WA Ballet soloist Jurgen Rahimi credits his late mother Elvina for his successful dance career, citing her unconditional love and sacrifice as the driving force behind his achievements. The 25-year-old Italian dancer, who joined the company in 2023, says his mother recognised his passion for dance early on.
“Everything that has happened so far is thanks to her,” Rahimi says ahead of the company’s return season of Dracula at His Majesty’s Theatre. “She was the one who realised when I was a kid that I would start dancing whenever we heard any kind of music. She loved watching Italian dancer Roberto Bolle and thought maybe one day I would become like Roberto Bolle.”
Elvina passed away in 2018, but Rahimi remains grateful for her support. “I just thank her for everything, because she was behind me for so long, sacrificing and working two jobs as a single mother of two, and yet she never let me miss anything in my life, especially when it came to ballet. She always brought me wherever I needed, whenever I needed. She wanted me to dance on one of the biggest stages of the world, so I’m happy to make her proud.”
Journey to WA Ballet
Rahimi joined WA Ballet in 2023 alongside his wife, dancer Hye Jin Kim, after being invited to audition by then-artistic director Aurelien Scannella. The couple met while dancing with Croatian National Theatre in Split and later moved to Portugal, where only Rahimi secured a position with the National Ballet of Portugal.
“Her visa was expiring, so she decided to send our CVs all around the world and Aurelien Scannella answered our call and asked us to come over for an audition,” Rahimi recounts. “I couldn’t take so long off from Portugal to come for the audition, so I decided to resign, and we tried our luck in person. Thank God we managed to both get a contract and from there on it’s been amazing working here.”
The couple now lives in Maylands with their eight-month-old daughter Aria, as Rahimi prepares to alternate between the roles of Jonathan Harker and Young Dracula for the Perth season of WA Ballet’s award-winning production.
Dracula: A Gothic Epic
Created for the company in 2018 by Polish choreographer Krzysztof Pastor, Dracula is based on Bram Stoker’s novel and features composer Wojciech Kilar’s 1992 film score. The production was resurrected in 2021 for a season at Crown Theatre Perth and this year began with an interstate tour to Adelaide in April.
Rahimi is part of WA Ballet’s new generation of dancers stepping into leading roles in this revival. “Jonathan has been a fun role and it’s challenging because you have to be manly and unafraid, but you still have to let Dracula overpower you,” he says, drawing on his experience alternating between Romeo and Mercutio in the 2024 season of Romeo and Juliet.
“Dracula is bored after 400 years of being alive, waiting for Elizabeth to come back. He’s very intrigued by Jonathan, and that’s why he’s kind of playing with him, playing the game of cat and mouse. It’s a monster story, but then the monster is partly human. There is love, and there is fighting, and there is loss and pain. It’s a mixture of a lot of emotions. The lighting and the music is amazing, the steps and the dancers are giving it their all. It’s a great mix and has all the right ingredients for a great production.”
Rahimi praises Pastor’s work, noting the harmony between choreography, music performed by WA Symphony Orchestra under principal conductor Jessica Gethin, and the sets and costumes by Phil R. Daniels and Charles Cusick Smith. “He had a clear image of what he wanted the piece to be and did an outstanding job,” Rahimi adds.
“There is the saying ‘Heavy is the head that wears the crown’ and there is pressure dancing to that score. Every performance must be the best because you can’t let anyone down. That’s my favourite part of the Dracula experience so far, hitting the stage after rehearsing with all the lights, costumes, make-up and music. It’s the best feeling that everybody’s looking forward to, both the dancers and the audience. It’s the final destination.”
Dracula is at His Majesty’s Theatre, May 15 to 30. Tickets at waballet.com.au.
