TARTAN
NEWS
Ruby Gherbaz (2014) Ruby Gherbaz (2014) has already enjoyed an illustrious dancing career including performing in the past two seasons of Channel 7’s Dancing with the Stars. She recently took pause to reflect on her time at PLC and how the School and her parents enabled her to pursue her passion. Ruby is currently performing in Burn the Floor, has numerous national dancing titles and in the past two years had her most challenging dancing gig yet – partnering with former Bachelor, Matty J and TV Weatherman, Sam Mac on Dancing with the Stars.
“I start with a beginner and have to teach them Ballroom basics and get them to a standard where they can perform a new dance each week that I’ve choreographed,” Ruby said. “Expectations are high, and time is short.” While her dancing has taken her to international stages, Ruby began her dancing career at the age of eight after her parents started dancing socially and her brother, Jessie, joined in and needed a partner. “I was an unlikely ballroom competitor. I was such a tom boy and [wore] boys’ clothes; I was probably bribed with McDonalds,” Ruby said. Although her brother didn’t continue with the sport, Ruby did, and by Year 8, Ruby and her dance partner were Junior Winners of the Dance Masters Margaret CheneySmith Memorial Cup and on their way to ballroom fame in Australia. The training and travel commitments were considerable and fitting it all around school was a challenge for both Ruby and her parents.
“Although PLC was a prestigious school and it was highly academic, my parents never pushed me in that direction because they knew what my passion was. They wanted me to succeed academically and not just drop out because of the career path that I wanted to choose, but they understood where I wanted to put my effort and the commitments towards dancing that I had. They helped me to find that balance and I’m really grateful to them for that,” Ruby said. “I also had a special relationship with my PLC Dance Teacher, Emily Rooke. She understood the way that I worked. I didn’t enjoy sitting down writing essays. She got that, and she worked with me, my strengths and helped me with my weaknesses at the same time.” In her final year at PLC, Ruby and her dance partner were crowned the Australian Youth Latin Champions which they then won for two years’ running. “I was pretty naughty at school, and I got a few detentions from Mrs D’Sylva. I didn’t think she liked me back then, but I’ve seen her copious amounts of times after school and now she loves me,” she said. Editor’s note: Mrs Philippa D’Sylva was excited to hear she was mentioned by Ruby and says she has ‘always loved Ruby’, regardless of her mischief.
plc.wa.edu.au
35
