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| Australian Dance Theatre | |
|---|---|
| Name | Australian Dance Theatre |
| Founded | 1965 |
| Founders | Elizabeth Cameron Dalman |
| Location | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Genre | Contemporary dance |
Australian Dance Theatre
Australian Dance Theatre is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1965. The company has been influential in Australian and international performing arts through its choreography, touring, and education programs, engaging with institutions such as the Adelaide Festival, the Sydney Opera House, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the National Gallery of Victoria. Its work intersects with practitioners and organizations including Meryl Tankard, Gideon Obarzanek, Chunky Move, Bangarra Dance Theatre, and the Australian Ballet.
The company emerged from the 1960s Australian arts scene alongside institutions like the Australia Council for the Arts, the South Australian Government arts initiatives, and the National Institute of Dramatic Art. Early decades involved collaborations with artists linked to the Australian Performing Group, the Adelaide Festival Centre, and the University of Adelaide, and exchanges with groups such as the Sydney Theatre Company and the Melbourne Theatre Company. Across the 1970s and 1980s the company intersected with figures associated with the Australia Council Dance Board, the New Dance movement, and festivals such as the Festival of Perth and the Darwin Festival. Later developments included residencies and tours connected to ArtsSA, Creative New Zealand, and the British Council, and institutional partnerships with organizations like the Australia Council for the Arts, the Adelaide Festival, and Carclew Youth Arts Centre.
Artistic directors have included founders and prominent artists whose careers also link to institutions such as the Australian Ballet, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Victorian College of the Arts, and the National Institute of Dramatic Art. Directors have engaged with choreographers and directors associated with the Sydney Dance Company, Chunky Move, and the Queensland Ballet. Leadership transitions have involved advisory relationships with councils and funding bodies like the Australia Council, South Australian Film Corporation, and Creative Australia, and collaborations with curators from the Biennale of Sydney and the Melbourne Festival.
The repertoire spans works by choreographers connected to international venues such as the Barbican Centre, Sadler’s Wells, and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and to creators including Meryl Tankard, Garry Stewart, Rafael Bonachela, and Melanie Lane. Signature works toured alongside programs at the Adelaide Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Singapore Arts Festival, and the Holland Festival, and have been presented at venues like the Sydney Opera House, the Melbourne Recital Centre, and the National Theatre. The company’s commissions and premieres have featured collaborations with composers and designers linked to the Australian Chamber Orchestra, the ABC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Opera Australia.
Collaborations have involved choreographers and companies such as Bangarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Dance Company, Chunky Move, Force Majeure, and Victorian Opera, and composers and musicians associated with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, the Australian String Quartet, and Ensemble Offspring. Commissions have been supported by bodies and festivals including the Australia Council for the Arts, Adelaide Festival, OzAsia Festival, and the British Council, and have engaged visual artists and designers associated with institutions like the Art Gallery of South Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria.
Touring history includes seasons at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Festival d’Avignon, the Holland Festival, the Vancouver International Dance Festival, and seasons at Sadler’s Wells and the Barbican, and collaborations with organizations such as the British Council, Creative New Zealand, and the Asia-Europe Foundation. Australian state and territory arts agencies such as Arts Queensland, ArtsWA, and Arts South Australia have supported national tours, while international presenters like the Kennedy Center, Theatre Royal Plymouth, and the Hong Kong Arts Festival have hosted the company’s work.
Education initiatives have partnered with institutions including the University of Adelaide, Flinders University, the State Theatre Company of South Australia, Carclew Youth Arts Centre, and TAFE SA, and have aligned with national programs supported by the Australia Council and Creative Australia. Community engagement projects have worked with schools, health services, and cultural institutions such as the Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience, Museums Australia, and local councils across South Australia, often intersecting with Indigenous cultural organizations and First Nations artists connected to Bangarra Dance Theatre and the Indigenous Performing Arts.
The company and its artists have received awards associated with the Helpmann Awards, the Green Room Awards, the Australian Dance Awards, and state-based prizes administered by the Australia Council and state arts ministers. Individual choreographers and productions have been recognized by institutions such as the Adelaide Critics Circle, the Sydney Morning Herald’s performing arts critics, the British Council touring awards, and international festival juries at Edinburgh, Avignon, and the Holland Festival.
Category:Performing arts in Australia Category:Contemporary dance companies Category:Organisations based in Adelaide