From our Ballet Studios into War Zones: Hollie McKay’s Journey Beyond the Stage

Before she became a renowned war journalist, Hollie McKay (Class of 2003) was a young girl in rural Australia, spinning through life in ballet shoes and chasing stories with her pen. Her childhood was a whirlwind of classical ballet, jazz, tap, and elocution lessons—her mother’s way of ensuring her daughters never felt the loneliness she once knew. “With the arts, you can never be lonely,” her mother would say, tucking her in at night.

From the moment she started dancing, before she joined us as a boarder, Hollie’s early years were shaped by discipline, creativity, and a relentless pursuit of self-expression. Dance became her language when words failed her—a way to exist in another dimension, to be free, to be different.

But as she grew, so did her questions. A fractured ankle during a performance at the Sydney Opera House became the unexpected turning point. It was a break—both literal and symbolic—that forced her to pause and reconsider the life she thought she was destined for.

That pause led her to New York City, where the rhythm of the streets replaced the rhythm of the barre. A chance internship at FOX News introduced her to journalism, and she never looked back. Though she left the stage behind, the lessons of dance—resilience, discipline, and the courage to rise after every fall—continue to shape her work and worldview.

Today, Hollie McKay is a celebrated journalist known for her fearless reporting from some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones. But at her core, she remains the girl who once danced through haunted halls, dreamed of lions and circuses, and believed that stories—whether told through movement or words—have the power to change the world.

You can read about her experience, beautifully written in her own words, here: https://holliesmckay.substack.com/p/the-life-before-how-ballet-led-me?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=391206&post_id=163791469&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=ovxbx&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email