions are amazing." The Sleeping Beauty looks to be lavish and exceptional in this regard as well: "The set and costumes are amazing, you actually see the time pass, the century really go by… it's gorgeous."