From Warragul to world stage

ROWENNA Jeffries, nee Dunn, may have run away from her home-town of Warragul to join the circus, but not to take up the position that would have been expected.
Originally known around the town as the talented performing artist who starred alongside Shane Crawford on the Channel Nine’s Footy Show’s Grand Final episode, danced in a Tina Arena film clip and acted in Opera Australia productions, Rowenna changed her dramatic aspirations to take on what she described as a “grown-up job”.
Rowenna, 27, is now on an international tour with the globally acclaimed Cirque du Soleil, with their current production Dralion, as the tour services co-ordinator.
Her journey from being a struggling dancer at times in the “real world”, to co-ordinating her own department of one of the world’s most renowned circus companies has seen her continually progress.
“I have worked hard in all aspects of my professional life and have been lucky enough to have been encouraged and noticed along the way,” she said.
“So I’ve kind of kept moving up in the world.”
It was at the age of eight, when Rowenna was first introduced to dancing, that her love for the performing arts began.
For the next 10 years she grew up in Warragul where she developed her passion for musical theatre and all aspects of dance.
During that time she was involved in her first amateur musical theatre production Annie which was presented by the Green Shed Theatre Company in Warragul.
She was also one of the founding members of the Warragul Theatre Company as the secretary and fund-raiser and was the lead female role in their production Jesus Christ Superstar.
During her VCE studies at Warragul Regional College she achieved top scores in both dance and drama and was invited to perform her dance CAT (common assessment task) solo at the VCE ‘Top CATS’ showcase in Melbourne.
After high school Rowenna moved to Prahran to study full time performing arts at Tony Bartuccio’s Dance and Promotion Centre. This course was 40 hours a week of dancing, singing and acting per week, and included the opportunity to participate in productions such as ‘The Good Friday Appeal’, ‘The Melbourne International Grand Prix’ and various shows at Crown Casino’s Palladium Ballroom.
In late 2000, she started working as a performer for various corporate and commercial functions around Melbourne.
It was in 2001 when she was casually employed as an usher for Cirque du Soleil’s production Alegria that her love for the unique and dynamic circus began.
“Upon starting work with the company I was swept away by the sheer magnitude of the production, the culture, the professionalism and the uniqueness of it all,” Rowenna said.
“While working as an usher, I was lucky enough to see the show almost every day, often twice a day, for three months and I was in love with it.
“Sure enough, I was heartbroken when the show inevitably moved on to its next location, but I vowed to work for them again in the future.”
When Quidam visited Melbourne in 2005 she was quick to apply and was offered a position in the VIP tent where she hosted corporate and VIP clients before and during the show.
“Although I wasn’t seeing the show as often as I saw Alegria, the magic was still there for me,” she said.
During this time Rowenna decided to trade in the endless dance classes for a bachelor’s degree in communication and public relations at Monash University in order to get a “grown-up job”.
Along the way, she leapt at the chance to work again with Cirque du Soleil’s tour of Quidam in 2005 where she met her future husband Lucas Jeffries, as he was contracted to provide the VIP catering.
The couple had a brief long-distance relationship before the two were both employed to work on the Australian tour of Varekai.
Shortly after Varekai left Australia, Rowenna graduated the communications degree with distinctions, married the circus boy and was offered a full-time position as the hospitality services manager on the Australian tour of Dralion.
Rowenna said when Dralion finished touring the Pacific in August 2009 a structural change took place and her job no longer existed.
“Luckily for me a position was offered to me in the tour services department as the tour services co-ordinator,” she said.
“So we continued our journey with the show to Mexico, where we will be until January 2010.”
Since joining the circus in 2001, Rowenna said there had no been a particular highlight for her as she had loved every second of it.
“I love everything about my job – I love learning about new aspects of performing arts management, the encouragement received from my directors, the possibilities and opportunities that arise while in this position both professionally and personally, touring the world and the people I work with,” she said.
“And this is what I do every day.”
Rowenna said having obtained her once dream of working and touring with this fantastic company, life was wonderful and full of anticipation for what the future would hold.
“I have just applied to work as the production co-ordinator, a slightly more involved position than I currently hold, for the new touring Cirque du Soleil show that will be unveiled in Montreal in April 2010,” she said.
“Recruitment will take place in the next month or so fingers crossed.”
With such a dynamic, ever-changing and ever-expanding company as Cirque du Soleil, who knows what her next destination may be.