Harlequin Floors are proud to partner Ausdance NSW and Sydney Opera House in presenting the 2014 Australian Dance Awards Harlequin Australia Pty Ltd SYDNEY Suite 15, 103 George Street LONDON LUXEMBOURG Parramatta, NSW 2150, Australia BERLIN PARIS Tel: +61 (2) 8843 1319 MADRID Fax: +61 (2) 8843 1310 LOS ANGELES PHILADELPHIA www.harlequinfloors.com FORT WORTH auscontact@harlequinfloors.com HONG KONG Harlequin Australia Dance Awards Ad-A5 Portrait.indd 1 10/10/2014 11:04 ORDER OF EVENTS Welcome to Country World Message STAR DANCE Outstanding Achievement in Youth and Community Dance Services to Dance Education SCATTERED RHYMES DUET Outstanding Achievement in Choreography Keith Bain Choreographic Travel Fellowship ABSENT MINDED – THE SWAN Outstanding Achievement in Dance on Film or Media Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theatre Hall of Fame G STYLIN’ ROCKS THE HOUSE INTERVAL 9LIVES Lifetime Achievement Award Services to Dance Outstanding Achievement in Independent Dance CRESTFALLEN Outstanding Achievement by a Female Dancer Outstanding Achievement by a Male Dancer CINDERELLA PAS DE DEUX Best Performance by a Company SMASH IT SYDNEY ADA 2014 PRODUCED BY AUSDANCE NSW #AUSDANCEAWARDS 3 NATIONAL WELCOME NATIONAL PRESIDENT BRIAN LUCAS On behalf of Ausdance National and all of our work. Tonight, we celebrate the achievements State and Territory ofces, it is my very great of all dance artists across the country, and pleasure to welcome you to the 2014 Dance particularly those who are nominated for the Awards. range of awards that are to be presented at this ceremony. I would firstly like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this evening’s Special thanks go to the Staf and Board at event is being held, and to pay my respects Ausdance NSW for undertaking the challenging to the elders, past and present. In particular, and demanding task of organising this year’s I wish to pay tribute to our Indigenous dance event, and for working closely with Ausdance artists and their traditions, and acknowledge the National to ensure its success. The efort that inspirational foundation that they have provided goes into the staging of an occasion of this for all of us in contemporary Australia. magnitude cannot be underestimated, and that efort is greatly appreciated by everyone here Now, more than ever, the Australian community this evening. needs the incredible range of benefits that we know come from experiencing dance, whether it Let tonight be a true celebration of Australian be as students, teachers, audiences, makers or dance in all of its variety, and a chance for our performers. We need it to help us to be healthier, country’s dance family to connect, reconnect and more active, more enlightened, more wise, reflect. more insightful, more playful, more aware, more connected and more grounded. I am heartened and overjoyed to see that Australian dance artists have yet again produced such a huge variety of high quality, intelligent, breath-taking, heartfelt and incredibly skilful 4 SUN 09 NOV 2014 AUSDANCE NSW CHAIR, AUSDANCE NSW PROFESSOR ELIZABETH MORE AM Ausdance has provided 37 years of dedicated members of the selection panel and the advisors. service to the dance sector and we are proud to Second are the Ausdance national network and be able to produce Australian Dance Awards, for the National Awards team. Third, is the marvelous the dance community. production team, led by Ausdance NSW Director, Michelle Silby; Artistic Director, Anton; Event We welcome you to this years awards produced Producer, Kylie Millwood and supported by the by Ausdance NSW, presented by Sydney Opera Ausdance NSW board. House and Harlequin Floors. The awards return to Sydney their inaugural home after 8 years of Finally, a huge thank-you to the dance Industry being held in other states and territories. for your ongoing commitment to dance in Australia and for making the awards a special The Australian Dance Awards had its humble event to celebrate the innovation, passion, and beginnings as an annual Dancer’s Picnic day, excellence of Australian Dance. initiated by Keith Bain in 1986. Each year the recipients were presented with a rose and kiss on the cheek from Keith Bain! During the 1990’s the awards moved indoors, to be presented at the Sydney Opera House and produced by Ausdance NSW. This year we received over 600 nominations (which can be submitted online anytime on the Australian Dance Awards website).Thank you to everyone who made a nomination and congratulations to all nominees. In facilitating the awards we would like to give special thanks to three groups of contributors. First are the ADA 2014 PRODUCED BY AUSDANCE NSW #AUSDANCEAWARDS 5 SPONSORS THE AUSTRALIAN DANCE AWARDS 2014 The 2014 Australian Dance Awards would not be possible without the generous support of many organisations, companies, businesses, artists and friends. All performers and presenters have donated their services and we acknowledge and appreciate their contributions. The 2014 Australian Dance Awards are presented by: AWARD SPONSORS: SPONSORS: R255 G90 B90 PMS 805 Ausdance NSW is assisted by the NSW Government through Arts NSW 6 SUN 09 NOV 2014 HOSTS FRANCES RINGS & KIP GAMBLIN FRANCIS RINGS KIP GAMBLIN Frances is a descendant of the Kokatha Tribe. Kip Gamblin trained as a ballet dancer at the The Frances has choreographed works for many McDonald College of Performing Arts, Sydney of Australia’s leading Dance Companies and completed his training at the Australian including West Australian Ballet and Tasdance Ballet School, Melbourne. He performed with as well as continuing a successful Independent the Australian Ballet, the West Australian Ballet career. Frances has danced in works by many and the Sydney Dance Company between 1994 of Australia’s leading choreographers and and 2002. companies including Meryl Tankard, Leigh Warren, and Legs on the Wall. Kip has starred in many large scale movie production including Moulin Rouge and played In 2012 Frances was appointed resident the role of Scott Hunter in the Australian choreographer Bangarra and is currently an television soap opera Home and Away for which Artist in Residence. he won the Logie Award for Most Popular New Male Talent in 2004. Highly acclaimed, Frances has been recognised at the 2003, 2010, 2011 & 2013 Helpmann Kip’s TV credits include Casualty, Holby City, All Awards; the 2003 Deadly Award for Female Saints, Dance Academy and Tricky Business. Dancer of the Year; and the 2004 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Kip currently plays the role of Scott Michaelson Choreography. in the television soap opera Neighbours. Frances most recently received a Green Room award for Artefact. ADA 2014 PRODUCED BY AUSDANCE NSW #AUSDANCEAWARDS 7 MINISTRY OF HANDSHAKES WELCOME PARTY The Welcome Party Dance Installation performed David Capra warmly greets the public’s hands by amazing young dancers aged 13-17 from with a 2.5 meter prosthetic arm. The work is LOcREaDO Dance Company. inspired by encounters with Elizabeth, a woman who moves through Sydney train carriages and Sydney based Locreado Dance and Program shakes commuter’s hands. Company is a ground breaking dance company, enriching young dancers with more than a taste for performance. This company is fuelling young dancer’s insatiable hunger to confidently perform within a dance company, and in turn experience dance in the “real world”. Commissioned specifically for the Australian Dance Awards 2014 we hope this is the first of many Dance Awards experiences for this talented group of young dancers! Choreography: Anton, in collaboration with Cloe Fournier Performed by: LOcREaDO Contemporary Company for Young Professional Dancers. 8 SUN 09 NOV 2014 NAISDA CHOREOGRAPHY AND LYRICS: NAISDA ofers a unique opportunity for DUION NIUE, ELMA KRIS students (developing artists) to learn about the world’s oldest living culture and traditional and contemporary dance in a formal vocational, PERFORMED BY: cultural and educational setting. HANS AHWANG GLORY TUOHY DANIELL For the 2014 Australian Dance Awards, NAISDA is CASEY NATTY performing ‘Star Dance’ (Thithui). RIKA HAMAGUCHI PHIL WALFORD This dance is from Moa Island in the Torres Strait, NADIA MARTICH celebrating the seafaring peoples relationship with the constellations and the drama of stars in the night sky. ADA 2014 PRODUCED BY AUSDANCE NSW #AUSDANCEAWARDS 9 PHOTO | KIT BAKER PHOTO ANDY DEXTERITY GOLDIE GOLD The gorgeous logie-inspired award bearer Ms Andy Dexterity is quickly becoming known Goldie Gold is also known as Benjamin Hancock. around the world for his work combining sign language with the performing art. He’s been Benjamin Hancock is a young Melbourne-based embraced by artists such as Tina Arena and dancer and choreographer. He graduated from Kimbra and will perform with the Wiggles on their the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) in 2008 next Australian tour. with a Bachelor of Dance. Using his unique style of combining sign language He is a much sought after performer and with the performing arts, has worked with some of Australia’s leading Andy Dexterity will translate and perform Murray choreographers in contemporary dance. Louis’ poem from the 1995 International Dance Benjamin is also a prolific solo performer, recently Committee of the ITI’s World Dance Message. performing ‘Princess’ commissioned through Chunky Moves’ Next Move program and also Choreographed and performed by Andy for Melbourne Now at the National Gallery of Dexterity Victoria. Benjamin is an Artistic Associate and founding member of 2ndToe with whom he has been working since 2007. 10 SUN 09 NOV 2014 WORLD DANCE MESSAGE Dance is the art of humanity. It speaks with the human body, the human heart and the human mind and imagination, all of which define the human condition. Dance is a remarkable language. It can speak to all cultures through the literal and the abstract, the playful and the serious, the sacred and the social.