Australia Dancing - Hammond, Paul (1922

Hammond, Paul (1922 - )

Photographer unknown: Portrait of Paul Hammond, 1951?

Born in Sydney, Paul Hammond studied dance in the 1930s and 1940s with Mischa Burlakov, Helene Kirsova and Leon Kellaway. In Australia he performed professionally with the Kirsova Ballet between 1943 and 1944 and the Borovansky Ballet between 1945 and 1956. Between 1948 and 1951 he also danced in London with the Glyndebourne Opera and the Metropolitan Ballet, and in Brussels with the Brussels Opera Ballet. While overseas he studied with acclaimed teachers, including Vera Volkova, Anna Northcote, Lubov Egorova and Olga Preobrajenska, and appeared with a number of Australian colleagues, including Robert Helpmann and Peggy Sager, in the film The Red Shoes.

After retiring from performing Hammond taught extensively and choreographed a number of works for television and the stage. Between 1981 and 1995 he was archivist at the Australian Ballet School. In January 2008 he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the development and promotion of dance, particularly ballet, as a performer, choreographer and teacher. In the same year, he was the recipient of the Australian Dance Award for lifetime achievement.

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Find more about Hammond, Paul in:

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