Julie Andrews was born into a theatrical family in Surrey in 1935, and from a young age, her natural gift for music and performance was encouraged. Her mother’s sister, Joan Wells, played an important part in her childhood. Joan was a ballet dancer and teacher, and she introduced little Julie to the discipline and grace of dance.
Julie began taking ballet lessons with her Aunt Joan when she was very young, even before she was fully aware of her extraordinary singing voice. These lessons weren’t just casual playtime—they were proper, structured classes in which Julie learned posture, poise, and discipline. Joan saw that Julie had remarkable natural coordination and urged her to continue.
Though ballet never became Julie’s professional path, the training she received from her aunt became essential later on. The balance, carriage, and breath control she developed in those early ballet lessons carried into her stage presence, vocal stamina, and movement on stage. In interviews, Julie Andrews has often recalled those lessons with affection, saying that her Aunt Joan’s influence gave her a foundation that would serve her throughout her career.
By the time Julie was discovered for her extraordinary four-octave soprano, she already carried herself with the confidence and precision of a performer far beyond her years—qualities rooted in the ballet training Joan Wells had given her.
Julie Andrews’ elegant bearing and discipline as a performer didn’t come only from her voice—it began in her childhood with her Aunt Joan Wells teaching her ballet.
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