Susan Street danced with Kolobok Dance Company before moving to Amsterdam to work with the International Folkloric Dance Company, which toured extensively in both Western and Eastern Europe. She was Head of Dance from 1988 –1999 at the Queensland University of Technology and then Dean of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. She has an Australian Dance Award for Services to Dance Education and in 2000 she was made an Emeritus Professor by QUT, the first Australian dance educator to be promoted to the title of Professor. Susan was Chair of the Dance Board and a Council member of the Australia Council from 1997 – 1999, and she also chaired the World Dance Alliance–Asia Pacific Dance Education network for a decade. From 2005 – 11 Sue was Executive Dean of the Faculty of Creative Industries at the Queensland University of Technology, and is now Executive Director of QUT Precincts, a trust member of the Queensland Performing Arts Centre and a member of the Australia China Council. Sue is the National President of the Australian Dance Council – Ausdance Inc.
Articles
Artists—the new elite
Professor Sue Street presented the eighth Dame Peggy Van Praagh Memorial Address alongside David McAllister Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet. She explores some of the major challenges faced by the dance sector and reflects on some of the achievements.
Reframing arguments about the value of contemporary dance: putting creativity at the centre of dance
Sue talks about the challenges of sustainability for contemporary dance in Australia, and argues that the notion of creativity should be at the core of future debates about the intrinsic, cultural and economic benefits of dance.