Tanja Liedtke
Encyclopedia
Tanja Liedtke was a German-born professional dancer. She was most noted as a dancer, choreographer and director of contemporary dance
in Australia
.
, Germany
. As a young child, she moved with her family to Madrid
, Spain
, where she began to study ballet
. Her family then settled in London
, England
, where she won a place to study at the Elmhurst School for Dance
, a renowned professional ballet school. After deciding to pursue a career in contemporary dance
, she continued her studies at the Rambert School
, graduating in 1995. Liedtke was granted Australian citizenship in 1996 and began her professional career with Australian Dance Theatre
, working with the company until 2003. During this time, she toured with the company internationally, most notably around Australia
, Asia
, United Kingdom
and North America
. After ADT, she returned to England where she joined the London based DV8 Physical Theatre
, under the direction of choreographer Lloyd Newson. In 2007, Liedtke was appointed Artistic Director of the Sydney Dance Company
, succeeding the founder Graeme Murphy
. Unfortunately she did not have the opportunity to take the position, as she was killed in an accident before she was due to start.
Her most famous dance creations and choreographies were "Twelfth Floor" (2006) Trailer and "construct" (2007) Trailer. In addition she created a number of shorter dance pieces such as "De-filed" (unknown), "Forever you" (2001), "To my suite" (2002) and "Imploded" (2007).
Following her death, the Tanja Liedtke Foundation
was established in honour of her work. The Foundation’s purpose is to support the enrichment and advancement of contemporary dance theatre, and the development of Australian/European artistic connections.
The Tanja Liedtke Foundation is registered in Stuttgart, Germany as Tanja Liedtke Stiftung with tax-privileged purposes in accordance with German Law.
The film Life in Movement about her was named best work at the 2011 Ruby Awards for the arts.
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Biography
Tanja Liedtke was born on 6 October 1977 in StuttgartStuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. As a young child, she moved with her family to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, where she began to study ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
. Her family then settled in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, where she won a place to study at the Elmhurst School for Dance
Elmhurst School for Dance
Elmhurst School for Dance is one of the foremost classical ballet schools in the United Kingdom and is the official associate school of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. First established in Camberley, Surrey, the school is the oldest established vocational dance school in the United Kingdom and...
, a renowned professional ballet school. After deciding to pursue a career in contemporary dance
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...
, she continued her studies at the Rambert School
Rambert Dance Company
Rambert Dance Company, is a leading British dance company. Formed at the start of the 20th century as a classical ballet company, it would exert a great deal of influence on the development of dance in the United Kingdom, and today, as a contemporary dance company, it continues to be one of the...
, graduating in 1995. Liedtke was granted Australian citizenship in 1996 and began her professional career with Australian Dance Theatre
Australian Dance Theatre
The Australian Dance Theatre is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia established in 1965 by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman,...
, working with the company until 2003. During this time, she toured with the company internationally, most notably around Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. After ADT, she returned to England where she joined the London based DV8 Physical Theatre
DV8 Physical Theatre
DV8 Physical Theatre is a dance company based at Artsadmin in London, UK. It was founded in 1986 by an independent collective of chiefly modern dancers. It is led by Lloyd Newson, whose intent has been to have a different approach to most contemporary dance than other existing companies...
, under the direction of choreographer Lloyd Newson. In 2007, Liedtke was appointed Artistic Director of the Sydney Dance Company
Sydney Dance Company
The Sydney Dance Company is one of Australia's most successful and well-known contemporary dance companies. The company was founded in 1969 as the dance-in-education group Ballet in a Nutshell by Suzanne Musitz , later changing its name to Athletes and Dancers, and Dance Company ...
, succeeding the founder Graeme Murphy
Graeme Murphy
Graeme Murphy is an Australian dance choreographer. Together with his fellow dancer Janet Vernon, he has guided Sydney Dance Company to become one of Australia's most successful and well-known dance companies....
. Unfortunately she did not have the opportunity to take the position, as she was killed in an accident before she was due to start.
Her most famous dance creations and choreographies were "Twelfth Floor" (2006) Trailer and "construct" (2007) Trailer. In addition she created a number of shorter dance pieces such as "De-filed" (unknown), "Forever you" (2001), "To my suite" (2002) and "Imploded" (2007).
Following her death, the Tanja Liedtke Foundation
Tanja Liedtke Foundation
The Tanja Liedtke Foundation is a German-based charity supporting Modern and Contemporary Dance. It was established in July 2008 in honour of the dancer and choreographer, Tanja Liedtke who was killed the year before in a car accident in Sydney, Australia...
was established in honour of her work. The Foundation’s purpose is to support the enrichment and advancement of contemporary dance theatre, and the development of Australian/European artistic connections.
The Tanja Liedtke Foundation is registered in Stuttgart, Germany as Tanja Liedtke Stiftung with tax-privileged purposes in accordance with German Law.
The film Life in Movement about her was named best work at the 2011 Ruby Awards for the arts.
Awards
- 1999 - Dance Australia Critics Choice Award for Most Promising Choreography
- 2000 - Dance Australia Critics Choice Award for Most Promising Choreography
- 2006 - Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography for her production of Twelfth Floor
- 2008 - Helpmann Award for Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work for her choreography of "Construct" (posthumous)
- 2009 - Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Choreography for her choreography of Construct (posthumous)
- 2009 - Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Independent Dance for her choreography of Construct (posthumous)