Rianne was born and raised in
Palmerston North. She danced with the New Zealand Ballet and then in 1962 won a New Zealand government scholarship to attend the
Royal Ballet School in London. After graduating, she danced as a soloist in the Marseilles Ballet, France and then joined
Ballet Rambert in London as a principal dancer. In 1969 she joined
Western Theatre Ballet and later became a founding member of Scottish Ballet. Rianne also choreographed original ballets such as
Bliss, based on
Katherine Mansfield's short story, for the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and in 1980 she produced
The Nutcracker for the company. == Personal life ==