A Rare Invitation
A Rare Invitation
Seeking our next Artistic Director
There are moments in the life of an organisation when the future feels both visible and unwritten.
This is one of those moments.
After more than a decade of extraordinary creative leadership by Co-Artistic Directors Kyle Page and Amber Haines, Dancenorth Australia is seeking a new Artistic Director to help shape our next chapter.
We are not looking for someone to replicate what has come before.
We are looking for an artist who is curious about what comes next.
Someone who understands great art emerges not only from vision and skill, but from deep and authentic relationships. Someone who is excited by the possibility of grounding in the enriching environs of North Queensland, creating ambitious contemporary dance inspired by place, and sharing it with the world. Someone who sees leadership as an act of service to the community.
About Dancenorth
For more than forty years, Dancenorth has occupied a unique place within Australia's cultural landscape. Based in Gurambilbarra (Townsville), on the lands of the Wulgurukaba and neighbouring Bindal Peoples, we create contemporary dance that is adventurous, rigorous and deeply connected to place.
Our work tours nationally and internationally, yet remains grounded in the communities, artists, landscapes and relationships that shape us.
We believe dance can help us better understand ourselves, each other and the world around us.
Our purpose is simple:
Creating a culture of consciousness through the universal language of dance.
At Dancenorth, artistic excellence and human connection are inseparable. We value collaboration over hierarchy, curiosity over certainty, and care as much as achievement.
Our Place
Gurambilbarra (Townsville) is not simply where Dancenorth is located; it is intrinsically part of who we are.
The tropical environment, proximity to reef and rainforest, the vast skies, the distinctive cultures of the region and the rich complexity of North Queensland all influence how we think, create and connect.
We are seeking someone who is genuinely excited by the prospect of living and making work here. Someone who sees regionality not as a limitation, but as a source of possibility.
First Nations Relationships
Our relationships with First Nations artists, Elders and community members are central to the life of Dancenorth.
Our engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities is not always outcome-focused, with the emphasis often being more on relationships and cross-cultural exchange. In so doing, seeds are sown and opportunities are identified to create and collaborate together.
These relationships have been built over many years through listening, reciprocity, trust and shared experience. The incoming Artistic Director will be expected to honour and deepen these relationships with humility, respect and genuine commitment.
The Opportunity
This is a role for someone who can hold both artistic ambition and human complexity.
Working in partnership with the Executive Director, you will guide the artistic vision of the organisation, lead the development of new work, nurture the Ensemble, build relationships across the sector and contribute to the long-term future of the Company.
What matters most is not title or status, but depth of practice, generosity of spirit and readiness for the journey ahead.
This role is not only for people with creative leadership experience. We are open to emerging and mid-career artists with a clear voice, genuine human warmth, and the appetite for the full scope of what this work involves. Someone who can inspire artists, engage communities and help create the conditions in which extraordinary work can emerge.
Given the breadth and depth required of the role, we are open to a collaborative leadership structure, and welcome applications from individuals or two people applying as a co-creative team.
In this role you will;
Make and lead the art. Create major new works. Direct the artistic program. Engage collaborating artists. Steward works in repertoire including Galaxia (our current work in development).
Hold the people. Lead the Ensemble with deep care for dancers' physical, creative and emotional wellbeing. With the Executive Director, build a whole-of-company culture grounded in psychological safety, mutual accountability and genuine joy.
Be in the community. Live in Gurambilbarra (Townsville). Be present in streets, schools and community spaces. Deepen our First Nations partnerships with humility and genuine reciprocity.
Carry us into the world. Lead national and international touring. With the Executive Director and General Manager represent Dancenorth at festivals and markets. Inspire and engage private and philanthropic donors and government funding partners through a compelling artistic vision.
Lead alongside the Executive Director. Co-lead Company strategy and planning. Engage with the Board, government funders and philanthropic partners. These relationships are operationally critical to the organisation.
Who we are looking for
We are seeking a leader who demonstrates:
+ A distinctive choreographic/contemporary dance practice and artistic voice
+ A commitment to artistic excellence, experimentation and collaboration
+ Deep relational intelligence and the ability to foster trust
+ An ability to inspire and cultivate philanthropic and government partnerships
+ Genuine enthusiasm for living and working in North Queensland
+ Willingness to build meaningful relationships with First Nations communities and artists
+ An understanding of the balance between creative ambition and organisational sustainability
+ A desire to contribute to the national and international dance ecology while remaining grounded in community
+ Genuine curiosity for the unique nature of the arts in regional Australia
Ultimately, we are seeking someone who understands that leadership begins with listening.
Why Join Us?
Dancenorth Australia is artistically respected, financially stable, deeply connected to its community and ambitious about the future.
You will inherit a highly committed and skilled Ensemble, an extraordinary legacy, and the opportunity to shape the future of contemporary dance, all from one of the most distinctive places in Australia.
If that excites you, we would love to hear from you.
For a candidate information pack please email recruitment@dancenorth.com.au.
We welcome questions and informal conversation.
Applications close 9pm, Monday 20 July 2026.