ADA Shortlist of Nominees Announced

The final nominees for this year’s Australian Dance Awards have been announced. Sydney Dance Company, Australian Dance Theatre, Expressions Dance Company and Bangarra Dance Theatre stand shoulder to shoulder with multiple nominees.  

Presented by Ausdance in association with Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), the dance industry’s premier national award event will be held in Queensland for the first time in its 14 year history in QPAC’s Playhouse on Sunday 24 July 2011.

The Awards cover nine categories as well as a Lifetime Achievement award and an induction into the Australian Dance Awards Hall of Fame.

Both Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) from Adelaide and Brisbane-based Expressions Dance Company (EDC) have been nominated for four major awards:  Outstanding Achievement in Choreography by Garry Stewart (ADT) for Be Your Self and Natalie Weir (EDC) for Where the Heart Is; Outstanding Performance by a Company for ADT’s Be Your Self and EDC’s Where the Heart Is; Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer for EDC’s Elise May and ADT’s Larissa McGowan and Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer for EDC’s Richard Causer and ADT’s Kimball Wong .

Sydney Dance Company has been nominated for three awards, Outstanding Achievement in Choreography by Rafael Bonachela for 6 Breaths, Outstanding Performance by a Company for We Unfold, and Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer for Amy Hollingsworth in Irony of Fate. Bangarra Dance Theatre was also nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Company for Of Earth & Sky. Shaun Parker of Shaun Parker and Company was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography for Happy as Larry.

The Awards nominees list for 2011 also features a significant contingent of independent dancers including Kristina Chan for Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer, Paul White for Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer and Narelle Benjamin for Outstanding Achievement in Independent Dance for In Glass.

Last year’s winner for Outstanding Achievement in Independent Dance, Sue Peacock has been nominated again for the same category for Sprung. Sue shares this category with Tony Yap and Katrina Lazaroff.

In a wide-reaching group, Darwin’s Tracks, Perth-based Steps Youth Dance Company, Canberra’s QL2 Dance, and Mornington Island’s Mirndiyan Gununa are the nominees for Outstanding Achievement in Youth or Community Dance.

The Cast of Hairspray, Matt Lee and Verity Hunt-Ballard both for Mary Poppins and Alinta Chidzey for West Side Story are the nominees for Outstanding Performance in a Stage Musical.

National President of Ausdance, Professor Susan Street said that the usual high calibre of nominees will be vying for the main awards again this year.

“We are delighted that the 2011 Australian Dance Awards are being presented in Queensland for the first time with generous support from Arts Queensland and QPAC. This will be a fabulous evening showcasing and honouring the nation’s best dancers and companies. I urge dance lovers Australia-wide not to miss this dancers’ night of nights,” said Professor Street.

The 2011 Australian Dance Awards will feature performances by some Australia’s and Queensland’s best dance companies, including Queensland Ballet and Expressions Dance Company.

Initiated in 1986 by Keith Bain as a Dancers’ Picnic, the Awards have grown to become the major event in the national dance calendar bringing prestige to nominees and winners alike.

The full shortlist of nominees visit www.australiandanceawards.net.au

Dance Informa is proud to be the major media sponsor for the 2011 Australian Dance Awards