Kate Champion

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Kate Champion
Born1961 (age 62–63)
Occupation(s)Dancer, choreographer, artistic director
Organizations

Kate Champion is an Australian choreographer and artistic director. Since 2022 and as of 2024 she is artistic director of Black Swan State Theatre Company in Perth, Western Australia. She was the founding artistic director/CEO of Force Majeure dance company in Sydney, from 2002 to 2015, where she co-devised and directed such works as Same, Same But Different and Not in a Million Years. She also created and performed the critically-acclaimed solo shows, Face Value and About Face, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, including three Helpmann Awards.

Contents

Champion has worked in theatre, dance, film, circus, opera, and musical theatre, with arts companies including Belvoir, Sydney Theatre Company, State Theatre Company of South Australia, The English National Opera, Opera Australia, and Hayes Theatre. She choreographed the original stage version of the film Dirty Dancing .

Early life and education

Kate Champion was born in 1961. [1]

She travelled to Munich at age 16 working with Iwanson Dance Company. Returning to Australia, Champion was a member of One Extra Dance Company before moving to New York City to study, and then returning to Australia becoming a foundation member of Dance North. [2]

Career

In 1992 Champion travelled to London, where she spent time with Lloyd Newson's DV8 Physical Theatre, first as production assistant and then as a performer in Strange Fish, [3] both the stage and BBC film versions. [4] In 1998 she returned to DV8 as rehearsal director for a European tour of Enter Achilles and as a collaborator and performer in The Happiest Day of My Life. [5]

In 1996, Champion was awarded the Robert Helpmann Scholarship [6] for Choreographic Excellence, enabling her to create her first solo work Face Value [7] which was awarded a 1998 Green Room Award and a Mo Award. In 2001 she created a second solo show, About Face. [8]

In 1997 Champion begin collaborating with theatre director Neil Armfield and choreographed Cloudstreet , and directed and devised Under the Influence. [9]

Champion and Lloyd Newson's DV8 Physical Theatre worked together in creating a devised show for the Sydney Olympic Arts Festival, The Cost of Living. As a professional dancer, she also worked with Australian Dance Theatre, Dance North, One Extra Co, and Theatre of Image.[ citation needed ]

Force Majeure

In 2002 Champion founded and became artistic director of a new company, Force Majeure, in Sydney, where she stayed until 2015. [10]

While there, she devised and directed:

Other work

Champion has worked in theatre, dance, film, circus, opera and musical theatre with arts companies and institutes including Belvoir, Sydney Theatre Company, State Theatre Company of South Australia, Performing Lines, The English National Opera, Opera Australia, Hayes Theatre, Ensemble Theatre, NIDA, National Institute of Circus Arts, and National Theatre of Parramatta.[ citation needed ]

Theatre directing credits include – Every Brilliant Thing (Belvoir), [18] My Brilliant Career, [19] Food, [20] That Eye the Sky, [21] A View From the Bridge, [22] Fully Committed, [23] Honour, [24] Evie May [25] and Perfect Stranger.

In 2004 Champion choreographed the world premiere of Dirty Dancing , [26] the stage show based on the popular film. Her choreography has been included in the European, West-End, North American, South African, and Asian versions of this box-office-record-holding production.[ citation needed ]

In 2010 she choreographed Opera Australia's Bliss, which also toured to the Edinburgh Festival, and Spring Awakening for Sydney Theatre Company. [27]

Continuing her collaborative relationship with Neil Armfield, Champion took on the role of associate director of Opera Australia's 2013 production (and 2016 remount) of Wagner's Ring Cycle , directed by Armfield. [28]

In 2016 she directed Swallow, written by Stef Smith – the inaugural production of National Theatre of Parramatta. [29] In 2018 Champion directed That Eye the Sky, adapted from the novel by Tim Winton for State Theatre Company of South Australia, and the world premiere of the musical Evie May for Hayes Theatre. 2019 productions included Every Brilliant Thing for Belvoir Theatre, Meat Eaters and Perfect Strangers for NIDA, A View From the Bridge for State Theatre Company of Australia and Fully Committed and Honour for Ensemble Theatre.[ citation needed ]

Champion choreographed the movement sequences in the film Somersault [30] (starring Abbie Cornish and Sam Worthington), and most recently RED. [31]

Black Swan

In 2022, Champion was appointed artistic director of Black Swan State Theatre Company, at the same time as the appointment of Ian Booth as Chief Executive Officer. [32] As of November 2024 she remains in the position. [33]

Awards

Australian Dance Awards

The Australian Dance Awards. [34]

YearNominee / workAwardResult (wins only)
2005Kate Champion – Already ElsewhereOutstanding Performance by a CompanyWon
2009Kate Champion – The Age I'm InOutstanding Performance by a CompanyWon

Helpmann Award

The Helpmann Awards.

YearNominee / workAwardResult (wins only)
2002n [35] Kate Champion – About FaceBest Female DanceWon
Kate Champion – Same, Same But DifferentBest Visual or Physical Theatre ProductionWon
2011 [36] Kate Champion – Not in a Million YearsBest Visual or Physical Theatre ProductionWon

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. [37]

YearNominee / workAwardResult (wins only)
1998Kate ChampionFemale Dance Performance of the YearWon

Other Awards

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References

  1. ↑ "Champion, Kate (1961-)", Trove, 2008, retrieved 22 November 2024
  2. ↑ "Kate champion". opera.org. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  3. ↑ "DV8 Physical Theatre". dv8.co.uk.
  4. ↑ "DV8 Physical Theatre". dv8.co.uk.
  5. ↑ "DV8 Physical Theatre". dv8.co.uk.
  6. ↑ Robert Helpmann Dance Scholarship arts.nsw.gov.au [ dead link ]
  7. ↑ "Force Majeure – Face Value". forcemajeure.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013.
  8. ↑ "Force Majeure – About Face". forcemajeure.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013.
  9. ↑ "RealTime Arts – Magazine – issue 24 – Various gravities". realtimearts.net.
  10. ↑ "Force Majeure". Force Majeure.
  11. ↑ "Force Majeure – Same, same But Different". forcemajeure.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013.
  12. ↑ "Force Majeure – Already Elsewhere". forcemajeure.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013.
  13. ↑ "Force Majeure – The Age I'm In". forcemajeure.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013.
  14. ↑ "Force Majeure – Not in a Million Years". forcemajeure.com.au. Archived from the original on 10 April 2013.
  15. ↑ "Force Majeure – Never Did Me Any Harm". forcemajeure.com.au. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016.
  16. ↑ "Force Majeure – Food". forcemajeure.com.au. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015.
  17. ↑ "Force Majeure – Nothing to Lose". forcemajeure.com.au. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016.
  18. ↑ "Every Brilliant Thing".
  19. ↑ "My Brilliant Career".
  20. ↑ "Food Belvoir Sydney 2012".
  21. ↑ "That Eye, The Sky – A Stage Adaption of Tim Winton's Novel". Statetheatrecompany.com.au. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  22. ↑ "A View From The Bridge". State Theatre Company. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  23. ↑ "FULLY COMMITTED at Ensemble Theatre".
  24. ↑ "HONOUR".
  25. ↑ ACMN (12 October 2018). "Evie May – Hayes Theatre Co". Hayestheatre.com.au. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  26. ↑ "Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story on Stage".
  27. ↑ Spring Awakening
  28. ↑ "The Ring Cycle". opera.org.au.
  29. ↑ "Swallow – National Theatre of Parramatta". riversideparramatta.com.au.
  30. ↑ "Somersault". IMDb.
  31. ↑ "RED | del kathryn barton". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  32. ↑ "Black Swan Announces New Leadership Team". Black Swan State Theatre Company. 16 March 2020. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022.
  33. ↑ "Board & Staff". Black Swan State Theatre Company. 27 September 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
  34. ↑ "2018 Awards – 21st Australian Dance Awards". australiandanceawards.net.au.
  35. ↑ "Past nominees and winners | Helpmann Awards". helpmannawards.com.au.
  36. ↑ "Helpmann Award winners". The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 August 2011.
  37. ↑ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  38. ↑ "The 2015 FBi SMAC Awards – Carriageworks, January 2016". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021 – via YouTube.
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