Graeme Murphy

Graeme Lloyd Murphy AO (born 2 November 1950) is an Australian dancer and choreographer. With his fellow dancer (and wife since 2004) Janet Vernon, he guided Sydney Dance Company to become one of Australia's most successful and best-known dance companies.

Biography Murphy was born in Melbourne, and grew up in Tasmania, where he took dance classes with Sir Kenneth Gillespie in Launceston. He began his career as a student at the Australian Ballet School at the age of fourteen. In 1968 he became a dancer with The Australian Ballet where he had opportunities to choreograph. He toured America with the Australian Ballet in 1970–1971 and created his first ballet, Ecco le Diavole (Ecco). Ecco was presented at Melbourne's Princess Theatre in July 1971. The piece was set to music by Nino Rota and featured dancers Roslyn Anderson, Roma Egan, Janet Vernon, and Wendy Walker.

Later, Murphy danced with the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet (now Birmingham Royal Ballet), and Les Ballets Félix Blaska in France. In 1975 he worked as a freelance choreographer. He rejoined The Australian Ballet in the early months of 1976 as both a dancer and as a resident choreographer. He was appointed as artistic director of the Dance Company of New South Wales in November 1976, renamed as Sydney Dance Company in 1979.

Murphy has been compared to the dancer and choreographer Jerome Robbins on account of the way he and his company marketed dance to a wider audience, bringing contemporary dance into a more commercial arena. Aside from his work in ballet, Murphy has also completed choreography for Torvill and Dean.

On 18 December 2004, after almost 40 years together as artistic and life partners, he and Janet Vernon married on their rural property outside Launceston.

In 2016 and 2017, Martin Portus (former Director of Marketing and Communication at the Australia Council for the Arts) conducted a number of interviews with Australian choreographers including Graeme Murphy. In the interview, Murphy discusses the highlights of various aspects of his career as a dancer and choreographer: his teenage training at The Australian Ballet School and early work as a classical dancer with the Australian Ballet; his developing interest in choreography and contemporary dance in the early 1970s; the beginnings of his lifelong creative partnership with Janet Vernon; the formation of the Sydney Dance Company and his appointment as artistic director in 1976; his signature productions involving theatrical spectacle, powerful storytelling, collaboration with Australian composers, and innovative set and costume designs; his constant touring overseas and work with Australian ballet; the financial disasters which prompted him to leave the Sydney Dance Company after 31 years; his work and aspirations.

Honours On 26 January 1988, Murphy was named a member of the Order of Australia for "his service to ballet." On 1 January 2001, he was awarded the Centenary Medal for "service to the development of dance in Australia and Tasmania". On 11 June 2012, Murphy was named an Officer of the Order of Australia for "distinguished service to the performing arts, both nationally and internationally, particularly ballet and contemporary dance, as a choreographer and director, and to the enhancement of Australia's cultural environment."

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. In 2002, Murphy received the JC Williamson Award, the LPA's highest honour, for their life's work in live performance.

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. (wins only) 1999 Graeme Murphy Male Dance Performer/ Choreographer of the Year

List of works After Venice (1984; set to Olivier Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie and Gustav Mahler's 5th Symphony: Adagietto) Afterworlds (1987) Bard Bits (1991; Cleo Laine and John Dankworth) Beyond Twelve (1980; set to Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto in G) Body of Work (2000) Daphnis and Chloé (1980; Ravel) Ellipse (2002; Matthew Hindson) Signatures (1979; Alexander Scriabin) Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky; for the Australian Ballet) Synergy with Synergy (1992; Michael Askill, John Cage, Elliott Carter, Ross Edwards, Istvan Marta and Nigel Westlake) Third Conversation (1977; Béla Bartók) Tip (1977; Carl Vine) Tivoli (2001; Graeme Koehne) The Trojans (1994; Hector Berlioz) Turandot (Giacomo Puccini; for Opera Australia) Up (1977; György Ligeti) Vast (1988; Barry Conyngham) Viridian (1980; Richard Meale) Volumina (1977; Ligeti) Water (2009; for The Shanghai Ballet) Wilderness (1982; Bartók)