Dr. Elizabeth Cameron Dalman is currently Director of Mirramu Creative Arts Centre (MCAC) and Artistic Director of Mirramu Dance Company (MDC).
Elizabeth founded Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) and was its Artistic Director for 10 years from 1965 – 1975.
She worked in Europe for 10 years returning to Australia in 1987. In 1990 she established MCAC and in 2000 founded MDC. She was a Lecturer at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) from 2001 – 2004 and was then appointed Head of the Dance Department at UWS until the end of 2006.
Elizabeth is a recipient of many Awards, including an Australian Artists Creative Fellowship, a National Dance Award for a Lifetime Achievement in Dance, an OAM and an AM Award for her contribution to contemporary dance in Australia, an ACT Creative Arts Fellowship and several Canberra Critics Circle Awards.
In 2015 she was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Australian Dance Awards and was awarded the Canberra Times Artist of the Year. In 2023 she received a Medal of Chevalière de L’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture in Paris.
Elizabeth has a long association with the dance community in Taiwan. She met modern dance pioneer, Madame Tsai Jui Yueh, in 1971 and has maintained connections with her family and Foundation appearing in their International Dance Festivals from 2003 – 2018.
She has directed several Australia/Taiwan Cross Cultural Choreographic Residency Programs at MCAC with students from the Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA) and been on the TNUA faculty as a guest Lecturer in 2006, 2010 and for four months from end 2015 – 2016. Since 2019 Elizabeth has welcomed many Taiwanese dance artists to MCAC where they have performed in events she has directed and run workshops she has curated.
Productions Elizabeth has performed in and directed with MDC include: Morning Star a project in collaboration with Indigenous artists from Arnhem Land (2012 – 2013), disAPPEARance and Walking on Water …. and other Miracles (2014), and Mirror Image, (2014) a collaboration between MDC, Dancecology (Taiwan) and DPAC Dance Company (Malaysia). In 2015 she presented Fortuity in Canberra with MDC.
In the same year, continuing the celebrations for ADT’s 50th Anniversary she directed and performed in L with MDC. In collaboration with members of the then current ADT, L was also presented at the Adelaide Festival Theatre Centre.
Elizabeth worked with Sue Healey on her films En Route and ICONs. In 2017 in collaboration with Sue and Grace Peng, Artistic Director of Dancecology, she directed and performed in the dance film, Contours, which has been shown in Taiwan, Canada, Canberra (ACT) and South Australia.
In 2025 she directed and performed in ECDysis celebrating ADT’s 60th Anniversary. With several Taiwanese guest artists joining MDC, this production was presented in Canberra, ACT.
In 2015 Elizabeth completed a residency at Critical Path, Sydney, to research new pathways in her practice. This culminated in a VR dance film Crone, directed by Kenneth Spiteri. She was an actor/dancer in Dust on the Shortbread with Anything Is Valid Dance Theatre, Western Australia (2016 – 2018).
From 2016 Elizabeth joined the Teaċ Daṁsa dance theatre company in Ireland. As an actor/dancer she performed in their award-winning production of Swan Lake/Loch na hEala. From 2016 – 2020 she toured world-wide with this company.
Since 2020 Elizabeth has organized and directed several performance events and residency programs at MCAC. She also teaches and choreographs for The GOLD Company in Canberra.
Alongside her commitments with MDC and MCAC, Elizabeth continues her practice of directing, performing, choreographing, teaching, mentoring and writing about dance.
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