Australian Dance Theatre

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Australian Dance Theatre
ADT Logo.jpg
"Australia's pre-eminent contemporary dance company"
General information
NameAustralian Dance Theatre
Year founded1965
Founding artistic directorDr. Elizabeth Cameron Dalman OAM
Principal venue57A Queen Street
Norwood, South Australia
South Australia
5067
Australia
34°58′15″S 138°36′30″E / 34.9709°S 138.6083°E / -34.9709; 138.6083Coordinates: 34°58′15″S 138°36′30″E / 34.9709°S 138.6083°E / -34.9709; 138.6083
Websitewww.adt.org.au
Artistic staff
Artistic Director

Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), known as Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre 1993–1999, is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1965 by Dr. Elizabeth Cameron Dalman OAM. The ADT was the first modern dance company in Australia and drew on the techniques of Martha Graham for its inspiration. Eleo Pomare was an early collaborator and the songs of Peter, Paul and Mary featured strongly in their early works, such as This Train.

The company has garnered 28 industry awards since 2002, was the first Australian company invited to the Edinburgh Festival and is the only Australian company to be invited to perform at Théâtre de la Ville in Paris. The company has toured performances extensively throughout Australia as well as internationally.

History[]

The Australian Dance Theatre was founded by Elizabeth Dalman, later Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, in 1965.[1][2] Dalman sought to "open the horizons for provocative contemporary and cutting edge dance".[1] The ADT was the first modern dance company in Australia, and drew on the techniques of Martha Graham for its inspiration. Eleo Pomare was an early collaborator and the songs of Peter, Paul and Mary featured strongly in their early works, such as "This Train".[citation needed]

Under Meryl Tankard as artistic director from 1993 to 1999, the company was known as the Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre. Tankard left after disputes with the Board.[3] After an interim directorship under Bill Pengelly,[4] Garry Stewart was appointed in 1999.[5][6][7]

Wiradjuri man , formerly of Bangarra Dance Theatre, was announced in June 2021 as the new artistic director, taking over from Garry Stewart's 22-year tenure at the end of the year. The appointment is significant, as Riley will be the first Indigenous person to become an artistic director of a non-Indigenous dance company.[8]

Accolades and tours[]

The company has toured performances extensively throughout Australia, as well as Ireland, Korea, Canada, USA, UK, The Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, Japan, Spain, Austria, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Norway and Colombia.[citation needed]

ADT has garnered 28 industry awards since 2002, was the first Australian company invited to the Edinburgh Festival and is the only Australian company to be invited to perform at Théâtre de la Ville in Paris.[citation needed]

Artistic directors[]

The artistic directors have been:

  • 1965–1975: Elizabeth Cameron Dalman OAM[9][10]
  • 1977–1985: Jonathan Taylor (former dancer Ballet Rambert, UK),[11][12]
  • 1986–1987: Anthony Steel (Adelaide Festival & Lenny Westerdijk (ADT dancer)
  • 1987–1993: Leigh Warren (creator and director of Leigh Warren & Dancers, 1993–2019, now Dance Hub SA)[13]
  • 1993–1999: Meryl Tankard[14] (left after disputes with the Board)
  • 1999: Bill Pengelly (interim)[4]
  • 1999–2021: Garry Stewart[5]
  • 2022–: [8]

Selected performances[]

Choreographed by Dalman:[9][10]

  • Hallucinations (1966)
  • This Train (1966)
  • Landscape (1967)
  • Sundown (1967)
  • Sun and Moon (1968)
  • Homage to Boticelli (1969)
  • Creation (1969),
  • Release of an Oath (1972)

Choreographed by Taylor:[12]

  • Wildstars
  • Transfigured Night

Choreographed by Warren:[13]

Choreographed by Tankard:[14]

  • Re-worked pieces:
    • Songs with Mara
    • Kikimora
  • New works:
    • Furioso (1993)
    • Aurora (1994)
    • Possessed (1995)
    • Rasa (1996), (in collaboration with Padma Menon)
    • Seulle (1997)
    • Inuk (1997).
    • 1998 (sub-titled A Sampler by Meryl Tankard)

Choreographed by Pengelly:[4]

  • Split

Choreographed by Stewart:[5]

  • Housedance (performed on the outside of the main sail of the Sydney Opera House on New Year's Eve 1999)
  • Birdbrain (the most performed contemporary dance work in the history of Australian dance)
  • The Age of Unbeauty (2002 Australian Dance Awards Outstanding Choreographic Achievement)[15]
  • HELD (a collaboration with U.S. dance photographer Lois Greenfield[16] - 2004 Adelaide Bank Festival – Helpmann Award for Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work)
  • Nothing
  • Vocabulary (a collaboration with Kat Worth and Restless Dance Theatre, South Australia)
  • Devolution (premiered at the 2006 Adelaide Festival and a collaboration with Canadian robotics artist Louis-Philippe Demers[17] – 2006 Helpmann Awards Best New Australian Work & Best Lighting)
  • Worldhood (a collaboration with Visual Artist – Thomas Buchanan)
  • G "Giselle" (premiered at the 2008 Adelaide Festival) G is a reworked representation of the 1800s ballet Giselle, without the pretty dancing peasants.
  • Collision Course (a collaboration with CM Films – Carmelo Musca, Western Australia)
  • Be Your Self (a collaboration with Diller Scofidio + Renfro, USA)
  • Proximity (a collaboration with Video Artist/Engineer – Thomas Pachoud, France)
  • Multiverse (created in collaboration with Deakin University, audiences view the performance through 3D glasses. Co-commissioned by La Rose des Vents, Villeneuve d’Ascq (France), Theater im Pfalzbau, Ludwigshafen (Germany) and Théâtre National de Chaillot, Paris (France)
  • Habitus (premiered at the 2016 Adelaide Festival – 2016 Helpmann Award for Best Male Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work (Kimball Wong)
  • Objekt (created in collaboration with Germany’s tanzmainz – the contemporary dance company of Staatstheater Mainz, lead by its Director Honne Dohrmann).
  • The Beginning of Nature (Acclaimed composer, Brendan Woithe, collaborated with Kaurna consultant, Jack Buckskin, to develop the original score which includes a libretto sung in Kaurna language, the first language of the Adelaide Plains, home to ADT)

Funding[]

The ADT is funded by the federal government through the Australia Council, the Government of South Australia through the Department of the Premier and Cabinet[18] (1997–2018 via Arts South Australia) and a number of corporate partners and sponsors, as well as private donors.[19]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "Elizabeth Cameron Dalman at Australia Dancing". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
  2. ^ "Dance pioneer returns to her roots, Stateline SA, ABC TV, Broadcast: 25 February 2005". Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2008.
  3. ^ "Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre at Australia Dancing". Archived from the original on 15 July 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Bill Pengelly". AusStage. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Garry Stewart". AusStage. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  6. ^ "Garry Stewart at Australia Dancing". Archived from the original on 6 August 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
  7. ^ Garry Stewart at ADT Archived 19 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Carter, Mahalia (6 June 2021). "Daniel Riley announced as the first Indigenous artistic director to lead non-Indigenous dance company". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Elizabeth Dalman". AusStage. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b "Elizabeth Cameron Dalman". AusStage. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Jonathan Taylor at Australia Dancing". Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "Jonathon Taylor". AusStage. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b "Leigh Warren". AusStage. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "Meryl Tankard". AusStage. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  15. ^ ADT sweeps dance awards, The Age, 18 November 2002
  16. ^ Frozen moments of magic, The Daily Telegraph, 17 February 2007[dead link]
  17. ^ Penelope Debelle, Closing gap between man and machine, The Age, 6 February 2006
  18. ^ "About arts and culture". Government of South Australia. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  19. ^ "Our partners". Australian Dance Theatre. Retrieved 18 August 2019.

Further reading[]

External links[]

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