The Australian Dance Awards recognise excellence and promote dance in Australia. They are awarded under the auspices of the

Australian Dance Council The Australian Dance Council, known as Ausdance or Ausdance National and formerly the Australian Association for Dance Education (AADE), is or was the national dance advocacy organisation in Australia, representing the dance profession and coordi ...

(Ausdance) for performance,

choreography Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design ...

, design, dance writing, teaching and related professions. They especially recognise and honour professional Australian dance artists who have made an outstanding contribution to Australian dance.

History

The awards have their origin in the informal community Dancers' Picnic founded by

Keith Bain Keith Leslie Bain (born October 24, 1952) is a Canadian politician. He represented the electoral district of Victoria-The Lakes in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 2006 to 2013 as a member of the Progressive Conservatives. Bain first ran ...

first held in 1986 on or close to

International Dance Day the performing arts of UNESCO. The event takes place every year on 29 April, which is the anniversary of the birth of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727–1810), who is considered to be the "father" or creator of modern ballet (ie. classical or romanti ...

.Australian Dance Awards, The (1997 – ) at ''Australia Dancing''
/ref> In 1997, Ausdance NSW with support from the

City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...

and

The Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur and direct ...

, presented the inaugural Australian Dance Awards at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

. Over time, the Awards have evolved into a major industry event. For three years from 2008, the Awards were held in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

and produced by Ausdance Victoria with support from the Joan and Peter Clemenger Trust and

. From 2011 until 2017 the location varied, as the awards were held by tender among the state-based organisations of the Ausdance network. In 2018 Ausdance National hosted the event at the

Brisbane Powerhouse Brisbane Powerhouse is an arts and cultural hub located in a former power station in the Brisbane suburb of New Farm, Queensland, Australia. The venue offers an array of performing arts, visual arts, festivals, and free community events. The fir ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

, and owing to the

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 Januar ...

, the event was held online by the national body in 2020, covering the years 2018 and 2019.

2019

Awards not held.

2018

Presented by Ausdance National and Harlequin Floors, the 2018 Australian Dance Awards were presented on Saturday 8 September at Brisbane Powerhouse.

2017

Presented by Ausdance Victoria, Harlequin Floors and Ausdance National, the 2017 Australian Dance Awards were presented on Sunday 24 September at Arts Centre Melbourne.

2016

Presented by Ausdance National and Harlequin Floors, the 2016 Australian Dance Awards were held at The State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, Perth, on Sunday 18 September at 6.30 pm as part of the MoveMe Festival 2016.

2015

The 2015 Australian Dance Awards were presented by Ausdance National at Her Majesty's Theatre in Adelaide on Saturday 12 September 2015.

2014

The 2014 Australian Dance Awards. Held in the Joan Sutherland Theatre of the Sydney Opera House, 9 November 2014. Hosted by Francis Rings and

Kip Gamblin Kip Gamblin (born 5 July 1975) is an Australian ballet dancer and actor. From 2003 until 2005, Gamblin played Scott Hunter in ''Home and Away''. The part earned him the 2004 Logie Award for Most Popular New Male Talent. After moving to the UK, ...

2013

The 2013 Australian Dance Awards. Held at The Playhouse of the Canberra Theatre Centre, 6 August 2013. Hosted by Andrea Close.

2012

The 2012 Australian Dance Awards. Held at Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre, Perth. Hosted by Verity James. Winners were:

2011

The 2011 Australian Dance Awards. Held at QPAC Playhouse, Brisbane. Hosted by Fenella Kernebone. Winners were:

2010

The 2010 Australian Dance Awards. Hosted by

Neil Pigot Neil Pigot (born 28 December 1961) is an Australian actor who is perhaps best known in Australia for his role as Inspector Falcon Price in the highly successful television series ''Blue Heelers''. Pigot has appeared in over 100 episodes of televi ...

. Held at Melbourne's Arts Centre, State Theatre. Winners were:

2009

The 2009 Australian Dance Awards winners were:Bittersweet dance awards remember lost friend, 8 June 2009, Sydney Morning Herald
/ref>

2008

The 2008 Australian Dance Awards were hosted by

Michael Veitch Michael Veitch (born 29 November 1962 in Melbourne) is an Australian author, actor and broadcaster, best known for his roles on the sketch comedy television shows ''The D-Generation'', ''Fast Forward'' and '' Full Frontal'', as well as for his ...

. The winners were:

2006

Hosted by

Todd McKenney Todd McKenney (born 31 May 1965) is an Australian dancer, theatre performer and TV personality. He is best known as a judge on Australian television talent show '' Dancing with the Stars''. As a theatre performer, he has appeared in numerous pr ...

, ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

'' and

Rachael Beck Rachael Elizabeth Beck (born 9 February 1971) is an Australian stage and television singer-actress. From 1991 to 1994 Beck had a major role on the popular sitcom, '' Hey Dad..!'', as Samantha Kelly. From 2006 to 2008, Beck appeared on all thre ...

from '' It Takes Two''. The winners were:

2005

Hosted by

Chloe Dallimore Chloe Bennett Dallimore (b. 1975?) is an Australian actor, singer and dancer, best known for performances in musical theatre. Early life Dallimore began dance lessons on the Mornington Peninsula from a very young age then studied the Cecche ...

, the star of the Australian production of the musical ''The Producers'' and

Eddie Perfect Eddie Perfect (born 17 December 1977) is an Australian singer-songwriter, pianist, comedian, writer and actor. Widely known for his role as Mick Holland in Channel Ten's TV series ''Offspring'' in which he performs his own music, he has record ...

. The winners were:

2004

2003

Hosted by

Libbi Gorr Lisbeth Joanne "Libbi" Gorr (born 24 March 1965) is an Australian broadcaster working in both TV and radio. Gorr is also an author, voice artist, writer and performer. She first came to prominence with the satirical television character that sh ...

. The winners were:The Dance Awards 2003
/ref>

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

References

External links

* {{Dance Dance in Australia Dance awards Australian performing arts awards Awards established in 1997