Shirley McKechnie

Australia, 1988

Film
A still image from Shirley McKechnie

Episode of Series “Dance: Videos of Australian dancers and choreographers”.
Shirley McKechnie trained in the Bodenweiser technique with Hanny Kolm and Daisy Pirnitzer. McKechnie speaks about her formative years and her desire to develop a philosophy of art and, through that, a philosophy of life. McKechnie started the “Contemporary Dance Theatre of Melbourne” with a group of her students and together they explored a range of techniques in order to develop a style relevant to the Australian experience. McKechnie played a pivotal role in establishing dance training at a tertiary level in Australia and was a co-founder of the “Australian Association of Dance Education”. McKechnie recalls her relationship with Dame Peggy van Praagh and their shared desire to develop the intellectual ability of dance artists. Through her involvement with education departments, arts organisations and performing companies, McKechnie has had a profound influence on the direction of dance training in Australia. Researched and interviewed by James Murdoch.

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Collection

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Credits

producer

Peter Campbell

production company

Australia Council

Duration

00:50:00:00

Production places
Australia
Production dates
1988

Appears in

Group of items

Dance: Videos of Australian dancers and choreographers

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If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/83219--shirley-mckechnie/ |title=Shirley McKechnie |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=28 March 2024 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}