Australia Dancing - Lea, Elizabeth (Liz) (1970

Lea, Elizabeth (Liz) (1970 - )

Liz Lea has created an eclectic career as a dancer and choreographer by drawing upon traditional Indian classical dance forms and fusing these with contemporary Western dance and the martial arts of Asia. More recently she has developed an interest in reinterpreting the work of early choreographers such as Ruth St Denis and Anna Pavlova, creating contemporary renderings that are infused with the theatrical intensity of their style.

Born in Sydney, Lea travelled widely with her family, living in Malawi, Bangladesh and Pakistan and began dancing at an early age in Melbourne. After two years of an anthropology degree she deferred to dance full time at Manly Dance Arts Centre. Her first professional engagements were as a showgirl in Japan and on the Sydney Harbour Showboat. Lea began her Bachelor of Arts honours degree in 1992 at London Contemporary Dance School and Akademi.

Lea also trained at Darpana Academy in India and worked with Imlata, Ranjabati Sircar, Sankalpam and Mavin Khoo. She began choreographing in 1998. Lea bases her work in the UK and Australia and in recent years has also performed and taught in Korea, Bulgaria, Ireland, Portugal, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Lithuania, Germany, Russia, India, Brazil, Nigeria, Canada, and the USA. In addition, Lea has been engaged as a Baroque dancer and actress for fifteen years, regularly works with the English National Opera and has acted as Rehearsal Director for the Bare Bones and Mavin Khoo Dance Companies.

In 2003 Lea received a fellowship from the Australian Choreographic Centre and an AHRB research grant from Roehampton University, UK. She received awards for her solo Inland at the 6th Solo-Tanz Competition, Germany, and was short-listed for the Jerwood Choreography Awards, UK. In 2004 she created works for the Mavin Khoo and Intoto Dance Companies, UK and Western Sydney Dance Action, Australia. She was also one of the 20 artists commissioned to create works for the inaugural Place Prize competition, London.

Lea toured the UK and Europe in 2004, leading residencies in Bassano, Italy, Isle of Mann and Sofia, Bulgaria, where she also created a work on the national contemporary dance company, Ballet Arabesque. In 2005 she premiered her solo Bluebird at The Royal Opera House, London and toured with Sankalpam Dance Company, UK’s foremost traditional Bharata Natyam company.

In 2006 Lea toured Australia, the UK, Europe and the US with her solo production The Blue Tour (Bluebird, The Incense, Radha, Quicksliver) and worked on Accented Body, a multimedia project for the Brisbane Festival. In 2007 she premiered eros eris, commissioned by the Royal Opera House, participated in Dancelines, a course mentored by Kim Brandstrup, and worked in Seoul with digital artist Hyojung Seo.

Lea's 2008 commitments include the British Dance Edition, a visit to India following the footsteps Anna Pavlova's 1923 tour, and a residency at Edinburgh’s Dancebase, working towards a work based on Pavlova’s 1923 ballet Ajanta Frescos.

Research Materials

Ephemera | Website | All

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