Ausdance has announced that this year's Australian Dance Award for Lifetime Achievement will be presented this coming weekend to Robina Beard, OAM.
Beard has been dancing since she was seven years old and has had an illustrious career on stage and TV and in all facets of dance, including with Ausdance in developing the Australian Dance Awards.
The national president of Ausdance, Professor Susan Street, said that Robina Beard is one of our most recognisable dance and performing artists.
“Robina has excelled in many different roles throughout her life as a dancer, performer, director, choreographer, teacher and advisor,” Street said. “She has been passionately committed to raising the standards of both performance and teaching in this country and has a long-standing commitment to developing and supporting Indigenous dance.”
She became a household name as “Madge” the manicurist in the Palmolive Dishwashing Liquid advertisement.
The 2011 Australian Dance Awards will be held in Queensland for the first time in its 14 year history in Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s (QPAC) Playhouse on Sunday July 24. Awards will be announced in a number of different categories.
Featured performances will include Queensland Ballet, Expressions Dance Company, Dancenorth, Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts (ACPA), Sydney Dance Company and Sue Peacock with Stefan Karlsson from Western Australia.
See www.australiandanceawards.net.au for the full list of nominees.