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| Australian Dance Council | |
|---|---|
| Name | Australian Dance Council |
| Formation | 1970s |
| Type | Not-for-profit peak body |
| Headquarters | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Region served | Australia |
| Languages | English |
Australian Dance Council
The Australian Dance Council is a national peak body representing contemporary dance, choreography, and dance education across Australia. It supports practitioners, companies, festivals, and institutions through advocacy, resources, and sector development while engaging with international partners and government bodies. The Council works alongside major performing arts organisations, major festivals, and tertiary institutions to strengthen professional pathways and cultural recognition for dance.
The Council emerged from discussions among leading figures in Australian performing arts including members associated with Australian Ballet, Sydney Dance Company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, West Australian Ballet, and regional companies such as Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair stakeholders in the late 20th century. It formalised relationships with arts funding bodies like the Australia Council for the Arts and state-based entities including Arts NSW and Creative Victoria during periods of sector reform. Key historical interactions involved collaborations with choreographers tied to Merce Cunningham Dance Company tours, exchanges with Royal Ballet affiliates, and programming linked to festivals such as Adelaide Festival, Melbourne Festival, and MONA FOMA. The Council’s archival initiatives referenced collections from institutions like the National Library of Australia, State Library of New South Wales, and National Film and Sound Archive.
The Council’s mission foregrounds support for choreographers, performers, educators, and researchers connected to organisations such as Victorian College of the Arts, Queensland University of Technology, and National Institute of Dramatic Art. It promotes standards influencing curricula at tertiary institutions and partnerships with companies including Sydney Opera House presenters, touring producers involved with Regional Arts NSW, and commissioning bodies like Perth Festival. Core activities connect to national conversations involving representatives from Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Art Gallery of New South Wales, and industry unions such as the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance.
The Council is governed by a board with directors drawn from choreographers, artistic directors, educators, and producers linked to entities like Chunky Move, Lucy Guerin Inc., Australian Dance Theatre, and Sydney Contemporary Dance Company. Executive roles coordinate with policy teams that liaise with state ministries including Government of New South Wales arts portfolios and federal departments such as the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications through cultural funding frameworks. Advisory committees include representatives from universities such as University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, and community organisations like Carriageworks and Belvoir.
Programs include professional development residencies partnered with venues like Performance Space, touring schemes associated with Country Arts SA, and mentorships involving retired artists from companies such as Bangarra Dance Theatre and Australian Ballet School. Initiatives also encompass archiving projects in collaboration with the National Archives of Australia and research partnerships with Australian Research Council-funded teams at institutions like Deakin University and Griffith University. Special projects have been presented alongside events such as Sydney Festival, Brisbane Festival, and international exchanges involving Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Venice Biennale participants.
The Council engages in advocacy with peak cultural institutions including the Australia Council for the Arts and state arts agencies to influence funding models, touring infrastructure, and visa arrangements affecting international artists who work with companies like Cloudstreet-era collaborators and touring ensembles from New York City Ballet exchanges. Policy work has intersected with national discussions on intellectual property involving AusStage databases, workplace safety campaigns referencing Safe Work Australia, and research into arts employment that informed submissions to parliamentary inquiries in the Parliament of Australia.
Partnerships span domestic and international organisations: collaborations with festivals such as Perth International Arts Festival, residencies at venues including Carriageworks and Bennetts Lane Jazz Club cross-disciplinary initiatives with museums like the Australian Centre for the Moving Image, and exchange programs with companies linked to Jerome Robbins legacy projects and European institutions like The Place (London). Educational partnerships involve conservatoires and universities including Victorian College of the Arts and Queensland Conservatorium receipt of joint funding from bodies such as Creative Australia.
The Council supports recognition frameworks that align with national awards administered by organisations such as the Helpmann Awards, Australia Council Fellowships, and state awards presented by Arts SA and Arts Queensland. It has contributed to bursaries and prizes named for eminent practitioners who have worked with Australian Ballet and Bangarra Dance Theatre, and to archival awards partnered with the National Film and Sound Archive and major libraries.
Category:Arts organisations based in Australia Category:Dance in Australia