Campbell McKenzie was something of a “late starter” to teaching, graduating from university and commencing as a teacher at Emerson School in 2024 after an amazing career as a professional ballet dancer.
Campbell’s career in dance spans three countries and many accolades, including becoming Principal Dancer with The Australian Ballet, the Scottish Ballet and The Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in London, where he once performed for Princess Margaret.
“Principal Dancer” is the highest level a dancer can reach and requires top-notch technical ability, beautiful artistry and great acting skills. They must connect with the audience—their movements must communicate emotions and ideas as well as being technically perfect.
There is a symbiotic relationship at work here: Campbell is fortunate to find himself as part of the fabulous Emerson team, but Emerson and its students are extremely fortunate, too, to have a teacher so accomplished, capable, enthusiastic, oh, and famous!
Campbell says he loves working at Emerson, where his colleagues are kind and generous, the program and courses on offer are great, and there is a culture of celebrating, developing and encouraging.
“It is uplifting to work with people who, naturally and without any prompting, go that extra mile to help those around them,” he says. “It is good people who put up their hand to work in this setting.”
Campbell currently teaches a Senior School class that focuses on industry and independence. He enjoys guiding his students toward bridging the gap between academics and life post-school.
“I love helping my students build confidence, resilience and foundational skills for life beyond the schoolroom,” he says.
Campbell’s ballet career started early. He loved Bill Collins’ Golden Years of Hollywood and admired dancers and actors such as Fred Astaire, Errol Flynn and Burt Lancaster. While he enjoyed footy at school, it was when his sister started ballet that he decided to give that a try too.
He started at the Ballet Centre Dandenong, in a climate where classical ballet was a difficult choice for boys, but he got a lot of encouragement from the school and his family.
“Dance became all-consuming, and a key way to express myself during my teens,” he says.
He joined the National Theatre in St Kilda at the age of 14, then went on to attend the National Ballet School where was considered a “prodigy”.
He was dancing principal roles in his first year with The Australian Ballet.
He took a break from classical ballet in the mid-90s to perform in West Side Story in Melbourne and Adelaide, and during that time was offered the chance for one season with Scottish Ballet, where he worked with Artistic Director Galina Samsova.
“Scotland was liberating, like a clean slate,” he says. “I felt at home there. One season turned into several years, before I was eventually enticed to join The Royal Ballet in London.”
Campbell toured Japan and China with The Royal Ballet in productions including Romeo and Juliet, before he eventually moved to City Ballet London. From there, he was offered a chance to audition for the role of Mr Mistofelees in Cats.
While in London he met David McAllister (then Director and now former Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet). He was encouraged to return to Australia where he danced for another five years for The Australian Ballet, before retiring at the grand age of 33 to rest his body and spend quality time with his three sons.
During this period, he taught exercise philosophy including Pilates, gyrotonics and freelance professional dance work for The Australian Ballet and Queensland Ballet, mainly working with children.
With his mother an assistant principal at nearby Dandenong North Primary School, Campbell perhaps naturally gravitated toward teaching as a follow-up career to dance. Eventually he decided to take his life experience into the classroom in a more formal way and commenced a Bachelor of Education.
“Part of my motivation was proving to myself that I’m capable of more than just dance,” he says. “At Emerson, I’ve found a niche where what I have to offer is not only valued but can also make a humble, meaningful contribution to the education and growth of the incredible students here.”
[interviewed June 2026]
Photo credits
Featured image (top): Campbell as Albrecht in Giselle with Lisa Bolte. Photo: Anthony Crickmay, The Australian Ballet
Supplementary image (bottom left): Campbell, Peasant Pas. Photo: Anthony Crickmay, The Australian Ballet
Supplementary image (bottom right): Campbell with HRH Princess Margaret, post-performance of Galina Samsova’s Swan Lake, Scottish Ballet
