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When Elizabeth Cameron Dalman founded Australian Dance Theatre in 1965, she set out to create a company that would be radical, daring and new. Fifty years later, ADT is not only Australia's oldest continuously running contemporary dance company, but also one of Australia's most recognised cultural exports.
To celebrate half a century of innovation in dance performance, Fifty traces the very different trajectories ADT has taken under the successive artistic direction of Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, Jonathan Taylor, Lenny Westerdijk and Anthony Steel, Leigh Warren, Meryl Tankard, Bill Pengelly and Garry Stewart. Each of these directors has pushed the boundaries of dance performance and explored new modes of movement, theatrical expression and artistic collaboration, creating a repertoire of groundbreaking works that have challenged and delighted audiences both in Australia and internationally. In Fifty Maggie Tonkin explores ADT's fertile - and at times tumultuous - history through interviews and archival research, and showcases the company's most noted works through stunning images.
Praise for Fifty:
'This beautifully presented book will be treasured by contemporary dance lovers.' - Lynne Lancaster, Sydney Arts Guide
'In a country with limited, let alone accessible, documentation of the performing arts, Fifty is an important addition to the record.' - Keith Gallasch, RealTime
'Lovers of modern dance and, in fact, anyone involved in the Arts should find Fifty to be an interesting and loving insight into the birth and continuation of one of our great dance companies. It’s well worth the read and inspires us to hope the ADT will continue for another 50 years or more.' - Rod Lewis, Glam Adelaide
'Maggie Tonkin writes with candour and a profound understanding of the genre ... A handsome publication.' - Peter Pinne, Stage Whispers
'Fifty is a valuable contribution to our knowledge of Australian dance history. It is all the more precious for putting on the record all directors’ accounts while they are still alive and kicking.' - Karen van Ulzen, Dance Australia
'An intimate insider’s story.' - Lee Christofis, Australian Book Review
Maggie Tonkin is a lecturer in the English Department at the University of Adelaide, where she publishes and teaches in the areas of nineteenth- and twentieth-century fiction. She has a background in dance and writes and reviews for the national dance press.