Two of Australian dance’s most valued opportunities for choreographic development are returning in 2026, with Ausdance reviving the Peggy van Praagh Choreographic Fellowship and the Keith Bain Choreographic Travel Fellowship.
Paused amid the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, the fellowships will each provide $10,000 to an early or mid-career Australian choreographer working in any dance genre, offering direct support at a time when opportunities for sustained artistic development remain fiercely competitive.
The return of the fellowships comes at a pivotal moment for Australia’s cultural sector. Submissions to the Federal Government’s consultation on the successor to Revive closed in May and are now under review, with artists and organisations continuing to advocate for long-term, sustainable career structures.
At the same time, demand for existing support continues to outstrip available resources. Creative Australia’s most recent International Travel Fund round attracted 135 eligible applications, with just 31 receiving funding.
Against this backdrop, the revival of the two Ausdance fellowships represents more than a welcome injection of $20,000 into the sector. It is also a reminder of the enduring impact that targeted investment can have on an artist’s career.
“These fellowships exist because two extraordinary artists – Dame Peggy van Praagh and Keith Bain – chose to invest in the choreographers who would come after them,” said Ausdance President Julie Englefield.
“At a time when the whole sector is asking how we build sustainable careers for Australian artists, these bequests are a reminder that targeted, artist-centred investment changes lives,” she said. “Ten thousand dollars at the right moment in a choreographer’s development can be the difference between an idea and a body of work.”
The fellowships are made possible through bequests from two towering figures in Australian dance: Dame Peggy van Praagh, founding Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet, and Keith Bain OAM, a former Bodenwieser dancer and long-serving movement director at NIDA.
Both were committed advocates for Australian choreography and the development of future generations of dance-makers. Their fellowships continue that legacy not simply through recognition, but through practical support that gives artists the time, mobility and opportunity to extend their practice.
The Peggy van Praagh Choreographic Fellowship supports the creative development of Australian choreographers, while the Keith Bain Choreographic Travel Fellowship assists national and international travel for choreographic research and professional development.
In a sector where a lack of resources can too easily determine which ideas are realised and which remain unexplored, the return of these fellowships is particularly significant. Their revival honours the generosity of two remarkable dance artists while investing directly in those shaping the future of Australian choreography. Choreographers working across all dance genres are encouraged to apply.
Applications for the Peggy van Praagh Choreographic Fellowship and the Keith Bain Choreographic Travel Fellowship are now open and close on Friday 31 July 2026.
Images: Peggy van Praagh at the Bryan Lawrence School of Ballet in Canberra with student Kathy Hourigan – photo by Don Gallagher, courtesy of Ausdance | (left) Keith Bain with Helen Lisle in Concerto Grosse (choreographed by Keith Bain) – publicity shot taken at the Art Gallery of NSW in the early 1960s (right) Keith as the Pied Piper at a Bodenwieser studio recital in 1954 – photo by Eric Cuckso