She calls it ‘‘creating her own space’’. A space free of the hustle and bustle of daily life and from the tension built up over weeks of rehearsing.

The stakes are high. Martin is a principal dancer, a star of the show at the pinnacle of her career.

When the curtain rises, her job is to make something that requires incredible, technical, physical and artistic skill look graceful and effortless.

‘‘It’s about keeping perspective and trying to enjoy yourself; not let your mind play games,’’ she says.

Martin returned to the stage this year after the birth of her second child, Matilda, now 11 months old.

Martin’s star has burned bright for a number of years.

She joined the Australian Ballet in 1996 and was promoted to principal artist, the highest rank for a dancer, in 2003.

Last year, she won the Prix Benois de la Danse, the international dance equivalent of the Oscars, for her performance in Manon in 1998.

Her journey began when she took up ballet as a child.

By 16, she knew she wanted to pursue dance as a career.

‘‘I can’t remember ever wanting to do anything else.’’

She says she tries to stay grounded, despite her achievements.

‘‘It’s important to hold onto it, enjoy it and keep enjoying it.’’

The Australian Ballet’s Peggy! began last week and is a tribute to Dame Peggy van Praagh, a dancer and visionary who laid the foundation for the company in the early 1960s as its first artistic director.

The show is a gala-style program of highlights from her time with the

Australian Ballet and features dances from Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty and Birthday Celebration and culminates in Anthony Tudor’s 1938 Gala Performance, where three young ballerinas vie for the limelight. Martin has lead roles in the show. Peggy! runs until Monday, July 5.

For more details and tickets: visit www.australianballet.com.au