Kate Champion is an Australian

choreographer Choreography is the art 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 itself. A chor ...

and

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogu ...

. Since 2022 and she is artistic director of

Black Swan State Theatre Company Black Swan State Theatre Company, formerly known as the Black Swan Theatre Company, is Western Australia's state theatre company. It runs an annual subscription season in Perth at the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, tours its produc ...

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. She was the founding artistic director/CEO of

Force Majeure In contract law, force majeure ( ; ) is a common clause in contracts which essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such as a war, strike, riot, ...

dance company in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, 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 The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...

. Champion has worked in theatre, dance, film, circus, opera, and

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

, with arts companies including Belvoir,

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in the Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Theatre ...

State Theatre Company of South Australia The State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA), branded State Theatre Company South Australia, formerly the South Australian Theatre Company (SATC), is South Australia's leading professional theatre company, and a statutory corporation. It ...

, The English National Opera,

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, New South Wales, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with t ...

, and

Hayes Theatre The Hayes Theatre is a 111-seat theatre specialising in music theatre and cabaret in Potts Point, Sydney, Australia. It is named after the Australian performer Nancye Hayes. Hayes Theatre Co was established at the former ''Darlinghurst Theatre' ...

. She choreographed the original stage version of the film ''

Dirty Dancing ''Dirty Dancing'' is a 1987 American romance film, romantic drama film, drama Dance in film, dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tel ...

''.

Early life and education

Kate Champion was born in 1961. She travelled to

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

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 New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to study, and then returning to Australia becoming a foundation member of Dance North.

Career

In 1992 Champion travelled to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where she spent time with

Lloyd Newson Lloyd Newson (born 1957) is a director, dancer and choreographer. He formed DV8 Physical Theatre and has led the company since its inception in 1986. He studied psychology and social work at Melbourne University and after graduating began his da ...

DV8 Physical Theatre DV8 Physical Theatre (or Dance and Video 8) is a physical theatre company based at Artsadmin in London, United Kingdom. It was officially founded in 1986 by Lloyd Newson (1986 - 2022), Michelle Richecoeur (1986–1988) and Nigel Charnock (198 ...

, first as production assistant and then as a performer in ''Strange Fish'', both the stage and BBC film versions. 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''. In 1996, Champion was awarded the Robert Helpmann Scholarship for Choreographic Excellence, enabling her to create her first solo work ''Face Value'' which was awarded a 1998

Green Room Award The Green Room Awards are Australian peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, theatre companies, independent theatre, musical theatre, contemporary and experimental performance, and opera. The awards, which were established in ...

and a

Mo Award The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were last awarded in 2016. ...

. In 2001 she created a second solo show, ''About Face''. In 1997 Champion begin collaborating with theatre director

Neil Armfield Neil Geoffrey Armfield (born 22 April 1955) is an Australian director of theatre, film and opera. Biography Born in Sydney, Armfield is the third and youngest son of Len, a factory worker at the nearby Arnott's Biscuits factory and Nita Armfi ...

and choreographed ''

Cloudstreet ''Cloudstreet'' is a novel by Australian writer Tim Winton published in 1991. It chronicles the lives of two working-class families, the Pickles and the Lambs, who come to live together in a large house called Cloudstreet in Perth, Western Au ...

'', and directed and devised ''Under the Influence''. Champion and Lloyd Newson's

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 Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), known as Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre from 1993 to 1999, is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1965 by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman . The ADT was the first moder ...

, Dance North, One Extra Co, and Theatre of Image.

Force Majeure

In 2002 Champion founded and became artistic director of a new company, Force Majeure, in Sydney, where she stayed until 2015. Her co-founders were

Roz Hervey Roz Hervey (1965 or 1966 – 8 November 2024) was an Australian dancer, choreographer, director and theatrical producer. She was known for roles as co-founder of and associate artist with Sydney dance-theatre company Force Majeure, as director ...

and Geoff Cobham. While there, she devised and directed: * ''Same, same, But Different'' –

Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney, that runs for three weeks every January since it was established in 1977. The festival program features over 100 events from local and international artists and inclu ...

Brisbane Festival Brisbane Festival is one of Australia's leading international arts festivals, and is held each September in Brisbane, Australia. Its presence dominates the city for three weeks in September and its line-up of classical and contemporary music, t ...

Melbourne Festival Melbourne International Arts Festival, formerly Spoleto Festival Melbourne – Festival of the Three Worlds, then Melbourne International Festival of the Arts, becoming commonly known as Melbourne Festival, was a major international arts festi ...

(2002) * ''Already Elsewhere'' – Sydney Festival (2005), Biennale de la Danse, Lyon (2006) * ''The Age I'm In''– Sydney Festival,

Adelaide Festival The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

(2008),

Dublin Theatre Festival The Dublin Theatre Festival is Europe's oldest specialised theatre festival. It was founded by theatre impresario Brendan Smith in 1957 and has, with the exception of two years, produced a season of international and Irish theatre each autumn. ...

, Seoul Performing Arts Festival, Montreal

Place des Arts frame, View of the Place des Arts esplanade. The Musée d'art contemporain is on the left; behind it is the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, with the Théâtre Maisonneuve on the right. Place des Arts () is a major performing arts centre in Montreal, Q ...

(2009), national tour (2010) * ''Not in a Million Years'' –

Carriageworks Carriageworks is a multi-arts urban cultural precinct located at the former Eveleigh Carriage Workshops in Redfern, New South Wales, Redfern, Sydney, Australia. Carriageworks showcases contemporary art and performing arts, as well as being use ...

(2010), Dance Massive Festival (2011) * ''Never Did Me Any Harm'' – a co-production with

(2012), national tour (2016) * ''Food'' – a coproduction with Belvoir (2012), metropolitan tour (2013), national tour (2014) * ''Nothing to Lose'' – Sydney Festival,

Malthouse Theatre Malthouse Theatre is the resident theatre company of The Malthouse building in Southbank, part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct. In the 1980s it was known as the Playbox Theatre Company and was housed in the Playbox Theatre in Melbourne's CBD ...

(2015)

Other work

Champion has worked in theatre, dance, film, circus, opera and musical theatre with arts companies and institutes including Belvoir,

Performing Lines Performing Lines is an Australian performing arts producer and presenter. It was established in 1990 as a successor to the Australian Content department of the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, it was established by actress Wendy Blacklock ...

, The English National Opera,

Ensemble Theatre The Ensemble Theatre is an Australian theatre company and theatre, situated in the Sydney suburb of Kirribilli, New South Wales. History It is Australia's longest continuously running professional theatre group, having given its first perfor ...

, NIDA,

National Institute of Circus Arts The National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) is a government-accredited tertiary-level circus school in Australia, located in Prahran, Victoria. History NICA was established in 1995 by Swinburne University of Technology after a study revealed ...

, and

National Theatre of Parramatta The National Theatre of Parramatta is a professional theatre company based in Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Syd ...

. Theatre directing credits include – ''Every Brilliant Thing'' (Belvoir), ''My Brilliant Career'', ''Food'', ''That Eye the Sky'', ''A View From the Bridge'', ''Fully Committed'', ''Honour'', ''Evie May'' and ''Perfect Stranger''. In 2004 Champion choreographed the world premiere of ''

'', 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. In 2010 she choreographed

's ''Bliss'', which also toured to the

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of Arts festival, arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the ...

, and ''Spring Awakening'' for

. Continuing her collaborative relationship with

, Champion took on the role of associate director of

's 2013 production (and 2016 remount) of Wagner's ''

Ring Cycle (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the . The compos ...

'', directed by Armfield. In 2016 she directed ''Swallow'', written by Stef Smith – the inaugural production of

. In 2018 Champion directed ''That Eye the Sky'', adapted from the novel by

Tim Winton Timothy John Winton (born 4 August 1960) is an Australian writer. He has written novels, children's books, non-fiction books, and short stories. In 1997, he was named a Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia, and has won the ...

for

, and the world premiere of the musical ''Evie May'' for Hayes Theatre. 2019 productions included ''Every Brilliant Thing'' for

Belvoir Theatre Belvoir is an Australian theatre company based at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney, Australia, originally known as Company B. Its artistic director is Eamon Flack. The theatre comprises two performing spaces: the Upstairs Theatre and the smalle ...

, ''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. Champion choreographed the movement sequences in the film ''

Somersault A somersault (also ''flip'', ''heli'', and in gymnastics ''salto'') is an acrobatics, acrobatic exercise in which a person's body Rotation#Sports, rotates 360° around a horizontal axis with the feet passing over the Human head, head. A somersau ...

'' (starring

Abbie Cornish Abigail Cornish (born 7 August 1982) is an Australian actress. In film, Cornish is known for her roles as Heidi in ''Somersault (film), Somersault'' (2004), Fanny Brawne in ''Bright Star (film), Bright Star'' (2009), Sweet Pea in ''Sucker Punch ...

and

Sam Worthington Samuel Henry John Worthington (born 2 August 1976) is an Australian actor. He is known for playing Jake Sully in the ''Avatar'' franchise (2009–present), Marcus Wright in '' Terminator Salvation'' (2009), and Perseus in '' Clash of the Titan ...

), and most recently ''RED''.

Black Swan

In 2022, Champion was appointed artistic director of

, at the same time as the appointment of Ian Booth as Chief Executive Officer. she remains in the position.

Awards

Australian Dance Awards

The

Australian Dance Awards The Australian Dance Awards recognise excellence and promote dance in Australia. They are awarded under the auspices of the Australian Dance Council (Ausdance) for performance, choreography, design, dance writing, teaching and related professions. ...

. (wins only) , - , 2005 , Kate Champion – ''Already Elsewhere'' , Outstanding Performance by a Company , , - , 2009 , Kate Champion – ''The Age I'm In'' , Outstanding Performance by a Company , , -

Helpmann Award

The Helpmann Awards. (wins only) , - , rowspan="2", 2002n , Kate Champion – ''About Face'' , Best Female Dance , , - , Kate Champion – ''Same, Same But Different'' , Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production , , - , 2011 , Kate Champion – ''Not in a Million Years'' , Best Visual or Physical Theatre Production , , -

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were last awarded in 2016. ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. (wins only) , - , 1998 , Kate Champion , Female Dance Performance of the Year , , -

Other Awards

* ''Nothing to Lose'' – 2016 FBi Radio SMAC Award for Best on Stage * ''Face Value'' – 1998 Greenroom Award for Best Female Dancer,

References

External links

* *
RealTime TV interview on the set of ''Never Did Me Any Harm''

"The Evolution of Dance Theatre"
by Jo Litson {{DEFAULTSORT:Champion, Kate Australian female dancers Australian theatre directors Australian women theatre directors Australian choreographers Australian women choreographers Contemporary dancers Helpmann Award winners Living people 1961 births