Melanie Lane has been appointed artistic director and co-CEO of Lucy Guerin Inc, taking up the role in January 2027 as founder Lucy Guerin steps down at the end of this year.
The Melbourne company, founded by Guerin in 2002, will also announce a new name as part of the transition.
Lane previously served as LGI’s resident director in 2015 and has also worked with Guerin as a performer.
“It’s a gift to have the opportunity to lead the company into a bold new creative era, acknowledging Lucy’s extraordinary 25-year legacy and the remarkable body of work that has supported and championed so many artists, including myself,” Lane said.
An Australian choreographer and performer of Anglo/Javanese heritage, Lane works between Melbourne and Canberra, with a practice spanning dance, visual arts, theatre, music and film. She won the Keir Choreographic Award in 2018.
Her commissions include work for Sydney Dance Company, Chunky Move, Australasian Dance Collective, Dancenorth, West Australian Ballet and National Dance Company of Wales.
Her work with theatre director Adena Jacobs includes English National Opera’s Salome and Nosferatu at Vienna’s Burgtheater. Other collaborators include UK music producer Clark and video artists Amos Gebhardt and Leyla Stevens.
“I have always admired Melanie’s work, and with her inventive and distinct choreographic voice, her international reputation and her deep engagement across the dance sector, she is the perfect fit for the role,” Guerin said.
LGI chair Peter Jopling described Lane’s practice as “ambitious, collaborative and internationally recognised”, saying she offered “exactly the kind of distinctive artistic voice we hoped to find”.
For Lane, the appointment is an opportunity to build on the company’s support for dance artists.
“I feel privileged to build on this enduring home for dance, and I’m excited to work alongside the staff, Board and artists to shape a rigorous and adventurous program for the future,” she said.