Strength and hard work have helped guide Lauren Jaksetic (Class of 2016) through her life after school and into her career as a professional dancer. Overcoming a number of challenges and obstacles, Lauren is excited to continue pursuing her dream to perform cabaret shows in Europe.
Creative Arts at Caulfield
During her time at Caulfield, Lauren was offered a wealth of opportunities to develop her love for the creative arts. Her time spent performing theatre and being guided by her amazing teachers have helped her get to where she is today. Lauren also learned the importance of organisation and planning which have helped her manage a busy schedule in her daily life.
“Things don’t ever stop, there’s always another assignment, test, show/rehearsal around the corner and you just have to be organised and prepared to go with it, as well as finding time for yourself.”
Dance after High-School
Dance has always been a passion of Lauren’s and she pursued it as a career straight out of high-school. She began a two-year course at Patrick Studios Australia and spent her evenings and weekends teaching children how to dance. It was through these experiences that Lauren first managed to get her foot in the door, by working with choreographers and producers while she trained. This ultimately led Lauren to jobs across multiple venues in Melbourne, notably Crown Casino, before she was offered a contract with Royal Caribbean Cruises, before she had graduated.
Lauren spent years training fully committed to becoming a dancer and it was through this hard work that she was given the opportunity to travel the world while pursuing her dream.
“You can’t just wake up one day and decide to become a professional dancer. It takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice, so I had to fully commit.”
One of the most demanding elements of being a dancer is the cut-throat nature of the industry. Dancers must maintain extremely high levels of fitness and often audition for roles to never hear back from those who were casting. It was these experiences which helped Lauren build her resilience and hone her skills to help get her to the level she has managed to achieve today.
Covid and Dance
Lauren’s schedule has changed dramatically recently due to Covid. Going from spending months at a time on a cruise ship, rehearsing every day and performing two shows a night, to her current schedule of classes and teaching dance in the evening has required discipline and organisation. While her routine has changed over the last year, Lauren hopes to go back to performing more regularly and has recently been offered a contract to go to Hong Kong and dance on cruise ships again.
Further Study
In the near future, Lauren hopes to be dancing, traveling the world and studying part time. Unfortunately she knows that she will not be able to dance forever; doing the things she can do today will be challenging in 20 or 30 years. Lauren still has a passion for study, and while she doesn’t know exactly what she wants to study, having further education will be a big part of her life after dance. For the moment she is looking to learn from those around her and aspires to be a dance captain to further increase her knowledge and leadership skills.
Advice to Young Alumni
When offering a final piece of advice to current and future alumni, Lauren stresses the importance of not placing too much pressure on yourself. Taking the time to figure out who you truly are and what your passions are, and not getting caught up in the pressures and expectations that others may set for you.
“Don’t put pressure on yourself to make that decision right away. Spend a few years after high school finding out who you are as a person and what you want to do with your life… choose a course that interests you! As lame as it sounds, you honestly need to follow your passions and dreams otherwise adult life becomes very overwhelming very quickly.”
Watch the video interview with Lauren Jaksetic and fellow Grammarian and dancer, Oceane Le Bouder, now.
This profile was written by a team of young Grammarians as part of our inaugural Young Alumni Tell Their Stories Week – a week of content (including a social media takeover) by young alumni for young alumni. This initiative forms part of our broader Young Alumni Ambassador Program (YAAP).
