The Australian Institute of Classical Dance was formed in 1991 by Marilyn Jones, following her receipt of a prestigious Creative Arts Fellowship from the Australian Government. The Institute is a non-profit organisation with a board composed of eminent members of the dance community. It was set up to oversee and encourage the development of Australian classical ballet. The Institute assists teache
rs and students of classical dance in Australia by providing a national focus for the development of this important art form. By co-operating with existing recognised dance organisations it encourages research and the development of dance. Since its inception the A.I.C.D. has aimed to provide a forum for discussion on all aspects of dance and actively lobbies for classical dance in the political and educational arena. Dance Creation was established by the Institute in 1996. Originally presented as a biennial competition, it was designed to nurture a new generation of choreographers by providing them with some financial assistance to develop their craft. In 2006, the format of Dance Creation was changed to more of a ‘Showcase Event’ allowing young working choreographers to show their works before their peers and the Artistic Directors of all of the companies in Australia. Participants were selected by the Institute on the basis of nominations received from major Australian dance companies. For Dance Creation 2014, the format will again evolve and be expanded to include both the competition and showcase aspects. Each state branch of the A.I.C.D. will organise and hold its own choreographic competition and depending on the number of applications, will take the form of preliminaries, semi-finals and finals. The winners, and possibly the runner-up, from each state will be brought to Melbourne to have their works performed in a Showcase.
