Meryl Tankard AO (b. 1955) is an internationally renowned dancer, choreographer, director and filmmaker. She began dancing with the Australian Ballet in 1975 before working as a soloist with Pina Bausch's dance theatre in Wuppertal, Germany between 1978 and 1984. As a freelance choreographer, she established her distinctive choreography in works such as Two Feet (1988) and was commissioned for projects around the world. For three years from 1989 she was artistic director of Canberra's Meryl Tankard Company, followed by six years as artistic director of Adelaide's Australian Dance Theatre. With composer Elena Kats Chernin, she created the full-length ballet Wild Swans for the Australian Ballet in 2003. The Oracle (2009), a revisioning of the Rite of Spring, won the Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Choreography in 2010 and toured internationally. Since graduating from the Australian Film, Television and Radio School in 2010, Tankard has made several films including the award-winning documentary Michelle's Story (2015). She continues to create dance productions, including recreating Two Feet for the 2019 Adelaide Festival and choreographing Claudel for the Sydney Opera House in 2021.
Photographed by Ingvar Kenne in 2005, this portrait depicts Tankard sitting in a folding chair in a dance studio. Although she is not moving, with her elegant posture, hair scraped back and bare feet pointed it is clear she is a dancer.
Gift of the artist 2006
© Ingvar Kenne
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