Rebecca Bassett-Graham

NZSD Rebecca Bassett-Graham 2025 Photo credit Stephen A’Court

Originally from New Zealand, Rebecca Bassett-Graham has built a career defined not by shortcuts, but by curiosity, adaptability and an unwavering commitment to growth. Now performing with Company Wayne McGregor while also working as Rehearsal Assistant, her path has been shaped by instinct, resilience and a willingness to remain open to every challenge placed in front of her. This year, she received nominations for Best Female Dancer and Best Female Modern Performance for Deepstaria at the National Dance Awards, marking her second consecutive year recognised in both categories, alongside Company Wayne McGregor’s nomination for Best Midscale Company. It is a career that has taken her from Aotearoa to Australia, across Europe and onto some of the world’s most demanding contemporary stages, but at its core is an artist still guided by the same principle that first shaped her, “Be a sponge, knowledge is power.”

Rebecca trained as a contemporary major at the New Zealand School of Dance, an experience she describes as foundational not only in technical terms, but in the way it taught her to think, adapt and respond. Looking back, she identifies the breadth of that training as one of its greatest strengths.

Wayne McGregor’s Deepstaria, Company Wayne McGregor (Rebecca Bassett-Graham), Photo credit Ravi Deepres

“One of the most valuable aspects was the range of tutors, styles, and approaches we were exposed to. That variety meant we were constantly adapting, both physically and creatively, which really prepared me for the diversity of choreographic voices in a professional environment.” She speaks of the balance between classical and contemporary practices as essential to her development, explaining that “classical technique gave me a strong foundation and discipline, while floor work and partnering developed a different kind of physical awareness, responsiveness, and trust.” Just as important was the emphasis on communication and responsiveness, “learning how to take on information, interpret it, and apply it quickly. That ability to process and respond in the moment has been fundamental in navigating the demands of a professional career.”

That responsiveness was shaped further by the people around her. Rebecca speaks with affection and gratitude about the teachers who left a lasting imprint on both her artistic voice and work ethic. “I was very fortunate during my time at New Zealand School of Dance to be exposed to a wide range of tutors and choreographers from different backgrounds, all of whom helped shape me in different ways.” Among them, two figures stand out. “The first is Sarah Foster-Sproull. She was my teacher in my very first term and remained a constant throughout my training. She encouraged a real fearlessness, both in creating and in how I approached movement. She had a very clear movement language, but at the same time allowed space for individuality within it, which was incredibly empowering.” That relationship extended beyond graduation, when Rebecca would later perform alongside Sarah in The Nothing, an experience she describes as “a full circle moment.”

The second was Matz Skoog, whose influence reached across multiple pivotal points in her career. “He was one of the first people to truly believe in me and gave me the tools to believe in myself.” From her early training through to her first weeks with Company Wayne McGregor, his presence remained a constant source of support. “He was present at several pivotal moments in my journey, always offering support, clarity, and belief exactly when I needed it.” His passing earlier this year has only deepened the significance of that influence. “I was very saddened by his passing earlier this year, and his impact has stayed with me in a profound way.”

Like many emerging artists, Rebecca’s transition into the profession was marked less by certainty and more by instinct. “One of the biggest challenges was carving out my own pathway. I knew coming out of school that I wanted to freelance, I wanted to experience as many different choreographic processes as possible and work alongside a wide range of dancers.” That desire to remain open led her first to New Zealand Dance Company, then to Dancenorth in Townsville, and into a period of freelancing that would take her across New Zealand and Australia. It was a formative stretch that demanded persistence and risk. “There’s a lot of uncertainty in those early years, figuring out where you fit, how to build connections, and how to keep momentum. It required persistence and a willingness to take risks, often without knowing where they might lead.” Yet she recognises now how essential that uncertainty was. “At the same time, it was about learning to trust my instincts. What I was drawn to creatively, and what felt right for my development as an artist. That process of searching, questioning, and refining my direction was challenging, but also essential in shaping the path I’ve taken.”

Those early years became a masterclass in versatility. Rebecca credits both New Zealand Dance Company and Dancenorth with sharpening her adaptability and expanding her understanding of what it means to work across vastly different choreographic languages. “I was constantly shifting between different processes, physicality, and ways of thinking, which taught me how to listen, listen both physically and creatively, and to meet each choreographer’s language on its own terms.” Rather than rushing to define herself, she embraced the uncertainty. “At that stage, I really saw myself as a sponge, really absorbing as much as I could.” That openness became one of her greatest strengths, allowing her to build not just versatility, but a deeper fluency in navigating different creative environments.

Her move to London was driven by something quieter, but no less powerful, a pull toward a choreographic language she had encountered years earlier. “I remember seeing Wayne McGregor’s works Far and Entity on YouTube in my final year at school. It was a real turning point. I fell in love with the language, and something about it stayed with me.” At the time, the idea of one day dancing with the company felt almost impossible. “It became a quiet goal to one day experience that physically, but at the time it felt distant, almost unrealistic.” Still, the impulse was strong enough to shift her life. “In 2013, I applied for a workshop led by Company Wayne McGregor and was accepted. A week later, I booked a one-way ticket to London. I never imagined that dancing with the company would be a possibility. I just knew I needed to be closer to that world.”

What followed was a complete reset. “Arriving in London felt like starting again. The network I’d built in New Zealand and Australia didn’t exist there, so I had to find my way into a completely new environment.” Freelancing across the UK and Europe meant rebuilding from the ground up, relying on consistency, openness and sheer determination. “It required persistence, adaptability, and a willingness to keep showing up, even when things felt uncertain.”

Her eventual path into Company Wayne McGregor was far from straightforward. The first time she applied to audition, she was not accepted. The second time, she was invited but arrived at the audition carrying doubt and exhaustion. “I remember being at a point where I’d really lost the joy of dancing. I had stopped dancing for a period and was considering moving back to New Zealand. I applied again almost to see if dancing was still something I wanted to pursue.” The audition itself was relentless, “incredibly physical and fast paced, moving through classical, Cunningham, repertoire, creative tasks, and improvisation, with cuts made after every round.” With more than 100 dancers in the room and thousands having applied, she expected to be cut at every stage. “I was convinced at the end of each session that I’d be going home. I’d pack my things, ready to say thank you and leave, then my name would be called.”

Then something shifted. “At some point, I let go of any expectation. I decided to make the most of the experience and simply enjoy the opportunity in front of me.” What happened next remains one of the clearest turning points in her career. “Within seconds of moving in Wayne’s language, something shifted. It just felt right. It pushed me beyond what I thought were my limits and into boundaries I didn’t even know existed.” In that moment, something long dormant returned. “I wasn’t aware of anyone else in the room, I was completely absorbed in the moment. It reconnected me to something I felt I’d lost. I’d never experienced anything like it. I felt alive, excited. It just felt right.”

Since joining the company in 2017, Rebecca’s understanding of performance has deepened through experience, discipline and necessity. Early injuries forced a rapid education in sustainability. “I had to learn quickly about my body, its strengths, its weaknesses, and what it needs on a daily basis.” That experience fundamentally reshaped her relationship to performance. “It pushed me to understand the importance of maintenance, the small, consistent work that keeps everything functioning.” Rather than relying on force, she has learned to work with greater intelligence and awareness. “I’ve learned that sustaining a high level isn’t just about strength or pushing harder. Recovery, consistency, and fine tuning are just as important.” It is a philosophy grounded not in endurance for endurance’s sake, but in longevity. “Listening to my body has become central to that, and that awareness is what allows me to keep showing up and performing at the level the work demands.”

Wayne McGregor’s Autobiography, Company Wayne McGregor (Rebecca Bassett-Graham), Théâtre de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France (2023), Photo credit Ravi Deepres

Now working across both performance and rehearsal direction, Rebecca is navigating the unique balance of performing with Company Wayne McGregor while also stepping into the role of Rehearsal Assistant. Rather than a departure from the stage, it is an expansion of perspective, one that allows her to move between embodying the work and helping shape its wider structure. “Stepping into a Rehearsal Assistant role is a shift from being inside the work to holding its overall structure.” Where performing demands immediacy, instinct and physical presence, assisting requires a broader lens, one that considers spacing, intention and clarity across the group. “As a performer, the focus is embodied and immediate, with attention on timing, physicality, and connection in the moment. As a Rehearsal Assistant, the perspective widens to tracking spacing, intention, and consistency across the group, asking whether the work is reading clearly as a whole.” Moving between the two has offered a new depth of insight, each role sharpening the other. “I’m currently working across both, and the two roles strongly inform each other,” she says. “I still feel like a sponge in that process.”

Reflecting on the wider arc of her career, Rebecca returns not to achievement, but to adaptability. “Resilience isn’t just about pushing through; it’s about learning how to adapt.” It is a distinction that sits at the heart of her approach to longevity. “Longevity, for me, has come from developing a deeper understanding of myself. It’s about balance. Knowing how to sustain both the physical and mental demands of the work and recognising what I need to keep evolving.” Growth, she says, has never come from certainty. “It’s made me realise that it often happens just outside your comfort zone.”

For students coming through institutions like the New Zealand School of Dance, her advice is direct, generous and hard won. “Be a sponge, knowledge is power. Take in as much as you can from the people around you, and don’t be afraid to keep searching and questioning. That curiosity is what will keep you growing, and it never really stops.” She encourages young dancers to meet discomfort with openness rather than fear. “Get comfortable being uncomfortable. The industry will constantly challenge you, and growth often comes from those moments where you feel stretched or unsure.” Most importantly, she urges them to begin developing self-awareness early. “Start building an understanding of yourself early on, how you work, what you need, and how to sustain both your body and mind. That self-awareness is what will support not just getting into the industry but staying in it.”

Rebecca Bassett-Graham’s career is not defined by a single breakthrough, but by what she has built through persistence, curiosity and an enduring willingness to evolve. It is a journey marked by risk, reinvention and an artist’s refusal to become fixed. “I’m still drawn to the uncomfortable, that’s where the growth continues.”