Liz Lea

🪔 About

Liz Lea is an internationally recognized dance artist, choreographer, and producer, known for her work in contemporary and classical Indian dance. She trained at the London Contemporary Dance School, Akademi in London, and the Darpana Academy in India, specializing in contemporary and classical Indian dance and martial arts. Lea has performed with notable Indian classical dance companies such as Ranjabati Sircar, Imlata, and Sankalpam. Her career spans over three decades, during which she has toured and been commissioned in various countries including India, the UK, Australia, South Africa, Singapore, the USA, and Kuwait. Lea's contributions to Indian classical dance include her research into early modern dance pioneers inspired by India, such as Anna Pavlova and Ruth St. Denis, which led to her documentary 'Dance Detective'. She has reinterpreted Ruth St. Denis's 1906 solos and toured India following Anna Pavlova's 1923 tour. She also studied Bharatanatyam for several years while living in London. Her choreographic work includes 'Ritu Chakra', created for the Darpana company and toured across India, and 'The Point' (2021), which integrated Kathak, Kuchipudi, and Bharatanatyam dancers to explore connections between Canberra and India. Based primarily in Canberra, Australia, Lea is the Artistic Director of Liz Lea Creates and The Stellar Company. She previously served as the Artistic Director of Canberra Dance Theatre from 2010 to 2016. She is also the director of the BOLD Festival, which celebrates the legacy of dance, and the DANscienCE Festival, which explores the intersection of dance and science. Her significant achievements have been recognized with awards such as the 2017 ACT Artist of the Year and a 2017 Australian Dance Award. Awards & Honours: ACT Artist of the Year (2017), Australian Dance Award (2017).