Australia Dancing - Green Mill Dance Project (1992

Green Mill Dance Project (1992 - 1998)

The Green Mill Dance Project, also know as the Melbourne Festival of Choreography and Dance, was founded in 1992 as an annual national dance forum. The project was named after the Green Mill dance hall, later called the Trocadero. The original Green Mill opened in 1926 on the site currently occupied the Victorian Arts Centre and was the height of technological achievement with rubber sprung flooring, and elaborate and atmospheric lighting. It was host to ballroom extravaganzas, private parties, dance classes, intimate dinners and cabarets.

The Green Mill Dance Project's main activity was the co-ordination of an annnual conference. Five festivals were held between 1993 and 1997. The festivals focused on the art of dance through choreography, performances and seminars and attracted a broad spectrum of practitioners, writers, teachers, academics and students from Australia and overseas. The five themes addressed in Green Mill's seminar component were Across Cultures, Across the Arts (1993), Dance and Narrative (1994), Dance and Technology (1995), New Dance from Old Cultures (1996), Heritage and Heresy (1997).

The Green Mill Dance Project ceased operations early in 1998 after the Victorian Government withdrew funding for the project.

Research Materials

Ephemera | Manuscript | Moving picture | All

[Green Mill Dance Compilation], 1993 (Moving picture): Cast: Various including artists of Dance Works, Fieldworks Performance Group and Chrissie Parrott Dance Collective.; VHS videotape, compiled for Green Mill Dance Dance Project; colour, sound, PAL, 240 mins; This compilation comprises twelve separate works Knee Deep in Thin Air (Sue Healey), Crush (Hellen Sky), Possessed Dispossessed (Entr'acte Theatre), The Memory Room (Entr'acte Theatre), Acqua Azzurru (Entr'acte Theatre), Human to Human (Helen Herbertson), Poets Lunatics and Dreamers (excerpts) (Jim Hughes), Crossings (Jim Hughes), Software Dragon (excerpts) (Chrissie Parrott), Terminal Velocity (excerpts) (Chrissie Parrott), Factory (excerpts) (Chrissie Parrott), If War Were a Dance (incomplete) (Richard Allen and Karen Pearlman).; Dance Works ; Healey, Sue ; Allen, Richard James ; Pearlman, Karen ; Parrott, Chrissie ; Fieldworks Performance Group ; Entr'acte Theatre ; Herbertson, Helen; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Collection; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 433200

Green Mill Dance Project [1993], 1992 (Moving picture): U-matic videotape, produced by Green Mill Dance Project; colour, sound, PAL, 4 mins; This promotional videotape shows scenes of Melbourne, host city of the Green Mill project, and short clips of the variety of dance styles encompassed by the festival.; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Collection; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 433154

Knee Deep in Thin Air, 1993 (Moving picture): Choreography: Sue Healey; Music: Mike Nock; Cast: Sue Healey, Roz Hervey, Warwick Long, Jane Mortiss and Belinda Saltmarsh.; VHS videotape recorded by the Green Mill Dance Project; colour, sound, PAL, 19 mins; Is part of: [Green Mill Dance Compilation], 240 mins; A piece originally made in 1992.; Healey, Sue ; Hervey, Roz; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Collection; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 433200

[Launch of 1993 Green Mill Dance Project], 1992 (Moving picture): Betacam SP videotape, recorded by Green Mill Dance Project; colour, sound, PAL, 46 mins; The official launch of the 1993 Green Mill Dance Project includes pre-launch inteviews with artists who performed at the old Green Mill dance hall, official opening speeches from Professor Glen Withers (chairman of the Green Mill board), Jim Kennan (Victorian minister for the arts), and Joan Kirner (Victorian premier), a brief appearance by dancer Tina Yong and a short performance by Teresa Blake and Dan Witton from Desoxy Theatre. Some post-launch interviews are also included. Unedited footage.; Yong, Tina; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Collection; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 433493

Papers of Shirley McKechnie, 1938-1996 (Manuscript): 4 boxes; The papers of Shirley McKechnie relate to the development of contemporary dance in Australia. They include correspondence between 1966 and 1996 to a variety of McKechnie's colleagues including Peggy van Praagh, Lenton Parr, Peter Brinson, Werdon Anglin (Brinson's partner) and Gordon van Praagh, and reports and papers relating to McKechnie's activities in developing dance courses at tertiary institutions (notably Rusden College). A large part of the collection concerns the establishment of the Green Mill Dance Project. Material relating to McKechnie's dance company, Australian Contemporary Dance Theatre, and to the Armidale summers schools at the University of New England is also included. Further information relating to the scope and content of the papers can be found at MS 7223 - Papers of Shirley McKechnie (1938 -1995); McKechnie, Shirley ; van Praagh, Peggy ; Brinson, Peter ; Armidale Summer Schools; Location:; National Library of Australia; MS 9553; One folder closed until 2020

Programs, Dancehouse, 1992- (Ephemera): An extensive collection of programs, flyers, newsletters, and calendars covering the performance activities at Dancehouse from 1993. Much of the material relates to the curated performance seasons Bodyworks (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003), Great Escapes (1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002), Mixed Metaphor (1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001), Cracking it Open (2002), The Dance Card (2003, 2004), Log in as a Guest (2004), and Fringe Showcase (2004). Other material represents work by companies and organisations (Tracks Dance Theatre, Garry Rowe Co., Dance Exchange, BalletLab, Rusden Dance, Little Asia Dance, Reel Dance, Ausdance Victoria), individuals (Frances Becker, Lisa Nelson, Deborah Hay, Phillip Adams), and festivals (Green Mill Dance Festival, Melbourne Festival).; Dancehouse ; BalletLab ; Dance Exchange ; Adams, Phillip ; Tracks Dance Theatre ; ReelDance, International Dance on Screen Festival; Location:; National Library of Australia; PROMPT Collection (Access through Petherick Room)

Programs, Green Mill Dance Project (Ephemera): A small collection of programs and flyers relating to the 1993-1997 Green Mill Dance Projects.; Location:; National Library of Australia; PROMPT Collection (Access through Petherick Room)

Records, Green Mill Dance Project, 1991-1997 (Manuscript): Thirty-four boxes; This collection consists of archival records relating to the formation and administration of the Green Mill Dance Project and to the co-ordination of the five annual festivals. The records contain administration files, financial records, board records, promotional materials, photographs, slides and ephemera. The include correspondence with participants, suppliers, sponsors, venue managers and government authorities; minutes of meetings; grant applications; reports, statistics; programs; media releases; publicity materials; posters; and biographical notes on participants. Description of the scope of the collection and a detailed contents list is available at MS 9370 - Papers of the Green Mill Dance Project.; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Collection; National Library of Australia; MS 9370

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Other resources

Find more about Green Mill Dance Project in:

Internet - Google
Articles - New York Public Library Dance Collection
Pictures - Picture Australia