The Australian Dance Awards return
Ausdance has announced the return of the Australian Dance Awards for the first time since 2018. The new board, elected this year, has also committed to returning the Australian Dance Awards to the annual dance calendar. This year’s Awards span achievements across 2018 and 2019.
The Australian Dance Awards will be presented online this year, by Ausdance National on Tuesday, 8 December 2020 at 7.30 pm AEDT (6.30 in Qld, 7pm in SA & NT, 4.30 pm in WA).
Lifetime Achievement Awards for 2018 and 2019 will be announced on 26 November.
SHORTLISTED NOMINEES:
2018 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMMUNITY DANCE
- Karma Dance for Bent Hollywood
- RIPE Dance for In a Different Space
- Emma Saunders for Austinmer Dance Project
- Tracks Dance for In Your Blood
2019 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMMUNITY DANCE
- Chunky Move, Yellow Wheel, and Tasdance for SIMULCAST
- Dance My Story for Dance My Story
- Fine Lines for The Right
- Transit Dance for Hometown
2018 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUTH DANCE
- Ballet Theatre of Queensland for The Little Mermaid
- FLING Physical Theatre for Body & Environment
- Merge Dance Theatre for Dis/Connect
- Stompin for Mirror Mirror
2019 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN YOUTH DANCE
- Brooke Leeder & Dancers for RADAR
- Emma Saunders for Encounter South
- FLING Physical Theatre for My Black Dog
- QL2 Youth Dance for Filling the Space
2018 AWARD FOR SERVICES TO DANCE EDUCATION
- Vicki Attard for her work as a former principal with The Australian Ballet
- Meredith Blackburn for commitment to the value of dance education
- Karen Malek for her inspirational work as a dance teacher for over 40 years and President of the Australian Teachers of Dancing
- Pepa Molina for her work in bringing a real sense of Flamenco to Australia
2019 AWARD FOR SERVICES TO DANCE EDUCATION
- Sheru Bharadwaja for raising the profile of street dance in Australia
- Sue Fox for her role as co-writer of state and national arts curriculum documents
- Katy McKeown for her role as Head of The Australian Ballet’s Education & Outreach Program
- Wendy Smith for her role as one of the pioneers of Skinner Release Technique
2018 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHOREOGRAPHY
- Narelle Benjamin & Paul White for Cella
- Stephanie Lake for Colossus
- Alice Topp for Aurum
- Anouk Van Dijk for Common Ground
2019 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CHOREOGRAPHY
- Rafael Bonachela for Cinco
- Stephanie Lake for Skeleton Tree
- Garry Stewart for South
- Marina Tamayo and Aitor Hernandez Sanzano for Emerald
2018 AWARD FOR SERVICES TO DANCE
- Erica Rose Jeffrey for her work in establishing Dance for Parkinson’s Australia in 2012
- Valerie Lawson for her work as a Walkley Award-winning journalist
- Marina Tamayo for her work as a Spanish dance practitioner
- Paul Wakelam for his work in designing for Australian dance
2019 AWARD FOR SERVICES TO DANCE
- Philippe Charluet for over 30 years of filming Australian dance productions
- Mark Dyson for excellence in lighting design
- Sidney Saltner for his outstanding contribution to dance over three decades and for his leadership as a benchmark for other First Nations peoples
2018 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE ON FILM OR NEW MEDIA
- Lisa Maris McDonell for Softly Softly
- Lucy Doherty for Reminiscence
- Richard James Allen & Karen Pearlman for Digital Afterlives
- RIPE Dance for In a Different Space
2019 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN DANCE ON FILM OR NEW MEDIA
- Sophia Bender for Endo Girl
- Jen Brown for Sky Song
- Claire Marshall for SHIFT
- Samaya Wives for Oten
2018 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMMERCIAL DANCE, MUSICALS, OR PHYSICAL THEATRE
- Circa Contemporary Circus for En Masse
- Circa Contemporary Circus for Circa’s Peepshow
- The Farm for The Tide
2019 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN COMMERCIAL DANCE, MUSICALS, OR PHYSICAL THEATRE
- High Kix for Frou Frou to Fruition
- Opera Australia for West Side Story
- STRUT Dance for SUNSET
- The Farm for Throttle
2018 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN INDEPENDENT DANCE
- Anything is Valid Dance Theatre for Dust on the Shortbread
- Clare Dyson for ALONE TOGETHER
- Liz Lea for RED
- Vicki Van Hout for plenty serious TALK TALK
2019 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN INDEPENDENT DANCE
- Australian Dance Party for From the Vault
- Laura Boynes for Wonder Woman
- Scott Elstermann for Act 2 Scenes 1-4
- Lewis Major for Epilogue
2018 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE DANCER
- Narelle Benjamin for Cella
- Anca Frankenhaeuser for MIST
- Carina Roberts for Dracula by West Australian Ballet
- Charmene Yap for Ab(Intra) with Sydney Dance Company
2019 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A FEMALE DANCER
- Marlo Benjamin for The Skeleton Tree with Stephanie Lake Co
- Niharika Senapati for Precipice by Rachel Arianne Ogle
- Alexa Tuzil for Giselle by West Australian Ballet
- Josephine Weise for The Dinner Party by Australasian Dance Collective
2018 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE DANCER
- Victor Estevez for A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Queensland Ballet
- Matthew Lehmann for Dracula with West Australian Ballet
- Oscar Valdes for La Sylphide with West Australian Ballet
- Kimball Wong for The Beginning of Nature with Australian Dance Theatre
2019 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A MALE DANCER
- Tyrel Dulvarie for 30 years of 65,000 by Bangarra Dance Theatre
- Harrison Elliott for South with Australian Dance Theatre
- Ryan Pearson for Stamping Ground with Bangarra Dance Theatre
- Andrew Searle for The Line with Co:3 Australia
2018 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A COMPANY
- Australian Dance Theatre for The Beginning of Nature
- Bangarra Dance Theatre for Dark Emu
- Marrugeku for Le Dernier Appel
- West Australian Ballet for Milnjiya, Milky Way – River of Stars
2019 AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A COMPANY
- Australian Dance Theatre for South
- Bangarra Dance Theatre for 30 Years of 65,000
- Restless Dance Theatre for Zizanie
- STRUT Dance for SUNSET
The Awards will be presented by David McAllister AM, Artistic Director, The Australian Ballet; Wesley Enoch AM, Director of the Sydney Festival; Lucy Durack, star of musical theatre; and Ella Havelka, dancer and choreographer, The Australian Ballet.
- CANDIDE MCDONALD