Australia Dancing - Taylor, Jonathan (1941

Taylor, Jonathan (1941 - )

Jonathan Taylor began dancing at an early age in his home town of Manchester. He studied the syllabus of the Royal Academy of Dancing for several years and won the Academy's Adeline Genee medal. Taylor continued his dance training in London with Andrew Hardie and Stanislaw Idzikowski and joined Leonide Massine's Ballet European di Nervi in 1959. The following year he danced with the Dutch National Ballet before joing Ballet Rambert. He began his choreographic career with the Rambert company in 1965 when he created Diversities. 'Tis Goodly Sport followed in 1970 along with Listen to the Music in 1972.

Taylor began a career as a freelance choreographer and director in 1973. He staged plays, ballets and musicals for English televsion and for the stage and choreographed a work for Netherlands Dans Theater. He came to Australia in 1975 to choreograph Star's End for Ballet Victoria.

In 1976 Taylor was invited to reform Australian Dance Theatre and the revitalised company under his direction gave its first performances in 1977. The first appearance by the company was at Come Out '77 in Adelaide in May, which was followed by a season at Her Majesty's Theatre in June and a tour of country areas of Victoria and South Australia in July and August. During his directorship of Australian Dance Theatre Taylor introduced not only many new works of his own creation but many by English colleagues who had also worked with the Rambert company, in particular Christopher Bruce (Wings and Weekend both staged for Australian Dance Theatre in 1977) and Norman Morrice (Seven Songs and Solo both in 1977). Taylor also produced the work of Julia Blaikie, the company's ballet mistress, and Joseph Scoglio, Taylor's assistant director. Taylor was artistic director of Australian Dance Theatre until 1985. In 1988 he was appointed Dean of Dance at the Victorian College of the Arts and worked at the College until 1997.

Research Materials

Ephemera | Moving picture | Oral history | Picture | All

McMurdo, Don: Artists of Australian Dance Theatre in Jonathan Taylor's 'Wildstars', 1981

McMurdo, Don: Artists of Australian Dance Theatre in Jonathan Taylor's 'Wildstars', 1981 (Picture): Australian Dance Theatre ; Wildstars; Location:; Don McMurdo performing arts collection; National Library of Australia; PIC/5208/E/11
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Australian Dance Theatre, 1980 (Moving picture): 16 mm film, produced by Austral Pacific Productions; colour, sound, 25 mins; A documentary on the work of Australian Dance Theatre under the directorship of Jonathan Taylor. Taylor and some of the dancers and ballet staff speak about their life in the company and the dancers are seen in daily class. Brief footage from three ballets in the repertoire is included: Labyrinth by Christopher Bruce (2 minutes), Transfigured Night by Taylor (6 minutes) and Wildstars by Taylor (4 minutes).; Australian Dance Theatre ; Wildstars; Location:; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 10472

Broken Head, 1984 (Moving picture): Choreography: Jonathan Taylor; Music: Brian Eno; Lighting: Kenneth Rayner; Cast: Robert Canning, Simone Clifford, Peter Lucadou-Wells, Michele Ryan, John Salisbury and Margaret Wilson of Australian Dance Theatre; Betamax videotape, produced by Polycom Productions and Australian Dance Theatre; colour, sound, PAL, 10 mins; Is part of: [Australian Dance Theatre] (23 mins) (Title no: 49937); Excerpts from Jonathan Taylor's work about violence and savagery in society.

Bibliography: Hilary Trotter, 'Dustbins and taffeta: touring with Australian Dance Theatre in 1982, part one.' Brolga 10 (June 1999), pp. 24-33; Australian Dance Theatre; Location:; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 410094

Vining Brown, Leone: Leigh Warren in Valrene Tweedie's studio, c. 1967

Interview with Leigh Warren, 1990 (Oral history): Interviewee: Warren, Leigh; Interviewer: Shirley McKechnie; Audiotape; 270 mins; Leigh Warren talks about his choreographic output and focuses in particular on three works, Never Mind the Bindies, Front Lawn and Adieu. He also discusses the choreographers and teachers with whom he has worked. He spends some time talking about Australian Dance Theatre and his directorship of it as well as reflecting on the nature of the company under its previous artistic directors, Elizabeth Dalman and Jonathan Taylor. Details about his family background and his early dance training with Valrene Tweedie are also included.; Tweedie, Valrene ; Australian Dance Theatre ; Warren, Leigh ; Dalman, Elizabeth Cameron; Location:; National Library of Australia; TRC 2631
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Programs, Australian Dance Theatre, 1969- (Ephemera): 3 boxes; A collection of programs documenting a selection of productions by Australian Dance Theatre under four of its artistic directors: Elizabeth Dalman, Jonathan Taylor, Leigh Warren and Garry Stewart. The collection includes promotional material and programs for national and international tours.; Australian Dance Theatre ; Dalman, Elizabeth Cameron ; Warren, Leigh ; Stewart, Garry; Location:; National Library of Australia; PROMPT Collection (Access through Petherick Room)

McMurdo, Don: Ronald van den Bergh in Jonathan Taylor's 'Wildstars', Australian Dance Theatre, 1981

McMurdo, Don: Ronald van den Bergh in Jonathan Taylor's 'Wildstars', Australian Dance Theatre, 1981 (Picture): Australian Dance Theatre ; Wildstars; Location:; National Library of Australia; PIC/5208/A, Album 1003/

[Star's End], 1975 (Moving picture): Choreography: Jonathan Taylor; Music: David Bedford; Cast: Artists of Ballet Victoria; J-format video; black and white, sound, PAL, 25 mins; A dance work suggesting the difficulties of communicating with others.; Ballet Victoria; Location:; The Keep Dancing! Collection; National Film and Sound Archive; Title no: 310313

Research Materials Top

Other resources

Find more about Taylor, Jonathan in:

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