Gaylene Cummerfield was born in Christchurch, New Zealand, and trained there and at the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne. In 1996 she won a bronze medal at the Adeline Genée awards and first place at the New Zealand National Awards. She joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 1997, and was awarded first place and the Grand Prix Award for outstanding achievement at the sixth Asian Pacific Ballet Competition the same year. She joined Australian Ballet in 1998 and Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2008. In 2007, she appeared as a guest artist with Royal New Zealand Ballet, dancing Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. She was promoted to Principal in 2009.

REPERTORY INCLUDES
Frederick Ashton Dante Sonata (lead Child of Light)
David Bintley: The Shakespeare Suite (Juliet) and David Bintley and Galina Samsova's production of Giselle (Myrtha)
Michael Corder: Le Baiser de la fée (Fairy)
Kit Holder: Small Worlds
Kenneth MacMillan: Elite Syncopations ('Bethena Concert Waltz')
Peter Wright and Galina Samsova's production of Swan Lake (Odette/Odile, Polish Princess)

With Australian Ballet: The Sleeping Beauty (Aurora), Giselle (Queen of the Wilis), Don Quixote (Kitri), La Sylphide (Sylph), La Fille mal gardée (Lise), Suite en blanc (Cigarette), the Black Swan pas de deux and roles in Por vos muero, In the Upper Room and La Bayadère.


Last updated October 2008.