Monday 27 January 2014

Joseph Janusaitis, another dance star

Joseph Janusaitis, Marilyn Rowe and Ross Stretton in Monotones, 1975.

























Another student of Madame Babicheva Ballet school was Joseph Janusaitis.  In 1964 he was awarded a Borovansky scholarship to the Australian Ballet school and later joined the Australian Ballet.  He remained in the Australian ballet from 1966 to 1982.   He was born 31 May 1946, the youngest of six children, the family arriving in Australia in 1950, settling in Adelaide.  
Joseph Janusaitis in make-up for Elektra, the Australian Ballet, 1966.
If anyone knows more about Joseph, I would love to know.

3 comments:

Sandrute said...

Joseph's family resided originally in Mt Gambier and were friends of my parents, Joe & Joan Jakutavicius. I remember Joseph in our front garden as a young boy in his early teens & at that stage he was already a ballet dancer. The family moved to Adelaide & I never saw Joseph again.

Unknown said...

Hi Sandrute
How amazing to read your comment. We left Mount Gambier after our house burned down. I must have been about nine years old.
We moved to Adelaide and I began ballet classes when I was eleven with Madame Babicheva.
After moving to Melbourne and graduating from the Australian Ballet School I joined the Australian Ballet. I danced with the Australian Ballet for over 15 years.
I now reside in Melbourne and from time to time perform as Guest Artist. Several years ago performed in Graeme Murphy’s Nutcracker the Story of Clara as on of the emigre.
Joseph

Unknown said...

I remember, with nostalgia, seeing the enormous portrait of Joseph over the 'fireplace' in quote . . . "Joseph's Room" in Clifton Street. Edvardas, Jonas, Viktoras, Romualdus and Juozapas (my spelling - sorry, memory not what it once was lol). I have never met 5 such powerful men in my life. . . Their Father was a fine man. Antanina (Mamochka) had a wonderful contralto voice and delighted in cooking up a storm for each week end when family gathered in the old dining room (Incredible Mural on that wall . . ) The pride of her life was her 5 sons upon whom she doted. Joseph, however, 'mano berniukas' {my baby boy} was doubly precious. When visiting, you had better be prepared to look at all the new scrap book items and listen to his latest attainments or, don't bother going . Their sister was a very beautiful woman - a talented coiffeur, with her own salon as I recall.

Joseph had the grace of a gazelle and totally fascinated me with his ability to tippy-toe across the stage, effortlessly and with elegance whilst holding his partner, {Josephine Jason ?} aloft with one hand only and, never even raising a sweat.

It is nearly 60 years ago but I still miss the wonderful times spent at Clifton Street. Halcyon days indeed.

The songs my father sang

Paulius Rutenis (Rutkauskas) 19 March 1919 – 28 August 1983 Singer, soloist, actor, director, journalist. A man who was seen on and off ...