Speeches
Thursday, 25 September 2025
Reception for Australian Dance Theatre 60th Anniversary
Rod and I warmly welcome you all to Government House this evening to celebrate 60 years of Australian Dance Theatre.
South Australia is proud to be home to ADT, the oldest contemporary dance company in the country.
Against a backdrop of social upheaval and protest, Elizabeth Cameron Dalman founded Australian Dance Theatre to expand the horizons of contemporary dance.
I thank Elizabeth for the fundamental contribution she made to establishing a contemporary dance culture in South Australia and Australia in the 1960s, when the form was emerging.
Earlier this year it was my pleasure to launch Elizabeth’s book, Nature Moves, and to learn more about those early years of the company.
I was impressed by her commitment to her vision, her resilience to early critics and her deep talent for telling stories through human movement.
Over the decades, ADT’s work has helped to build the perception of SA as a home for innovation and leadership in the arts, and for this I thank the company sincerely.
Over 60 years, ADT has created nearly 150 mainstage works and welcomed more than 300 of the best dancers from around the country, and the world, to live and work in Adelaide.
You were one of the first performing arts companies to tour South East Asia, and were also a pioneer in regional, state and national touring.
I thank the company’s artistic directors including Jonathan Taylor, Leigh Warren, Meryl Tankard, and Garry Stewart, each contributing to its evolution as a leader in contemporary dance.
Today, under Daniel Riley’s leadership, Australian Dance Theatre retains and grows its reputation as a national and international leader in contemporary dance, continually redefining and pushing the artform.
I am particularly heartened by the company's commitment to creating work reflective of Australia's voices, stories, and histories, especially those that need to be told about to our country's Indigenous heritage.
As Governor I’ve had the privilege of attending with Rod several memorable ADT performances, most recently ‘A Quiet Language’ at this year’s Adelaide Festival.
In 2022 Government House was honoured to have ADT dancers perform at a flag dedication ceremony marking the first time the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags had flown permanently at Government House.
You would have passed these flags as you came in via the main gate this evening.
I thank board members, past and present, for their dedication and strategic guidance that has sustained this cultural institution through six decades of artistic evolution.
I thank the donors and supporters whose generosity has enabled ADT to continue pushing boundaries, developing new works, and inspiring audiences both locally and nationally.
And I thank current and past dancers for sharing their talents with South Australian audiences, and for dedicating themselves to what is a challenging, but also rewarding, career path.
As ADT embarks on its next chapter, I am deeply encouraged by its continued commitment to artistic excellence, community engagement, and using dance to celebrate human experience in all its complexity and beauty.
May Australian Dance Theatre continue to move audiences, challenge perceptions, and inspire future generations of dancers and choreographers for decades to come.