Australian Dance Theatre

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".

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 Daniel Riley, who spent 12 years with Bangarra Dance Theatre and then time as a lecturer in contemporary dance at the Victorian College of the Arts,[8] 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.[9] He has performed extensively in Australia and internationally, and has choreographed over 15 works, often in a way that explores his own culture. The new season and troupe, with four new dancers, were unveiled in March 2022.[8]

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[10] (1997–2018 via Arts South Australia) and a number of corporate partners and sponsors, as well as private donors.[11]

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.

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.

The International Centre for Choreography (ICC) at the ADT, supported by the Tanja Liedtke Foundation, was founded around 2016. It fosters choreographic initiatives locally and internationally, including residencies and other opportunities at ADT for the winners of the International Choreographic Competition Hannover (for which Garry Stewart has been on the judging panel).[18] Its mission is "to facilitate open research and experimentation in a supportive and professional environment". Other initiatives of the ICC include dance workshops, discussion panels, collaborations, and screen dance projects.[19]

Choreographed by Dalman:[12][13]

• 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:[15]

• Wildstars
• Transfigured Night

Choreographed by Tankard:[17]

• Songs with Mara
• Kikimora
• 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]

• Split (August 1999)[20]
• House Dance (New Year's Eve 1999), featuring six dancers abseiling down the outside of the Sydney Opera House[21][22]
• Birdbrain (2000)[23]
• The Age of Unbeauty (2002)[5]
• Nothing (2004)[5]
• Held (2004), a collaboration with U.S. dance photographer Lois Greenfield[24]
• Devolution[25]
• G (2008) [5][26]
• Be Your Self (2010)[5]
• Worldhood (2011), with the Adelaide Centre for the Arts[27]
• Proximity (2012)[5]
• Objekt (October 2016), with tanzmainz[28]
• The Beginning of Nature (March 2016), with the Zephyr Quartet, performed at Womadelaide[29]

• "Australian Dance Theatre". AusStage.
• Australian Dance Theatre. Australia Dancing (Archived page)

• Australian Dance Theatre
• International Centre for Choreography