Elizabeth Cameron Dalman

Elizabeth Cameron Dalman (nee Wilson; born 1934) is an Australian choreographer, teacher, and performer. She founded Australian Dance Theatre and was its artistic director from 1965 to 1975. She is also the founding director of Mirramu Dance Company.

Early life and education Elizabeth Wilson in the Adelaide eastern suburb of Tusmore. Her father, Sir Keith Cameron Wilson, was a lawyer and politician and her mother, Elizabeth Hornabrook (nee Bonython),

She attended Presbyterian Girls' College (now Seymour College), and commenced studies at the University of Adelaide. However, she dropped out because she was more interested in pursuing dance.

She trained in dance first with Nora Stewart, who taught her classical ballet as well as modern techniques espoused by British dancer and choreographer Margaret Morris. In 1957

In 2012 she was conferred a doctorate in dance (PhD) from the University of Western Sydney for her thesis entitled "The Quest for an Australian Dance Theatre".

Career In the late 1950s, Dalman also studied in Europe and New York, and worked with Murray Louis, James Truitte, and Alwin Nikolais. She was particularly influenced by Pomare's style of dance, and wanted to dance in the same strong passionate style. At the time, she was the first to bring modern dance to Adelaide, which began as a rebellion against classical ballet, and her shows were often scathingly reviewed. However, she travelled to the regions, where she had appreciative audiences, with some people travelling hundreds of miles to see a performance. In 1967, she created piece in protest at Australian involvement in the Vietnam War, called Sundown, and was labelled an "angry woman" as a result.

As ADT's chief choreographer, she created over 30 works during this period, often using scores commissioned from Australian composers and designs by little known Australian visual artists who would later become household names. She took the company on international tours, including to Italy, Switzerland, and Holland (1968), throughout South East Asia, India, and Papua New Guinea (1971), and New Zealand (1972).

Europe After departing ADT in 1975, Dalman moved overseas again to live in a small Italian village near the French border. The children of the village learned she was a dancer (una ballerina), and they convinced her to teach them dance in the local church hall and around the village outdoors in exchange for Italian lessons. Outdoors is the favoured location for artistic inspiration activities, and performances. The Mirramu calendar continues to include summer solstice events where all who attend participate and celebrate together outdoors.

Mirramu Dance Company

In 2002 she co-founded Mirramu Dance Company (with Vivienne Rogis ) and was and is inaugural artistic director.

Mirramu performed at the March 2008 Weereewa - A Festival of Lake George event, and again in 2014, along with dancers from Malaysia and Taiwan.

In May 2015 Dalman staged Fortuity, a tribute to the ADT and work from Mirramu, at the Canberra Theatre Centre. She both narrated and performed in the performance.

In 2016, aged 82, Dalman featured in Sue Healey's film En Route, along with the 102-year-old Eileen Kramer and many other dancers.

She has taught in Australian universities, and travelled as a performer, choreographer, teacher and researcher, including to Taiwan, Japan, and West Africa.

Recognition and awards Dalman won five Canberra Critics' Circle Awards for choreography and production between 1990 and 2015. 1997: Lifetime Achievement Award from the Australian Dance Awards for achievement in dance 2015: CityNews Artist of the Year 2020: Anthea da Silva's painting of Dalman, entitled Elizabeth, winner of the inaugural Darling Portrait Prize 2025: Member of the Order of Australia for "significant service to contemporary dance as a director, performer and teacher" 2025: Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (The Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters)

Personal life Elizabeth met her husband, Jan Dalman, in the Netherlands, where Jan established a photography business and Elizabeth created her dance school. were together for 12 years and had a son, Andreas. The text stories from interviews with Jan about his friendship with Marceau appear in English and in French translation side-by-side and create alternating interludes image and story.

and since around 1995, Dalman has lived near Canberra, on her bushland property, Mirramu, at Bungendore. (choreography: Eleo Pomare; music: Janis Joplin's 1971 song Mercedes-Benz) 1974: Inside