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A visionary voice for dance – Hilary Trotter

Hilary Trotter, dance writer, advocate and activist
b. 13 June 1933, d. 18 February 2024

As we pay tribute to one of Ausdance's most visionary founding voices, it's appropriate to remember in some detail her contribution to the organisation and to Australian dance more widely.

Hilary and her family moved to Canberra in the 1960s, where she was dance critic for The Canberra Times from 1972–90. She was an early advocate for dance in the ACT as a writer and parent of young children at the then Bryan Lawrence School of Ballet where she herself – determined to learn the intricacies of ballet – joined the classes as an adult beginner.

In 1977 she became a founding member of the Australian Association for Dance Education (now the Australian Dance Council – Ausdance), and was its first ACT President from 1977–1981, then National President from 1981–84.

Hilary helped to draft Ausdance’s first Constitution in 1978, wrote its monthly newsletter Dance Action, managed ACT dance projects such as Sunday in the Park, and initiated the annual ACT Summer School of Dance and the ACT Dance Festival. She applied for funding to bring small dance companies in residence to Canberra, including One Extra Dance and Kinetic Energy, combining performances with workshops and discussions. She then successfully lobbied for the establishment of the ACT’s first professional dance company, Human Veins Dance Theatre (HVDT).

Funding for all Ausdance ACT projects were the direct result of Hilary’s skills as a grant application writer and advocate. In the early 1980s she was elected to the Gorman House establishment committee, ensuring that there would be workable and accessible dance spaces there with sprung floors, high ceilings and adequate office and green room spaces. Since then there have been permanent professional dance companies in residence in Gorman House Arts Centre: HVDT, the Meryl Tankard Company, Sue Healey’s Vis-à-vis Dance Canberra, the Australian Choreographic Centre, and now QL2.

Hilary toured with Australian Dance Theatre in 1982, writing a detailed diary of the company’s European tour, resulting in the publication of five chapters of Dustbins & Taffeta in Brolga 10–14. She also recorded an oral history with HVDT artistic director Don Asker, now in the National Library of Australia with BrolgaAn Australian Journal About Dance. Her work as an archivist at the Australian Archives led to Ausdance's long history of recording and preserving dance.

When Ausdance National received its first Australia Council funding in 1984,  Hilary became its co-director until her retirement in 1991, initiating and co-managing many projects for Ausdance National including the establishment of a national dance database, partnerships with the Media Arts & Entertainment Alliance (MEAA) to produce the Dancers’ Transition Report (1989), and the National Arts Industry Training Council to produce the first Safe Dance Report (1990) as its skilled project designer and editor, and inventing the now internationally-recognised term ‘Safe Dance’, with implications for dance practice world-wide.

Hilary's interest in design and writing led to her work on Brolga – an Australian Journal About Dance, and also Asia-Pacific Channels on behalf of the World Dance Alliance, for many years. She was the writer, editor and designer of all Ausdance National publications throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including Ausdance conference papers and Green Mill publications.

Hilary’s vision for Ausdance was to see a network of funded Ausdance organisations throughout the country, and her work to realise that vision led to real growth in Australians’ understanding of dance as an art form, as a vital part of every child’s education, as a health imperative and as a serious area of tertiary study.

The national coordinators toured the country every year throughout the 1980s and early ’90s, visiting each Ausdance office, holding meetings with companies, studio teachers, students, tertiary institutions, local arts councils and funding bodies, and endeavouring to link all their activities to meaningfully connect the industry with a voice that would be heard by decisions makers at all levels, but most particularly in the federal Parliament.

Hilary’s passing sees the end of an advocacy era, where leadership that provides action and a national overview is respected, validated and acted upon by all in the greater interest of dance across political and state boundaries. Recent national and state funding decisions have greatly undermined this effort, a situation that saddened Hilary in her later years.

Hilary’s approach was gently persuasive, always backed by written evidence and supported by others with whom she worked. Hilary was made an Honorary Life Member of Ausdance in 1991, and was further honoured at the 2018 Australian Dance Awards for Services to Dance.

 – Julie Dyson, 18/2/24

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Ausdance National statement to the Senate Inquiry into the National Cultural Policy

Ausdance National was invited to present at the Senate Inquiry into the National Cultural Policy in July.

Dr Cathy Adamek (Ausdance National Vice-President and Director, Ausdance ACT) attended with Michelle Silby (Director, Ausdance Victoria), presenting a two-minute response drawn from Ausdance National's submission. The response included subsequent consultation by Julie Englefield (Director, Ausdance Qld) and a review of the government's Revive policy with Jacob Williams (President, Ausdance National).

The main objective was to draw the Senate's attention to the lack of Dance references in the policy.

An excerpt of the Ausdance Public Hearing Statement reads:

  • We celebrate Australia’s new National Cutural Policy Revive, and we support its broad recommendations relating to all art forms. However, there are gaps we would like to see addressed:
    • There needs to be more support for First Nations dance across the sector.
    • There is little reference to dance or language-specific references to dance across all pillars, which primarily emphasise visual arts and music.
    • We ask that dance be explicitly recognised across the five pillars.
  • Dance is a major contributor to cultural storytelling: It is
    • one of the most diverse art forms, and
    • one of the top three most popular forms of physical recreation.

Read the official documents: 

Ausdance Public Hearing Statement

Ausdance Talking Points

Official Committee Hansard SENATE ENVIRONMENT AND COMMUNICATIONS REFERENCES COMMITTEE National Cultural Policy

Transcript of hearing

The Senators were particularly interested in the numbers associated with dance participation in Australia and dance studio issues such as music licensing.

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International Young Choreographers Project 2024

Applications from emerging Australian choreographers are now being called for this international opportunity.

The IYCP has been providing young choreographers with this invaluable artistic and cultural experience since 1999. Read about previous Australian participants’ experience here.

Closing date is 16 December 2023.

About the International Young Choreographer Project

The International Young Choreographer Project (IYCP) is held in southern Taiwan in July/August and is hosted by World Dance Alliance Asia–Pacific Taiwan chapter. Eight choreographers from the Asia-Pacific region are chosen by WDA Asia Pacific (WDAAP) to attend.

Participants are selected from a list of young choreographers recommended by World Dance Alliance country chapters (Asia Pacific, including Australia, the Americas and Europe), based not only on their choreographic work, but also on their ability to meet the challenges of working in a foreign country with unfamiliar dancers and culture, and their potential as a significant contributor to dance in the future.

The selected choreographers work with selected dancers from Taiwan. The three-week process of developing new works with local Taiwanese dancers concludes with two performances. The program highlights the diversity of dance in both styles and cultures, and how local and international choreographers perceive their daily lives and the world.

Participants must fund their own travel to Taiwan. However, an honorarium of US$800 for WDAAP choreographers is included, plus accommodation, local transportation, dancers, studios, publicity, production and office assistance.

Australian applicants must be members of Ausdance (find your local Ausdance).

Information for applicants

Application forms are available from Ausdance National.

In addition to contact information, applicants will be asked to answer these questions:

  • What you would gain from a professional experience such as this?
  • Why would you like to work in Asia?
  • A brief concept of your proposed work.
  • A 200-word biography and a resume/CV.

Closing date is December 16 2023.

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National Cultural Policy – a progress report

The Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy—Revive: a place for every story, a story for every place, is a 5-year plan to renew and revive Australia's arts, entertainment and cultural sectors. 

Revive was launched in January this year, and the federal Office for the Arts has now provided a progress report which will continue to be updated on its site.

Revive is structured around five interconnected pillars:

  • First Nations First: Recognising and respecting the crucial place of First Nations stories at the centre of Australia's arts and culture.
  • A Place for Every Story: Reflecting the breadth of our stories and the contribution of all Australians as the creators of culture.
  • Centrality of the Artist: Supporting the artist as worker and celebrating artists as creators.
  • Strong Cultural Infrastructure: Providing support across the spectrum of institutions which sustain our arts, culture and heritage.
  • Engaging the Audience: Making sure our stories connect with people at home and abroad.

This progress report updates actions on each of the five pillars that form the basis of the policy.

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Annual General Meeting update

Ausdance National held its Annual General Meeting on Monday 26 June via Zoom.

The Acting Chair, Cathy Adamek, presented the Ausdance National 2022 Annual Report, and the audited accounts were presented by Treasurer Sebastien Ananian-Cooper.

Subsequent to the meeting, the AN Board met and elected the following office bearers for the forthcoming period: 

  • Jacob Williams (President)
  • Cathy Adamek (Vice President)
  • Isla Gibson (Vice President)
  • Charl van der Walt (Treasurer - co-opted as per section 4.1.2 of the Constitution)
  • Julie Dyson AM and Natalie Allen (board directors)
  • Jane Pamenter (Public Officer: non-board position)

Ausdance National is in a period of review and transition at present, and we thank Ausdance network members and others for their contribution and input to this process with consultant Tony Grybowski.

As a result of this review, the AN board has decided to maintain the organisation to undertake a limited number of activities within its financial resources and by optimising the skills of its small Board of Directors.

In the meantime, Ausdance National is fulfilling basic governance requirements, financial management of funds and bequests, attendance at sector advocacy meetings, maintaining important lines of communication with the Ausdance network and partner relationships (Aon/NAAE/TDCA/WDA).

The review’s recommendations will be further progressed by coordinating a national gathering with members of the Ausdance network in the near future.

Updates were provided on the work of the Tertiary Dance Council of Australia, the National Advocates for Arts Education, the National Dance Forum and the Australian Dance Awards. The need for strong national advocacy for dance was also noted.

The Board acknowledged the significant contribution made over many years by Sebastian Ananian-Cooper, who stepped down at the AGM, and Lizzie Vilmanis for her contribution as Board President in 2021-22.

Thanks also to Cathy Adamek for her work as Acting Board President over the past five months.

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Second Ocean Dance Festival, 22–24 November 2023

Under the umbrella of the World Dance Alliance–Asia Pacific (WDA–AP), the Second Ocean Dance Festival (ODF) is being organised at Cox’s Bazaar in Southern Bangladesh by Nrityajog, a conglomeration of 40 dance organisations of Bangladesh, from November 22 to 24, 2023.

If you're an Ausdance member there are significant reductions in registration fees [see registration, program and accommodation details above].

Closing date for submissions is 30 July. This year's theme is ‘My dance, my choice’, referring to the artistic freedom to imagine, create and distribute diverse cultural expressions free of censorship, political interference or the pressures of non-state actors.

The second ODF will include the Annual General Meeting of WDA–AP, and will host keynote speeches, academic seminars, workshops, performances and lecture demonstrations by participants from all over the Asia Pacific region.

The festival is envisioned as a showcase of Bangladeshi dance, interspersed by performances from South Asia and the Asia Pacific.

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Notice of 2023 Annual General Meeting

Ausdance National

Monday 26 June 2023 at 7pm AEST

The Ausdance National 2023 Annual General Meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday 26 June 2023 at 7pm AEST.

We look forward to welcoming members to the AGM and providing a brief update on the progress of the review currently being undertaken by Ausdance National.

Please RSVP to Jacob Williams by Friday 23 June 2023 to receive the Zoom link if you are able to attend, or if you require a proxy form.

Agenda

1. Acknowledgement to Country

2. Welcome & apologies

3. Tabling of Proxies

4. Minutes of the 2022 AGM (23 June 2022) 

5. Matters Arising

  • Motion: That the minutes of the AGM held on 23 June 2022 be accepted.

6. Annual Report of activities for 2022

7. Matters Arising

  • Motion: That the 2022 Annual Report of activities be accepted. 

8. Presentation of 2022 Audit & Financial Report

9. Matters Arising

10. Appointment of Auditors for 2022

  • Motion: That the financial report incorporating the 2022 Audit be accepted.
  • Motion: That auditors be appointed.

11. Election of current board members to executive

Current members of the Ausdance National Council: 

  • Acting President: Dr Cathy Adamek (SA/ACT)
  • Treasurer: Sebastien Ananian-Cooper (SA)
  • Public Officer: Jane Pamenter (ACT)
  • Director: Julie Dyson AM (Vic)
  • Director: Natalie Allen (WA)
  • Director: Isla Gibson (WA/NSW)
  • Director: Jacob Williams (NSW)

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2023 International Dance Day Message

In 1982 the Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute founded International Dance Day to be celebrated every year on 29 April, the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), choreographer and creator of modern ballet.

Every year a message from an outstanding dance artist is circulated throughout the world. This year's IDD Message is by Chinese dancer and choreographer YANG Liping.

Dance—a way to communicate with the world

Body language is humanity’s most instinctive form of communication. As new-born babies we can use our hands and feet to make dancing-like gestures even before we learn to utter a word, and then dance arises from this 'primitive tongue'.

Many things prompt people to dance. In my hometown, my grandmother once told me that dance is a way to thank the Sun for bringing warmth and light to our lives.

When there is a good harvest, we would dance in the fields with joyous hearts to express our gratitude to the earth. When we meet someone we love, we may dance like a peacock spreading its tail feathers to win their affection. Even when we are sick, we may use mysterious dance rituals to repel the demons of sickness.

In my world, dance has been intricately interwoven into our lives and existence since earliest childhood. It has always been the key that unlocks human beings' communication with nature and all living beings. In my hometown, there is a saying: 'If you have legs but cannot dance, you have wasted your life in vain'.

Dance is closely connected to nature and life. As far as I’m concerned, dance is one and the same with nature and life—that is the true essence of dance.

Some people come to this world to carry on their lineage, some come to enjoy life, some come to seek experiences. For me, I am an observer of life. I come to see how a flower blooms and withers, how clouds float, and how dew condenses.

Therefore, all my creative inspiration comes from nature and life: the brightness of moonlight, the display of peacocks’ plumage, the transformation of a butterfly from a cocoon, the way a dragonfly skims the water’s surface, the way a caterpillar wriggles, the way ants form a queue.

Many years ago on a stage, I faced the audience and danced the first choreography I created—the peacock dance The Soul of a Peacock. Peacocks are still existing animals in the world. It is a creature that symbolises sacrosanctity and represents beauty in the Eastern world because its appearance resembles that of the phoenix, with a reified posture comparable to the dragon. While dancing, I figured out the soul of the peacock.

The dance culture of mankind is bountiful, embracing common culture and attributes. We derive the essence of dance by observing nature, life and all living beings that surround us. My nation, too, has an abundant dance culture that I passionately carry forward as an inheritance. It nourishes the mind and body, giving us the ability to communicate with the world.

I collected some traditional primitive dances and brought them on stage, such as Yunnan Impression, Tibetan Riddle, Pingtan Impression and many more besides.

All these dances originated from the land and were left to us by our ancestors as heritage, which needs our efforts to be preserved and introduced to the world. Once these works were staged, people were deeply impressed by their captivating beauty and cultural significance.

As a dancer, I have continued to explore the boundless realm of dance for decades and have been invited to create experimental contemporary works such as Under Siege—The Full Story of Farewell My Concubine, and Rite of Spring for the global stage.

My art draws its inspiration from nature in my hometown, my personal life experiences, and the profound civilization of the East, which is an integral part of world civilization, as it provides diversity, richness, and above all, inspiration.

'Learning from nature' and 'Unity of man and universe' is the philosophy, the wisdom, and the aesthetics of the East. These doctrines are also the spiritual core of my art. As human beings, we should respect nature, learn from nature, and harmonise with nature, just like the earth, the mountains, and the sky.

Dancers and choreographers need to listen more attentively to the joys and sorrows of the world, using dance to complete the dialogue we have had with nature, and life which has lasted for thousands of years.

Today I will not only continue to share our dance culture with the world, but I also hope to invite all the dancers in the world who love dance and who would like to express their emotions through dance, to jointly dance for conveying our love and praise to heaven and earth.

Life never ends, and dance never stops.

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Vale Valda Craig

Valda Craig was a national honorary life member of Ausdance and a leading dance curriculum advocate and teacher during the 1980s and 90s, having taught dance from kindergarten to tertiary level training. As a former National Vice-President of Ausdance, Valda also presented a vision for the future which was always convincing and exciting.

She worked over many years to ensure Ausdance National’s commitment to preserving Australia’s dance history and creating a permanent national archive at the National Library of Australia (NLA).

Her 1988 report, Locate and Access Australian Dance Resources, led directly to the publication of the Ausdance Guide to Australian Dance Companies (Clare Dyson, 1994) and to the employment of the first curator of dance, Dr Michelle Potter, at the National Film & Sound Archive, and later at the NLA.

Valda also worked passionately on the Dancers’ Picnic with founder Keith Bain, and assisted the transition from the much-loved picnic to the Australian Dance Awards in 1997.

Valda was Chair of the Tertiary Dance Council of Australia from 1986 – 93 and was an ambassador for Australian dance education and training as one of the founders of the World Dance Alliance, and as a passionate supporter of the American Dance Festival, where she established scholarships for young Australian artists.

Her special interest in American and European modern dance led her to friendships with such luminaries as Hanya Holm (about whom she wrote her Masters thesis), Martha Hill, Twyla Tharp and Pina Bausch.

Valda was a visiting Fulbright Scholar at the American University in Washington in 1994, and was a public speaker there who introduced Australian dancers, choreographers and companies to new audiences.

Valda’s outgoing personality, sense of humour and optimistic view of what young aspiring teachers could achieve made her an inspirational lecturer of young teachers who often struggled with dance curriculum demands. She made dance experiences possible and enjoyable for hundreds of people.

Valda was made a National Honorary Life Member of Ausdance in 1991 and received an Australian Dance Award for Services to Dance Education in 2011. She died peacefully on 15 January 2023 in Sydney, just prior to her 85th birthday.

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The 2022 Federal Budget – responses & resources

The Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivered Labor’s first federal Budget in nine years this week. You can learn more about the specific details of the Budget which are relevant to the artistic, creative and cultural sector by visiting the Office for the Arts website and by reading the media's analyses and responses provided in the links below. 

The Ausdance National President commented:

"Further investment in NAISDA in the federal Budget is a positive step in the right direction. It indicates federal Government support for embedding First Nations self-determination and developing workforce capacity within the artistic, creative and cultural sectors. 

"This focus, which is fundamental, was one of five key pillars put forward by Ausdance National in its recent submission to the Government's consultation for a new National Cultural Policy. The policy needs to be relevant and have a positive and transformative impact.

"It needs to be understood that dance in Australia sits within the context of a cultural continuum (spanning over 100,000 years) where dance has formed ways of being, knowing and learning for people living in Australia.

"Thanks must therefore be extended to First Nations Peoples for their effective and ongoing custodianship of dance in Australia. Their contributions, cultures and expertise must be acknowledged, embedded and respected.

"To ensure that policy isn't just a vision for the future that stays on paper but can be effectively implemented, further investment will be imperative so that policy can be safely, efficiently and appropriately actioned with positive and transformative effect.

"Whether further investment commitments, relevant to dance, will be made by the federal Government with the announcement of the new National Cultural Policy, remains to be seen."

Media responses

The Office For the Arts 

Limelight Magazine

Guardian Australia

Guardian Australia

Sydney Morning Herald

ArtsHub

The Conversation

Additional resources

Cultural Policy submissions (Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications & the Arts

The Youth Engagement Model

Although not arts specific, the $10.5 million for a new youth engagement model includes: 

  • A Commonwealth Office for Youth 
  • Ongoing funding of the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition
  • Youth advisory groups 
  • A Youth Engagement Strategy. 

Live Performance Support Fund (guidelines are yet to be announced)

Code of Practice for Visual Arts, Craft and Design (National Association for the Visual Arts)

This Is How We Do It – the working trends of indie artists and creatives in the performing arts in Australia (Theatre Network Australia)

Be part of our advocacy

Work in, through or with dance? Be a member of your relevant Ausdance network association (National, Qld, Vic, NSW, ACT, WA, SA) and help your future by informing our advocacy work across the network.

Our advocacy helps to inform and influence key stakeholders and is focused on driving cohesive solutions that grow dance sector capacity, and improve creation, delivery and access to safe, diverse and effective dance and dance practices across Australia. We want to see more people living in Australia benefiting from dance activities that improve health, comfort and wellbeing."

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Vale Shirley McKechnie AO

We record with great sadness the passing of Professor Shirley McKechnie AO, one of Ausdance’s founders and perhaps the most influential artist and educator in Australia’s recent history.

Shirley’s passion for dance, her unwavering faith in the ability and potential of young artists and educators, and her understanding of the core values of dance, made her one of our greatest and most articulate advocates and mentors. Her life was marked by generosity, intellectual rigour and support for artists across the whole dance spectrum.

Shirley was born in Melbourne in 1926 to a father who had survived service in World War I at the Somme and Passchendaele, and from whom she developed a lifetime interest in science and a passion for the Australian natural environment. Her life in dance was marked by the early influences of Bodenwieser training with artists such as Johanna Kolm (later Exiner), Margaret Lasica and Daisy Purnitzer, and where improvisation and choreography were central.

Shirley McKechnie through the yearsShirley as a student, professional dancer and choreographer. Top right image of Shirley in On View: Icons (2015) by Sue Healey. The image behind is Twittering Machine from Shirley's Sketches on Themes of Paul Klee (1964).

Her later seminal friendships with artists such as Dame Peggy van Praagh, Keith Bain and Kathryn Lowe, and with the UK's Peter Brinson and the Dean of Education at LaTrobe University, Warren Lett, greatly influenced her later teaching and research.

Shirley’s own career was marked by significant ‘firsts’:

  • founder of one of the first contemporary dance schools in Australia in 1955
  • founder of one of the earliest contemporary dance touring companies as director, choreographer and performer (Contemporary Dance Theatre of Melbourne 1963-72)
  • founder of the first tertiary dance degree course (Rusden State College, 1977)
  • a driving force behind the seminal Armidale choreographic seminars (1974–76)
  • a founder of the Australian Association for Dance Education (Ausdance, 1977)
  • a member of the Council of the Victorian College of the Arts (1974–88)
  • assisted with the founding of the first professional dance education company (Tasdance, 1981)
  • the founding chairperson of the Tertiary Dance Council of Australia (1985–86)
  • interviewer and researcher for the National Library of Australia (1980s–90s)
  • guest artist, The Australian Ballet (Nutcracker, 1992)
  • National President, Ausdance (1992–94)
  • inaugural presenter of the Peggy van Praagh Memorial Addresses (1991)
  • founder of Green Mill Dance Project (1993–97)
  • patron of the Australian Choreographic Centre (from 1996)
  • received the first Australian Research Council grants for choreographic research, Unspoken Knowledges (1999–2001), Conceiving Connections (2002–2005) and Intention and Serendipity: Investigating Improvisation, Symbolism and Memory in Creating Australian Contemporary Dance (2005-2008)
  • Professor of Dance at the Victorian College of the Arts (1998) and Honorary Doctorate (2007)
  • an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the VCA/University of Melbourne.

As well as being elected an Honorary Fellow of the Australian Academy of the Humanities in 1998, Shirley received numerous awards in recognition of her services to dance in Australia, including:

  • an Order of Australia in 1987 (OAM)
  • a Kenneth Myer Medallion for the Performing Arts in 1993
  • Ausdance 21 Award for outstanding and distinguished service
  • two Australian Dance Awards, including Services to Dance Education (1997) and Lifetime Achievement (2001)
  • a Centenary Medal (2000)
  • made an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2013 (AO).
Shirley with friends.Top left: Shirley at Kathryn Lowe’s book launch in Canberra, 1998. Top right: With Sue Street and Julie Dyson at the VCA in 2006. Bottom left: With Sarah Adams, Jenny Kinder and Sue Healey at Shirley’s 80th birthday, 2006. Bottom right: With Lee Christofis and Mark Gordon at the Australian Choreographic Centre in 2005.

Shirley led several seminal research projects from 1999–2008 that were at the forefront of a new research interdisciplinary area – dance and cognitive science. She had recognised – years ahead of other research groups – that the intellectual, creative and collaborative processes involved in the conception and development of dance works have much to offer psychology, sociology, anthropology, cognitive science and cognitive neuroscience as a lens on human thought, expression, communication, problem solving and decision making.

Shirley and her multidisciplinary team investigated the processes involved in creating new dance works. She analysed and described the choreographer and dancers working together as a ‘community of creative minds’ and as a self-organising system, sometimes centralised and other items distributed.

Shirley crossed disciplinary boundaries and inspired others in the research team to do the same, a catalyst for breakthroughs in thinking across seemingly disparate academic disciplines, leading ultimately to dance connecting with science.

Shirley’s major concern was that audiences for contemporary dance needed to grow, and she therefore applied her research to understanding the ways in which audiences respond to contemporary dance works.

One hallmark of Shirley’s research was the productivity and diversity of output from each project. Sharing practical knowledge from these projects, she also wrote extensively on the value of multidisciplinary research and the challenges and possibilities it entails. Her research writing during the 1980s and 1990s, and her initiating and leading of large interdisciplinary research projects in Australia demonstrated her usual foresight and vision.

Shirley’s pre-eminence in national and international dance research, her leadership in dance scholarship, her ongoing mentorship of young dancers and choreographers and her unprecedented contribution to Australian dance and dance research have created a proud legacy for one of our most revered artists, educators, researchers and mentors.

Ausdance is proud to have been associated so closely with our founder and mentor, and as publisher of much of her research. This is a time to celebrate an extraordinary life, and to reflect on Shirley’s significant achievements.

Author Julie Dyson AM acknowledges the contributions of Professor Kate Stevens, Associate Professor Jenny Kinder and Mark Gordon in compiling this tribute.

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Ausdance National 2022 Annual General Meeting

Tuesday 28 June 2022 at 12.30pm AEST

The Ausdance National 2022 Annual General Meeting will be held via Zoom on Tuesday 28 June 2022 at 12:30pm AEST.

The AGM agenda, 2021 SGM minutes and annual report are available below.

Ausdance National's members are dance professionals and cultural leaders from across Australia who engage in a great diversity of dance forms and practices.

With a vision for dance to become a valued part in the lives of all people, Ausdance National's advocacy, programs, resources and partnerships help to facilitate and promote the processes and benefits of best practice dance engagement.

Part of a leading affiliation of peak bodies for dance, arts and culture in Australia, Ausdance National works with the federated network of Ausdance associations – Ausdance ACT, Ausdance NSW, Ausdance Qld, Ausdance SA, Ausdance Victoria and Ausdance WA. Ausdance National is the Australian Chapter of the World Dance Alliance Asia Pacific and is also a founding and continuing member of ArtsPeak, the National Advocates for Arts Education and the Tertiary Dance Council of Australia. 

Current Board Members of the Ausdance National Council are: 

  • President: Lizzie Vilmanis (Qld)
  • Vice President: Julie Dyson AM (ACT)
  • Treasurer: Sebastien Ananian-Cooper (SA)
  • Director and Public Officer: Dr Cathy Adamek (SA/ACT)
  • Director: Ella Havelka (Vic/NSW)
  • Director: Shyamla Eswaran (NSW)

In 2022 there will be three board vacancies – nominations have previously been called for as per the Constitution.

2022 Agenda Papers

To register to attend or to request a proxy form please email President Lizzie Vilmanis

A zoom link to attend the AGM will be sent after you have registered. 

To allow for administration, please RSVP and arrange proxies by Friday 24 June 2022.

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Tertiary Dance Council federal election statement

The Tertiary Dance Council of Australia (TDCA) is comprised of academic members from Australian higher educational institutions that offer programs in Dance and Dance Education. It is chaired by Associate Professor Peter Cook, Deputy Head of the School of Education at the University of Southern Queensland.

This national body has identified the absence of a national cultural policy that is inclusive of all art forms, their benefits and accessibility, and the impact of arts education and training on the lives of all Australians.

During the recent pandemic lockdowns, society turned to the arts which pivoted their practice for online audiences, and for aesthetic and well-being contingencies. The arts need to be recognised and celebrated for their capacity to nurture, develop and reinvigorate research for the benefit of the wider society.

The TDCA also has serious concerns about the Federal Government’s re-prioritisation of research funds resulting in ministerial intervention and the enacting of veto powers in relation to the Australia Research Council’s Discovery Grants and Linkage programs.

This narrowing of scope is taking place as we are facing, according to Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, “an unprecedented crisis in the cultural sector” (Reshaping policies for creativity). Although the arts and cultural sector is one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world, it is also one of the most vulnerable and is often overlooked by public and private investment, including the distribution of public research funds.

Tertiary dance programs undertake practical academic explorations, often involving performance and choreography, that are completely aligned with research principles in their planning, execution and dissemination. They explore contemporary and cultural topics, develop theoretical positions, and engage methods and methodologies that work towards better understanding of, and knowledge about, the issues at hand.

Seeing the downturn of arts-based grants compounds already disenfranchised academics, many of whom are undertaking unfunded and in-kind research projects that benefit society.

Inclusion of arts research projects and their interdisciplinary approaches clearly fits the paradigms from which society benefits. Limiting arts research program funding endangers the unique contribution that arts research makes towards the aesthetic leadership and engagement of well-being, so required as we live through the pandemic world and its recovery.

The technologising of the field, together with its diversification and partnerships across science, health, humanities and ecology, evidences how dance enhances lives across generations and within communities.

We also note the following:

  • Covid has had a major Impact on the sustainability of private dance schools, which are TDCA feeder schools.
  • The extreme vulnerability of the arts in higher education.

Recommendations:

  • Commitment by all political parties to the development of a National Cultural Policy that includes arts education and training, and developed in consultation with artists, arts educators, the community, industry and peak arts bodies.
  • Allocation of ARC grants to a broader industry cohort to redress diminishing arts research in dance in particular. Ministerial interference in ARC decision-making processes must stop.
  • Support for research into the vulnerability of the arts in higher education.
  • Reversal of increased tertiary fees in the Creative Arts, made on the false premise that this area of study does not lead to employment.
  • Enabling of research into the private dance studio sector to assess the impact of Covid-19 on the viability of this important ‘feeder’ sector in dance training and employment.
TDCA members:
Academy of Music and Performing Arts, AC-Arts Adelaide, Australian Ballet School, Australian College of Physical Education, Deakin University, Monash University, NAISDA Dance College, Queensland University of Technology, University of South Australia, Victorian College of the Arts, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, University of Southern Queensland, University of Tasmania.

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Ausdance National Board – 2022 call for nominations

Ausdance National calls for nominations to fill several board vacancies on the National Council at the Annual General Meeting.

The AGM will be held via Zoom on Tuesday 28 June 2022 at 12.30pm AEST.

Nominations must be made by email to the National President, Lizzie Vilmanis, by Friday 27 May 2022 via the nomination form, and signed by a nominator and a seconder, each of whom are members of the association. Nominees must be Ausdance members.

General information

In accordance with Ausdance National's Constitution, all National Council roles are volunteer positions. 

At present the organisation is not staffed, but the National Council acts as national headquarters and provides leadership on national matters. National Council members are expected to work towards achieving the vision and mission of the association, but there is no obligation for them to carry out duties other than those required by the Associations Incorporation Act 1991 Australian Capital Territory.

Currently, the National Council meets monthly online, and between meetings its board members carry out both governance and operational duties.

Responsibilities of Ausdance National

The National Council is responsible for overseeing:

  • The formulation of policies and programs for Ausdance National.
  • Effective communication and collaboration with the Ausdance network and the membership.
  • National dance advocacy programs on behalf of the dance community.
  • The financial management of Ausdance National.
  • The sourcing of funds for Ausdance National’s activities.
  • The administration of the Ausdance Fund listed on the Register of Cultural Organisations.

National Council membership

The National Council seeks a composition of individual professionals and cultural leaders that is reflective of the diversity of the wider community. The National Council values self-determination of First Nations Peoples and encourages Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to nominate. To service the current mission of the association, candidates who have recognised knowledge, skills, and experience in two or more of the following areas will be highly regarded:  

  • Dance 
  • Advocacy
  • Health and wellbeing 
  • Education
  • Justice, equity and inclusion
  • Accountancy
  • Law
  • Arts and Cultural Management
  • Marketing
  • Public relations & communications
  • Corporate governance 
  • Information technology
  • Human resources
  • Business and systems development 
  • Strategic planning and change management
  • Policy development
  • Legislative Processes

Ausdance National is actively committed to helping to build a safer and more inclusive dance sector, and we seek individuals for the National Council who: 

  • Respect, acknowledge and value First Nations Peoples and Cultures. 
  • Are committed to advocating for equity, anti-discrimination and intersectional diversity in the Australian dance environment. 
  • Prioritise and support safe spaces for such discussions.
  • Value the unique capacity of dance for cross-cultural exchange, knowledge-sharing, artistic expression, healing and storytelling.
  • Will promote and engage in respectful communication, interactions and behaviour across all platforms throughout the dance community.

Nomination process

Along with your nomination form, please outline your skills, knowledge and experience relevant to dance, governance, and/or the skills outlined above. 

The following selection criteria will also be considered:

  • A commitment to the development of dance in Australia.
  • A commitment to serve the mission of Ausdance National.
  • Proven ability to think strategically in a changing and dynamic environment.
  • High-level skills, knowledge and experience that will significantly contribute to the good governance and future vision of Ausdance National and the Ausdance network.

Based on consideration by the National Council, a shortlist of the candidates who fulfil the board requirements will proceed to member vote at the AGM. Nominees must be members of Ausdance.

Where multiple candidates are recommended by the National Council for a position, these candidates will be selected by election at the AGM. 

Appointed positions are for a two-year term.

Contact

Please contact National President Lizzie Vilmanis for further information and to express your interest in nominating.

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Australian Dance Awards reviewed

The Board of Ausdance National advises that a review will be conducted to re-evaluate the Australian Dance Awards. This places the current Awards program on hold until the evaluation has been completed. 

The review will consider the relevance of the Awards in today’s world, and their impact and value in serving the national dance community and the mission and vision of Ausdance National, including their accessibility, their inclusivity and their viability. 

The review forms part of the Board’s appraisal of the association’s positioning and its ability to advocate for cultural leadership and the diversity and professionalism of dance practice, enabling the many benefits dance brings to the lives of people living on the lands now known as Australia. 

Ausdance National aims to build awareness, understanding and acknowledgement of the extensive and impactful contributions made by the national dance sector. The roles that cultural leaders, dance professionals – and the pluralism of dance that they facilitate – are essential in shaping quality of life, and must be recognised and valued to be sustainable.

Ausdance National values the shared knowledge, experience and expertise of all of our members. You are vital to shaping Ausdance National activities that are relevant and effective and can support you and serve our mission.

We will be seeking your input about the Australian Dance Awards to inform the review. 

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Australian Dance Week

The Ausdance network celebrates and promotes dance in all its forms every year during Australian Dance Week (ADW).

The dates for the opening and closing of Australian Dance Week vary slightly from state to state according to local events, but it always takes place during the first week of May and follows International Dance Day which is 29 April. This year's International Dance Day message comes from South Korean dancer Kang, Sue-jin.

Each state and territory Ausdance coordinates a variety of events from book launches and forums to free performances and community classes, and encourages its dance community to promote their own activities throughout the week.

Contact your local Ausdance to see what's happening in your area.

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2022 International Dance Day Message

In 1982 the Dance Committee of the International Theatre Institute founded International Dance Day to be celebrated every year on 29 April, the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727-1810), choreographer and creator of modern ballet. Every year a message from an outstanding dance artist is circulated throughout the world, and this year it marks the beginning of Australian Dance Week to be celebrated throughout Australia.

This year's IDD Message is by South Korean dancer KANG Sue-jin.

Photo credit: Jail Souen

The Covid-19 catastrophe has stopped life as we so freely knew it and being amidst this tragedy makes us rethink the meaning of ‘dance’ and ‘dancers’.

In the distant past, dance was a primal means of expression and communication through gestures, becoming performance art that moved the soul and inspired the audience.

It is a momentary art that is difficult to restore to its original form once completed because it’s created with the entire body and soul. Dance is made of ephemeral moments, which destines dancers to be on the move forever. Yet, Covid-19 has restricted and even blocked the art of dance in its original form.
Even though the situation is improving, dance performances are still subject to many restrictions. This makes us cherish the precious memories of times when dance and dancers sparkled like jewels, conveying human anguish and anxiety, will and hope for life, and illuminated the world.

Similarly, it is important to recall that during the aftershocks of the Black Death in Medieval Europe, the ballet Giselle – depicting love beyond death – was performed at the Paris Opera on 28 June 1841 and received an explosive response.

Since then, Giselle has been performed all over Europe and around the world to comfort and encourage the souls of mankind ravaged by the pandemic. It is also my understanding that this was first demonstrated in that very performance of Giselle, as  the magnificent spirit of a ballerina trying to escape the gravity of the world’s hardships.

The lonely and weary audience is thirsty for the sympathy and comfort of the dancers. As dancers, we believe that the flapping of our wings gives hope to the hearts of those who love the art of dance and gives them the courage to overcome this pandemic.

My heart is already starting to pound.
Kang Sue-jin

KANG Sue-jin was born on 24 April 1967 and is Artistic Director of Korean National Ballet. She has an honorary doctorate in the Department of Dance, Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul, Republic of Korea. She was Stuttgart Ballet soloist and principal dancer for more than 15 years, and was appointed as Kammertanzerin (Royal Court Dancer), Germany, in 2007. She was Honorary Ambassador of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics. KANG Sue-jin uses her fame and her artistic skills for introducing children with disabilities to dance. Photo credit: Jail Souen

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Tertiary Dance Council responds to political interference in ARC grant programs

The Tertiary Dance Council of Australia (TDCA) is comprised of academic members from Australian higher education institutions that offer programs in Dance and Dance Education. It exists under the auspices of Ausdance National, and is chaired by Associate Professor Peter Cook of the University of Southern Queensland.

The TDCA is seriously concerned about the Federal Government’s re-prioritisation of research funds, resulting in ministerial intervention and the enacting of veto powers in relation to the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Grants and Linkage programs.

The TDCA has recently made a submission to the Senate's Australian Research Council Amendment (Ensuring Research Independence) Bill 2018.

Australian dance educators are also being encouraged to sign the Australian Parliament House Petition to prevent political interference in ARC funding grants (closing on 16 March).

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2021 – the Ausdance National year in review

It's been a difficult and challenging year for the Australian dance community, and at Ausdance National we've been very aware of those companies, independent artists and community groups that have suffered so much in some parts of the country. Cancellations, loss of jobs and disruption to practice have created enormous challenges for half the country, with the other half – although protected from Covid-19 – suffering from isolation and disruption of a different kind.

Nevertheless, there have been some inspiring responses to these challenges, which we acknowledge and celebrate.

In June Ausdance National elected a strong and committed working board that has continuedt to deliver on national representation for dance in several ways. It has – 

  • Reassessed the Australian Dance Awards, with an announcement to be made in January about their future.
  • Formed a Diversity and Inclusion task force, chaired by Marilyn Miller, to assist our board with a review of its policies and procedures, and provide support for other dance organisations wishing to take similar action. This will be a major part of our work in 2022.
  • Worked closely with ArtsPeak colleagues to develop a pre-Budget submission and key messaging for the Federal election in 2022.
  • Re-formed the Tertiary Dance Council of Australia (TDCA), with Prof. Sue Street facilitating 13 institutions that offer dance as a major course of study.
  • Completed an analysis of a TDCA questionnaire that reveals the current status of professional dance training, and distributed it to various decision makers including the Arts Minister, the Shadow Arts Minister, the Department of Communications and the Arts, and the Australia Council.
  • Worked with our World Dance Alliance colleagues on plans for the next Global Summit in Hong Kong in June 2022, and on the publication of Asia-Pacific Channels and the Journal of Emerging Dance Scholarship (JEDS).
  • As with our earlier Safe Dance research, supported the Ausdance network in the development of Child Safe policies and teacher accreditation, both important steps in ensuring the safety and wellbeing of young students.
  • Through our dance education subcommittee and the National Advocates for Arts Education (NAAE), provided feedback to ACARA on the new Examples of Knowledge and Skills (EoKS) in the revised Australian Curriculum: The Arts.
  • Held regular meetings with State/Territory Ausdances to help harmonise our programs and enhance communication.

Thanks to all Ausdance members Australia-wide for your support – we are really looking forward to planning some serious advocacy for dance in collaboration with our ArtsPeak colleagues in 2022, particularly in the context of a Federal election.

We'd be pleased to receive your donation to assist us to continue this work (it's tax deductible), and we wish everyone a happy new year in 2022.

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Towards a safer and more inclusive dance industry

Safety, inclusion and mobilisation at the intersection of diversity requires urgent action. 

We believe change is a collective movement and everyone has their part to play in creating the inclusive, accessible and safe dance industry this country deserves. 

We also believe that change starts at home, and we are carefully assessing how best to move forward sustainably, respectfully and with appropriate consultation.

The board of Ausdance National:

  • Is committed to examining, better understanding and advocating for equity, anti-discrimmination and intersectional diversity in the Australian dance environment. 
  • Prioritises safety in all its forms and supports safe spaces for such discussions.
  • Values the unique capacity of dance for cross-cultural exchange, knowledge-sharing, artistic expression, healing and storytelling.
  • Promotes respectful communication, interactions and behaviour across all platforms throughout the dance community.

As a first step towards a safer and more inclusive dance industry, Ausdance National has formed a diversity working party to develop Terms of Reference for a new Standing Committee on Diversity & Inclusion that will advise the Board.

Once formed, we look forward to working with, and supporting, diversity advocates, community leaders, key organisations and industry professionals across the Ausdance network and beyond to enable a more inclusive, accessible and safer dance community for everyone connected by, and living on, these lands.

As a not-for-profit organisation operating without any government funding and a voluntary board, we appreciate your patience in this process. 

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