Eight cutting-edge dance makers will present work at Melbourne’s Dancehouse in April.

The Keir Foundation, with its two presenting partners, Sydney’s Carriageworks and Melbourne’s Dancehouse, has today announced the eight shortlisted choreographers to reach the semifinals of the 2016 Keir Choreographic Award. Launched in 2014, this will be the second edition of the biennial competition, which is Australia’s first major award for contemporary choreography.

Only professional artists with a portfolio of existing work and an established practice are eligible to compete, making this award an unparalleled platform, showcasing the best dance artists in Australia. An independent panel of national and international experts were tasked with assessing proposals submitted by choreographers from across the country. Eight semifinalists will now have the opportunity to present a newly created 20 minute work at Dancehouse next April, before four finalists are selected to present at Carriageworks in May.

Belgium-based Serbian performance artists and theorist Bojana Cvejić, curator and critic Pierre Bal-Blanc, American choreographer Sarah Michelson and Perth International Arts Festival director and former Head of Dance at London’s Southbank Centre Wendy Martin joined Phillip Keir, the Keir Foundation founder, to select the eight shortlisted artists. The jury looked for boundary-breaking work that promoted innovation, explored experimental and cutting-edge performance practices, and engaged with other mediums and art forms. 

In addition to the accolade of being named the 2016 Keir Choreographic Award-winner, one of the eight talented artists will recieve a cash prize of $30,000. An audience choice award of $10,000 will also be awarded after the finals in Sydney next May.

The eight artists who will be competing in the semifinal in April represent a diverse range of aesthetics and professional backgrounds:

Melbourne-based choreographer Sarah Aiken made it to the final of the inaugural Keir Choreographic Award. Her work explores the world beyond the fourth wall, playing with the relationship between a performer and their audience.

Also Melbourne-based, James Batchelor’s work seeks to examine human interaction with the environment. His practice is a fascinating hybrid of documentary exploration and analysis interpreted through movement.

Among Chloe Chignell’s credits are works for Tasmania’s MONA and Chunky Move as well as productions for Melbourne’s Fringe Festival. She is currently collaborating with the inaugural winner of the Keir Choreographic Award, Atlanta Eke.

Sydney-based performance artist and dancer Ghenoa Gela is a Torres Strait Islander Woman from Rockhampton whose work is infused with many influences including aspects of dance, circus and theatre. She has performed with a number of Australia’s top companies including Force Majeure, Shaun Parker Company and Circus Oz.

Martin Hansen is originally from Melbourne, but has forged an impressive career in Europe. Among his notable achievements he was named “Dancer of the Year” by the prestigious European dance magazine Tanz in 2012.

Alice Heyward describes her work as “choreographic investigations that lie in the nexus between language and movement.” She has staged several international presentations including performances in Berlin and London.

Originally from New Zealand, Rebecca Jensen is a choreographer and dancer now based in Melbourne. A former Australian Council ArtStart beneficiary, Jensen has developed her practice in New York and Europe. Among her Australian credits are presentations at the Next Wave Festival, Melbourne Fringe and MONAFOMA.

Paea Leach has explored the relationship between the body and communication through choreography, in what she describes as “the integration/interrogation of language in process.” Her work is informed by her 15 years as a professional dancer, which has included performances with internationally celebrated Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkoui’s company, Eastman.

The Keir Choreographic Award semifinals take place at Melbourne’s Dancehouse, 26 – 30 April 2016. The finals take place at Sydney’s Carriageworks, 5 – 7 May 2016.