Nanette Hassall will be been named the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Australian Dance Awards on Saturday, September 1.
This Award honours the achievements of an outstanding senior figure in the Australian dance community who has dedicated at least 40 years to dance as a performer, choreographer, advocate, educator, administrator or visionary.
"Nanette Hassall's contribution to Australian dance has been extraordinary," states Michelle Saunders, the director of Ausdance WA. "Her careers spans decades and she has excelled in many different roles - as performer, choreographer, director and teacher."
As stated in the press release announcing the award: “After a distinguished career overseas with Merce Cunningham Company and Richard Alston's Strider in London, Hassall returned to Australia and was one of the exciting young choreographers at the 1976 Armidale choreographic seminars, along with Graeme Murphy. With Russell Dumas she formed Dance Exchange where they did some of the earliest practice-based dance research in Australia. Nan then formed Danceworks in Melbourne to encourage younger choreographers and to nurture their talents.”
Hassall is now the Head of the Dance Department at the WA Academy of Performing Arts.
She will be presented the Award at the Australian Dance Awards ceremony at the Heath Ledger Theatre, State Theatre Centre, Perth.
The Australian Dance Awards presents Awards in 10 categories. It is the one night of the year when dance creators, performers, educators and enthusiasts gather together to acknowledge and honour their peers. See here for more details about the event and here for the associated Move Me dance festival.
For more information about the Awards visit the Ausdance WA website here .