Maggi Sietsma
Encyclopedia
Maggi Sietsma AM
(born in 1951) is the founding artistic director
of the multiple-award winning Brisbane
contemporary dance
company, Expressions Dance Company
, and regarded as one of Australia
's leading choreographers. Maggi Sietsma has choreographed multiple international dance
works during her career and has contributed extensively to dance
and dance
education
in Australia
.
As a child, Maggi Sietsma was inspired to dance after seeing Dame Margot Fonteyn
on stage (whom she later performed with). At the age of 14, Maggi Sietsma ran her own dance studio with 200 students, who were put through Royal Academy of Dance examinations. Her studio held annual concerts and had three staff members. At the age of 16, Sietsma was granted an international dance scholarship, and later graduated from The Australian Ballet school receiving an offer to join the company. Maggi Sietsma danced as soloist for international ballet companies – the Avignon Opera Ballet (France
) and the London Festival Ballet (now the English National Ballet
), before beginning her career in contemporary dance.
While working as a classical dancer in 1972, Maggi attended a performance by the Dutch Nederlands Dans Theater, inspiring her to undertake a new career path into contemporary dance. Maggi joined the Theatre du Chene Noir, a French collaborative company of musicians, actors and Sietsma as the solo dancer. Sietsma redefined her relationship to the artform during her time in the Theatre du Chene Noir, as she was suddenly alone as a dancer; a "strong contrast to the hierarchical structures characteristic of classical ballet companies". Sietsma furthered her contemporary dance choreography, establishing the French multi-media company Muance with her partner Abel Valls.
In the early 1980s, Sietsma and Valls returned to Australia, where Sietsma took a position as resident choreographer at North Queensland Ballet and Dance Society where she transitioned the amateur group to professional status as North Queensland Ballet Company, now Dancenorth. Sietsma then moved to Brisbane to teach modern dance at the Brisbane College of Advanced Education (now the Queensland University of Technology
), where she developed the first Bachelor Degree in Dance. While working as a full-time lecturer, Sietsma and Valls set up their Brisbane based contemporary dance company, Expressions Dance Company
, to create opportunities for dancers including a salary and decent work conditions. Sietsma herself was not paid a salary for the first three years, despite the dancers always receiving paid work from the company. To ensure the success of the company Sietsma and Valls:
Expressions is now an established contemporary dance company with an international profile, employing 17 full-time staff. Under the direction of Sietsma and Valls the company has toured internationally, including the USA, Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Macau, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Israel and New Caledonia. The company has also performed in festivals including the Ludwigsburg (Stuttgart) International Festival, the Linz (Austria) Dance Festival, The Washington Shakespeare festival, the Taipei International Festival, The Beijing Modern Dance Festival, Tokyo’s Next Wave Festival and The Guangdong Modern Dance Festival (China).
Sietsma has produced a range of educational programs and forums both in Queensland and internationally, including ensuring the secondary school curriculum offers dance as a subject. Institutions Sietsma has developed programs for include: Queensland Arts Council, Queensland University of Technology
, Queensland Performing Arts Trust (now QPAC), Queensland Education department, HKAPA. Sietsma has also established an extensive education program for Expressions Dance Company
providing workshops and masterclasses.
In 1995, Sietsma was awarded a Master of Arts in Research by the Queensland University of Technology
. In 1997, under Sietsma's direction, Expressions Dance Company
was awarded a Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award, Australia's most prestigious performing arts award. In 2002, Sietsma was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia
for services to dance and dance education.
In 2005, Sietsma was appointed Dean of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
(HKAPA) where she was involved in developing the Academy's first Master of Fine Arts in Dance program, realigned and led the school through the new validation process of the Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours program and saw through the School of Dance co-hosting of the The Hong Kong International Dance Festival (2006).
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born in 1951) is the founding artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
of the multiple-award winning Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
contemporary dance
Contemporary dance
Contemporary dance is a genre of concert dance that employs compositional philosophy, rather than choreography, to guide unchoreographed movement...
company, Expressions Dance Company
Expressions Dance Company
Expressions Dance Company is an Australian contemporary dance company based in the The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, in Fortitude Valley. It was founded in 1984 by Maggi Sietsma, Artistic Director and Abel Valls, General Manager...
, and regarded as one of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's leading choreographers. Maggi Sietsma has choreographed multiple international dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
works during her career and has contributed extensively to dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
and dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Career and Personal History
Margot Fonteyn
Dame Margot Fonteyn de Arias, DBE , was an English ballerina of the 20th century. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of all time...
on stage (whom she later performed with). At the age of 14, Maggi Sietsma ran her own dance studio with 200 students, who were put through Royal Academy of Dance examinations. Her studio held annual concerts and had three staff members. At the age of 16, Sietsma was granted an international dance scholarship, and later graduated from The Australian Ballet school receiving an offer to join the company. Maggi Sietsma danced as soloist for international ballet companies – the Avignon Opera Ballet (France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
) and the London Festival Ballet (now the English National Ballet
English National Ballet
English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin and based at Markova House in South Kensington, London, England. Along with the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Scottish Ballet, it is one of the four major ballet companies in Great...
), before beginning her career in contemporary dance.
While working as a classical dancer in 1972, Maggi attended a performance by the Dutch Nederlands Dans Theater, inspiring her to undertake a new career path into contemporary dance. Maggi joined the Theatre du Chene Noir, a French collaborative company of musicians, actors and Sietsma as the solo dancer. Sietsma redefined her relationship to the artform during her time in the Theatre du Chene Noir, as she was suddenly alone as a dancer; a "strong contrast to the hierarchical structures characteristic of classical ballet companies". Sietsma furthered her contemporary dance choreography, establishing the French multi-media company Muance with her partner Abel Valls.
In the early 1980s, Sietsma and Valls returned to Australia, where Sietsma took a position as resident choreographer at North Queensland Ballet and Dance Society where she transitioned the amateur group to professional status as North Queensland Ballet Company, now Dancenorth. Sietsma then moved to Brisbane to teach modern dance at the Brisbane College of Advanced Education (now the Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
), where she developed the first Bachelor Degree in Dance. While working as a full-time lecturer, Sietsma and Valls set up their Brisbane based contemporary dance company, Expressions Dance Company
Expressions Dance Company
Expressions Dance Company is an Australian contemporary dance company based in the The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, in Fortitude Valley. It was founded in 1984 by Maggi Sietsma, Artistic Director and Abel Valls, General Manager...
, to create opportunities for dancers including a salary and decent work conditions. Sietsma herself was not paid a salary for the first three years, despite the dancers always receiving paid work from the company. To ensure the success of the company Sietsma and Valls:
mortgaged[their] house for the first season of Expressions...gave up everything to work in Expressions and gladly...because that's where my heart was, still in the profession. (Maggi Sietsma)
Expressions is now an established contemporary dance company with an international profile, employing 17 full-time staff. Under the direction of Sietsma and Valls the company has toured internationally, including the USA, Great Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Macau, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Mexico, Israel and New Caledonia. The company has also performed in festivals including the Ludwigsburg (Stuttgart) International Festival, the Linz (Austria) Dance Festival, The Washington Shakespeare festival, the Taipei International Festival, The Beijing Modern Dance Festival, Tokyo’s Next Wave Festival and The Guangdong Modern Dance Festival (China).
Sietsma has produced a range of educational programs and forums both in Queensland and internationally, including ensuring the secondary school curriculum offers dance as a subject. Institutions Sietsma has developed programs for include: Queensland Arts Council, Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
, Queensland Performing Arts Trust (now QPAC), Queensland Education department, HKAPA. Sietsma has also established an extensive education program for Expressions Dance Company
Expressions Dance Company
Expressions Dance Company is an Australian contemporary dance company based in the The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, in Fortitude Valley. It was founded in 1984 by Maggi Sietsma, Artistic Director and Abel Valls, General Manager...
providing workshops and masterclasses.
In 1995, Sietsma was awarded a Master of Arts in Research by the Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology
Queensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
. In 1997, under Sietsma's direction, Expressions Dance Company
Expressions Dance Company
Expressions Dance Company is an Australian contemporary dance company based in the The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, in Fortitude Valley. It was founded in 1984 by Maggi Sietsma, Artistic Director and Abel Valls, General Manager...
was awarded a Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award, Australia's most prestigious performing arts award. In 2002, Sietsma was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
for services to dance and dance education.
In 2005, Sietsma was appointed Dean of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts , located near the north coast of Wan Chai on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, is both an academic institution and a venue for performances....
(HKAPA) where she was involved in developing the Academy's first Master of Fine Arts in Dance program, realigned and led the school through the new validation process of the Bachelor of Fine Arts Honours program and saw through the School of Dance co-hosting of the The Hong Kong International Dance Festival (2006).
Achievements and Awards
- Founding Artistic Director of Expressions Dance CompanyExpressions Dance CompanyExpressions Dance Company is an Australian contemporary dance company based in the The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, in Fortitude Valley. It was founded in 1984 by Maggi Sietsma, Artistic Director and Abel Valls, General Manager...
- Choreographer and solo dancer in the Theatre du Chene Noir (FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), Senior Artist in the Avignon Opera Ballet (FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
), Guest Artist in the Queensland BalletQueensland BalletThe Queensland Ballet, founded in 1960 by Charles Lisner OBE, is the premier ballet company of Queensland, Australia, and is based in Brisbane.- About Queensland Ballet :...
, Danced in The Australian Ballet, Soloist with the London Festival Ballet (now the English National BalletEnglish National BalletEnglish National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin and based at Markova House in South Kensington, London, England. Along with the Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Scottish Ballet, it is one of the four major ballet companies in Great...
), - Performed alongside Margot FonteynMargot FonteynDame Margot Fonteyn de Arias, DBE , was an English ballerina of the 20th century. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of all time...
, Sir Robert HelpmannRobert HelpmannSir Robert Helpmann CBE was an Australian dancer, actor, theatre director and choreographer.-Early years:He was born Robert Murray Helpman in Mount Gambier, South Australia and also boarded at Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. From childhood, Helpman had a strong desire to be a dancer...
, Rudolf NureyevRudolf NureyevRudolf Khametovich Nureyev was a Russian dancer, considered one of the most celebrated ballet dancers of the 20th century. Nureyev's artistic skills explored expressive areas of the dance, providing a new role to the male ballet dancer who once served only as support to the women.In 1961 he... - Founded the European contemporary multi-media ensemble Muance
- Transitioned amateur North Queensland Ballet and Dance Society to professional status as North Queensland Ballet Company, now Dancenorth
- Developed the first Bachelor Degree in Dance in Queensland at the Brisbane College of Advanced Education (now the Queensland University of TechnologyQueensland University of TechnologyQueensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
) - Expressions Dance CompanyExpressions Dance CompanyExpressions Dance Company is an Australian contemporary dance company based in the The Judith Wright Centre of Contemporary Arts, in Fortitude Valley. It was founded in 1984 by Maggi Sietsma, Artistic Director and Abel Valls, General Manager...
, under Sietsma's Artistic Direction, was awarded a prestigious Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award (see Sidney Myer Performing Arts AwardsSidney Myer Performing Arts AwardsThe Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards honour Sidney Myer a Jewish Australian businessman and philanthropist who established what is now the Myer Foundation. These awards seek to enhance the status of the performing arts in Australia and recognise outstanding achievement in drama, comedy, dance,...
) - Appointed a Member of the Order of AustraliaOrder of AustraliaThe Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
AM - Awarded a Centenary MedalCentenary MedalThe Centenary Medal is an award created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the Centenary of Federation of Australia and to honour people who have made a contribution to Australian society or government...
from the Australian Government for contribution to the Arts and Society - Awarded a Churchill Fellowship from the Winston Churchill Memorial TrustWinston Churchill Memorial TrustThe Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill. They are based in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The Winston Churchill Memorial Trusts are three independent but related living memorials to Sir Winston Churchill. They are based...
- Awarded 3 ASEA (Australian Society for Education in the Arts) Awards for choreographyChoreographyChoreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
- Dean of Dance at the HKAPA - Hong Kong Academy for Performing ArtsHong Kong Academy for Performing ArtsThe Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts , located near the north coast of Wan Chai on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, is both an academic institution and a venue for performances....
Dance Company Affiliations
Maggi Sietsma has choreographed works for opera companies, theatre companies and various dance companies and institutions internationally:- Avignon Opera Company, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Avignon Ballet Company
- Dancers Company The Australian Ballet
- North Queensland Ballet Company (now Dancenorth)
- Ballet Theatre of QueenslandBallet Theatre of QueenslandBallet Theatre of Queensland, founded in 1937 by Phyllis Danaher MBE FRAD, is the oldest continuous dance company in Australia. Ballet Theatre is based in Brisbane in the Australian state of Queensland...
- City Contemporary Dance Company, Hong KongHong KongHong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
- Hong Kong Academy for Performing ArtsHong Kong Academy for Performing ArtsThe Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts , located near the north coast of Wan Chai on the Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong, is both an academic institution and a venue for performances....
- Nrityagram Dance Ensemble, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
- Beijing Dance AcademyBeijing Dance AcademyBeijing Dance Academy , also known as Beijing Dance Institute, is the only institution of higher education in dance in China. There are three specialties: performance, choreography and dance studies. It offers Master's degrees and Bachelor's degrees....
, ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture... - PACT Dance Company (State Theatre Dance Company), South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- Raun Raun Theatre Company Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
- Queensland Performing Arts Trust (now Queensland Performing Arts CentreQueensland Performing Arts CentreThe Queensland Performing Arts Centre is part of the Queensland Cultural Centre and is located on the corner of Melbourne Street and Grey Street in Brisbane's South Bank precinct....
/QPAC), AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... - Royal Queensland Theatre Company, (now Queensland Theatre CompanyQueensland Theatre CompanyThe Queensland Theatre Company was established in 1970 as the Royal Queensland Theatre Company. The Company is the state's flagship professional theatre company, headed up by multi-award winning playwright and director Wesley Enoch...
), AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... - Vision Dance, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- Victorian College of the ArtsVictorian College of the ArtsThe Faculty of the VCA and Music is a faculty of the University of Melbourne, in Victoria . VCAM is located near the Melbourne central business district, on two campuses, one - the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - on the Parkville campus of the University of Melbourne, and the other - the...
- School of Dance, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... - Queensland University of TechnologyQueensland University of TechnologyQueensland University of Technology is an Australian university with an applied emphasis in courses and research. Based in Brisbane, it has 40,000 students, including 6,000 international students, over 4,000 staff members, and an annual budget of more than A$750 million.QUT is marketed as "A...
(QUT) Academy of Dance, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... - James Cook UniversityJames Cook UniversityJames Cook University is a public university based in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. The university has two Australian campuses, located in Townsville and Cairns respectively, and an international campus in Singapore. JCU is the second oldest university in Queensland—proclaimed in 1970—and the...
- Momentum Dance Company, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- Theatre du Chene Noir, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Muance, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- HKAPA , Hong Kong
Major Choreographic Works
Include:- 2008 - On Thin Ice
- 2005 - Score!
- 2004 - The 5th Door
- 2003 - Flight!
- 2002 - Rites of Spring
- 2001 - Behind the Wall
- 2000 - Virtually Richard3
- 1999 - Vanities Crossing
- 1995 - Decadances (performed in New York City in 1999)
- 1995 - Alone Together
- 1994 - Direct Heat
- 1993 - Dream Hunters