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Artistic Director Ruth Osborne
 Ruth Osborne has devoted her professional life to youth dance, challenging old ideas and developing new methods. She is nationally respected for her teaching and choreographic work. She has developed dance in primary and secondary schools, tertiary institutions, private dance studios, summer schools and regional outreach tours. She has mentored choreographers and dancers, including both young emerging artists and senior dance professionals.
Her professional dance career extends over 40 years and includes performing, teaching, choreographing, directing, collaborating and mentoring. She has served on many arts related boards including Ausdance WA (President), The West Australian Ballet, WAAPA Advisory Panels, Arts WA Peer Assessment Panel, STEPS Youth Dance Company and Youth Arts Incorporated.
After extensive training and experience across all dance sectors in Sydney, Ruth moved to WA and in 1976 established the Contemporary Dance Centre, where she was Artistic Director until 1999. She taught at WAAPA from its inception; and was a founding board member, choreographer and Artistic Director of STEPS Youth Dance Company for 10 years.
She has choreographed for local, national and international television and film; and many large scale events including the Opening Ceremonies for the 6th and 8th World Swimming Championships; the Pacific School Games; collaborations for the Festival of Perth in 1995 and 1997; and Australia Day celebrations.
Ruth joined The Australian Choreographic Centre in Canberra as Manager of Youth Dance Practice in 1999, and established the highly successful Quantum Leap youth choreographic ensemble. She developed ongoing programs, focused on choreographic literacy, for young people auditioned from Canberra and the region. These bridged community and professional practice, with professionally produced performances in major theatres and institutions in Canberra, and regional and interstate tours.
Ruth established the Licence to Move program to encourage boys into dance, and directed the highly acclaimed Industrial Hardware dance project series for young men and boys.
In 2003 she won the Canberra Critics Circle Dance Award for her ongoing work with Quantum Leap and in particular “boys in dance”. In 2005 she was short-listed for the prestigious Australian Dance Awards ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’, and for Services to Dance in 2008, 2009, and 2010 . In 2008 served as an adviser to the Dance Board of the Australia Council.
She won the Australian Dance Awards' 2011 Award for Services to Dance — "for her superlative teaching and wide-ranging services to dance for over four decades; for an outstanding contribution to dance education and to the development of youth dance practice in Australia."
Associate Directors
Our Associate Directors are involved with QL2 over several years: planning, developing and evaluating our artistic program in collaboration with the Artistic Director, as well as working in projects and classes.
Brian Lucas is a nationally celebrated and respected dance and theatre artist based in Brisbane, and a recent recipient of an Australia Council Fellowship.
Solon Ulbrich is an Australian independent performer, choreographer, teacher and arts producer.
Liz Lea is an experienced dance artist with a contemporary and Indian Classical movement practice, who divides her time between Australia and the UK, choreographing, performing and teaching.
Artistic Advisors
Alice Lee Holland is a Perth-based independent choreographer, and AD of STEPS Youth Dance Company. She presented Preparing to be Beautiful in 2008, and has made works for Strut Dance, Buzz Dance Theatre, STEPS, Quantum Leap, WAAPA, and Tasdance. She created work for The Yard in Massachusetts and Labor Force Dance in New York (2008). She is passionately committed to working with young people as the next generation of Australian dance artists and representing the sector at daCi 2012.
Jeff Meiners has worked widely in dance, teaching extensively in schools, as leader of a dance education team, as a university lecturer and a guest tutor. His work has included projects with young children, youth dance and people with disability, and partnerships with councils, NSW Department of Education, NAISDA and Ausdance NSW. Jeff is currently a lecturer at the University of SA, and received an ADA for Services to Dance Education (2009).
Rebecca Hilton is a Melbourne based performer, teacher, choreographer and director. She was a member of Dance Exchange and Dance Works before moving to New York in 1987, where she toured extensively with Stephen Petronio Company and featured in the work of Michael Clark, Tere O’Connor, DD Dorvillier, John Jasperse and Jennifer Monson. Her work has been presented by Lucy Guerin Inc, BalletLab, Chunky Move, Laborgras (Ger), Mestizas (Arg) and La lagrima (Mex). She received a 2010-11 Fellowship from the Australia Council Dance Board.
Guest Choreographers & teachers
Anton is an independent choreographer who has worked with DarcSwan, Dance North, Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), Sydney Theatre Company, The Australian Opera, Meryl Tankard and Tanja Liedtke.
Jodie Farrugia is Associate Director and choreographer for the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, who works across contemporary dance, acrobatics and physical theatre.
Lina Limosani was a member of ADT (2000–05), and performed in Birdbrain, The Age of Unbeauty, Nothing, Plastic Space, Attention Deficit Therapy and Held, touring nationally and inter-nationally. In 2003, she was awarded the Emerging Artist award by the Adelaide Critics Circle. Since leaving ADT, she has performed in Narelle Benjamin’s Out of Water, Lucy Guerin’s Structure and Sadness, Troy Mundy’s Green Demon and Gideon Obarzanek’s Glow.
Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal is a contemporary dancer and creative collaborator. She has performed with Mirramu Dance Company, Houlihan & Dancers, Chunky Move, Victorian Opera, Bebe Miller, Sophie Maslow, Jason Pitt, Bernadette Warlong and Stephen Page. In 2011 her work 6/7 empty will tour Australia. Her dedication to sharing dance knowledge from her extensive experiences is reflected in her choreographic and dance education work. She is inspired by engaging with young people who wish to develop sustainable professional artistic lives.
Paul Zivkovich first trained as a gymnast and began dancing in 1999 with Quantum Leap (QL2) and in 2002 graduated from QUT. He has worked with ADT; SDC; Bonachela Dance Company; Akram Khan Company; Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s Eastman and Nigel Jamieson. He received Most Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer at the 2004 Australian Dance Awards. In 2008 he co-directed Moths with Restless Dance Theatre. His films have received numerous awards, and he has been featured in dance films in Australia, France and UK. He is inspired by QL2’s commitment and voice for youth dance.
Dramaturg Paschal Daantos Berry is an independent Filipino/Australian writer focused on interdisciplinary, cross cultural and collaborative processes. He has had a Royal Court International Residency in London, received Belvoir’s Asian Australian Young Playwrights Award, and an Asialink Residency. He has contributed to works for Urban Theatre Projects, ABC Radio National, Blacktown Arts Centre, Griffin Theatre, Belvoir Asian Theatre Festival, Performance Space, and ATYP.
James O’Hara started dancing in Perth. In 2003 he left Australia to join the Ballet Junior de Genève and performed works by Dominique Bagouet and Foofwa d'Imobilité. Since 2006 he has worked with Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, on Myth, La Zon-Mai, Babel (co-created with Damien Jalet) and Faun. He has assisted Larbi for creation of L'Homme de Bois, Orbo Novo, and Labyrinth. In 2011 he returned to Australia to create and perform in Die Winterriese, by Matthew Lutton in collaboration with Chrissie Parrot.
Matt Cornell has worked in Australia, Europe and SE Asia as a dancer, choreographer and digital composer spanning live contemporary dance, theatre, installations, film, video clips, and performance art; with DanceNorth, Davis Freeman, Shaun Parker and Company, Lucy Guerin Inc, Buzz Dance Theatre, Carlee Mellow, Marnie Palomares, and Croc Fest. He is the 2011 NT Young Achiever of the Year for Arts, and a danceWEB scholarship recipient.
Caitlin McKenzie graduated from QUT, then WAAPA in 2010. She performed in Hey Scenester by Brisbane choreographer, Claire Marshall, and Garry Stewart’s film Collision Course. In 2011 she performed at the NGA’s Backstage at the Ballet Russes, the Ausdance QLD Bell Tower II performance Platform, and was selected for aYouth Partnership Residency. She looks forward to being a youth dance advocate.
Gabriel Comerford graduated from QUT, where he trained in aerial adagio and performed in China at the Guangdong Modern Dance Festival. In 2010–11 he featured as a guest dancer with Compagnié MADO in New Caledonia, and was a trainee dancer with Dancenorth. He is committed to fostering the next generation of dance artists and using his position as a male dancer to guide young men.
Daniel Riley McKinley’s bloodline runs through the Riley clan of the Wiradjuri people in NSW. From 1998–2003 he was a member of QL2’s Quantum Leap. In 2005 he performed in Like No One Is Watching and Petroglyphs-Signs Of Life with Leigh Warren & Dancers. He joined Bangarra in 2007, and has toured Australia and internationally with Clan, True Stories, Mathinna, Rites, Awakenings, and Fire: A Retrospective. In 2010 he made his choreographic debut, with Riley in of earth & sky.
Dean Cross began as a gymnast, and started dance in 2000 with Quantum Leap. He has performed nationally and internationally with Lucy Guerin Inc, Shaun Parker and Company, Theatre of Image, Buzz Dance Theatre, Legs on the Wall, Opera Australia and independent choreographer Anton. He is a founding member of Autumnal, and is currently touring with Lucy Guerin’s Untrained.
Deon Hastie graduated from NAISDA and had a traineeship with Leigh Warren and Dancers in 1999, becoming a full member in 2000. His first major role was in Glen Tetley’s Pierrot Lunaire. In 2000 he performed in the Australian Centenary of Federation celebrations. He co-choreographed a work for Kurruru Youth Performing Arts Group, performed at the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2006. He was nominated for the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative 2006.
Soft Landing 1 leader Amelia McQueen graduated from AC Arts and formed ‘dropArt’. She developed a role under Tanja Liedtke for Twelfth Floor that she has performed in Australia, the UK and Germany. She has performed with Tanz Atelier Wien (Vienna), Tasdance and Stalker and tours with Strange Fruit. She has done extensive study in Europe under Julyen Hamilton, Deborah Hay, Katie Duck, David Zambrano, Anouk van Dijk and Les Slovaks. Her collaboration Soft Targets with Jade Dewi Tyas Tunggal and Bilwa was commissioned for the Melbourne Fringe Festival 2010.
Soft Landing assistant Laura Boynes is a dancer, choreographer and dance film-maker, who has worked with numerous dance artists including Solon Ulbrich, Katrina Lazaroff, Ros Warby, and KAGE Physical Theatre. Her films have been shown in Reeldance, Electrofringe, Cinedans, Strut on Screen and the NMA. In 2010 she worked with Claudia Alessi on In This and as Assistant director to Brian Lucas with Soft Landing.
Guest mentor GABRIELLE NANKIVELL has directed and co-directed performances in Australia, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Slovenia, UK, Croatia, Armenia and Portugal. She has created and performed with Ultima Vez/Wim Vandekeybus, ADT, Luke Smiles Gavin Webber, Raul Maia (Portugal), Alexander Baervoets (Belgium), Aaben Dans/Thomas Eisenhardt , Ballet Braunschweig and Thomas Steyaert In 2011 she will tour her solo work I left my shoes on warm concrete and stood in the rain through Mobile States.
Guest mentor CARLEE MELLOW has worked in film and live performance as a dancer, actor and collaborator, touring nationally and internationally. She has appeared with Chunky Move in Clear Pale Skin, Wanted, Crumpled and Corrupted, Infinite Temporal Series and Singularity. In 2002 she began working with BalletLab, most recently performing in Phillip Adams’ award winning Axeman Lullaby.
Guest mentor LUKE GEORGE began dancing with Stompin and trained at VCA. He has danced with Phillip Adams, Jo Lloyd, Gideon Obarzanek, Stephanie Lake, Shelley Lasica, ITOH Kim (Tokyo), Miguel Gutierrez (NYC) and Deborah Hay (Austin). He has created Nownownow, Lifesize, Special Mention (with Bec Reid), and the Trike dance project (with Stephanie Lake and Frances d’Ath). He has been commissioned by Sydney Opera House, Australian Regional Arts festival, Malthouse, Back to Back, Arena and Ridiculusmus.
Mentor & teacher Adelina Larsson studied at Danshogskolan (Stockholm,) and Rotterdamse Dansacademie CODARTS (Rotterdam).Her recent works include Remote Real with Sarah Neville and Joanna Pollit, and Waste Land with Elena Näsänen.
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