Meet The Crew: Oscar Hoelscher

The past few months have been Oscar Hoelscher’s longest stint in the one place for some time now. Before joining Man With A Van as a removalist, he toured both nationally and internationally as a classical ballet dancer. Fascinated by his trajectory, we caught up with him recently to find out more about the transition from ballet to removals.

Originally from Brisbane, with stints in London and New Zealand, Oscar made Melbourne his home two years ago, “I was living in London, but I came here for dance. Melbourne has a great dance and creative scene so it was a good move for me”.

Just last year, he broke his foot and having just got out of a “moon boot”, he joined Man With A Van for a change of direction, “it’s pretty similar to dancing in that you have to do a lot of lifting and partnering. In ballet, there are a lot of unorthodox lifts and twisting, as well as going right down to the ground and pushing above your head — there are some surprising parallels between the two”.

Having toured the US, the UK, and Italy, performing lead roles in such ballets as Nutcracker, Coppelia and Midsummer Night's Dream, Oscar’s decision to change direction was a significant one, “I was five when I started — ballet has been a huge part of my life. It has been hard to walk away. It’s sad in a respect because I really love the art form, but it’s the industry I have a problem with.”

Nevertheless, the flexibility in working for Man With A Van has given him some much needed breathing space, and he’s not ready to part ways with his creativity entirely, “I have been writing dance and various other pieces. I do want to do some performing and choreography, but it’s been really nice not to train in that way everyday because it’s so intense. It’s nice just to chill out.”

When asked how his new lifestyle and job are shaping up, he explains, “I didn’t really have many expectations for the job. I guess it’s cooler than I thought because of the culture here, the flexible hours, and the way the roster is structured. Pretty much everyone at Man With A Van has something else interesting going on in their lives which is pretty cool.”

It wasn’t an easy task getting Oscar to talk about his success, but a quick google search and you can read more. He seems both humble as well as self-actualised, a gentle combination evident in his demeanour.

“I’m content with the success I’ve had with ballet, but it’s time to move on. I have been loving the new gig. It runs better than any other company I have worked for — it’s all the little things that really make it.”

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