Alinta Chidzey wins Australian Dance Award
Since 1997, the Australian Dance Awards have been recognising and honouring professional Australian dance artists who have made an outstanding contribution to the industry.
Since 1997, the Australian Dance Awards have been recognising and honouring professional Australian dance artists who have made an outstanding contribution to the industry.
This year, Matt Lee (Mary Poppins), Verity Hunt-Ballard (Mary Poppins), Alinta Chidzey (West Side Story) and the entire cast of Hairspray were nominated in the ‘Outstanding Performance in a Stage Musical’ category.
Chidzey, who played the feisty Anita in the 2010 Australian production of West Side Story won the award this year, a title also won by Todd McKenney (2000, 2002), Caroline O’Connor (2010 1999), Chloe Dallimore (2004), the Australian Billys 2009 (Billy Elliot) and Hugh Jackman (2008). Chidzey has also appeared as Demeter Asian tour of Cats has just returned from an Australasian tour of The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber.
As well as honouring those who have raised the standards of dance in Australia, the event aims to raise the profile of the dance world and acknowledge the diversity of the dance profession in Australia today.
For the first time in its 14 year history, the 2011 awards were presented last night in Brisbane at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. The event showcased performances from some of Australia’s finest dance companies including Sydney Dance Company, Queensland Ballet, Expressions Dance Company, and Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts. Also featured were Sue Peacock and Stefan Karlsson – both independent artists from Western Australia.
Initiated in 1986 by Keith Bain OAM, the dance community in NSW gathered each year at the Dancers’ Picnic to celebrate the International Dance Days Honours. In 1997, Ausdance NSW with support from the City of Sydney and The Australian Ballet, established the Australian Dance Awards at the Sydney Opera House. Over time, the Awards have evolved into the industry’s ‘night of nights.’
The full list of nominees and winners are below:
Services to Dance
Gideon Obarzanek
Ruth Osborne (winner)
Lucinda Sharp
Carl Vine
Services to Dance Education
Valda Craig (winner)
Marilyn Rowe OBE
Paul Saliba
Tasdance
Outstanding Achievement in Youth or Community Dance
Mirndiyan Gununa Aboriginal Corporation for Mornington Island Gulf Festival
QL2 Dance for Hard Yards
Steps Youth Dance Company for Phoenix
Tracks for The Cook, The Queen & the Kelly
Outstanding Achievement in Choreography
Rafael Bonachela for 6 Breaths [Sydney Dance Company] – (winner)
Shaun Parker for Happy As Larry [Shaun Parker & Company]
Garry Stewart for Be Your Self [Australian Dance Theatre]
Natalie Weir for Where the Heart Is [Expressions Dance Company]
Outstanding Performance by a Company
Australian Dance Theatre for Be Your Self
Bangarra Dance Theatre for of earth & sky
Expressions Dance Company for Where the Heart Is (winner)
Sydney Dance Company for We Unfold
Outstanding Achievement in Independent Dance
Narelle Benjamin for In Glass (winner)
Katrina Lazaroff for Pomona Road
Sue Peacock for Sprung
Tony Yap with Madeleine Flynn, Tim Humphrey, Naomi Ota and Ben Rogan for Rasa Sayang
Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer
Kristina Chan for In Glass [Narelle Benjamin]
Amy Hollingsworth for Irony of Fate [Sydney Dance Company] – (winner)
Elise May for Where the Heart Is [Expressions Dance Company]
Larissa McGowan for Be Your Self [Australian Dance Theatre]
Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer
Richard Causer for Where the Heart Is [Expressions Dance Company]
Daniel Gaudiello for Coppelia [The Australian Ballet] – (winner)
Paul White for In Glass [Narelle Benjamin]
Kimball Wong for Be Yourself [Australian Dance Theatre]
Outstanding Performance in a Stage Musical
The Cast of Hairspray
Alinta Chidzey for West Side Story (winner)
Verity Hunt-Ballard for Mary Poppins
Matt Lee for Mary Poppins
Newest inductee to the Australian Dance Awards Hall of Fame
Keith Bain
Lifetime Achievement Award
Robina Beard OAM: dancer, performer, director, choreographer, teacher and adviser. Robina has been passionately committed to raising the standards of both performance and teaching and has a long-standing commitment to developing and supporting Indigenous dance.