Maggi Sietsma AM
Artistic Director

When Maggi Sietsma established Expressions Dance Company, she already had a wealth of experience gained in the theatres and concert halls of North America, England, France and Europe. A graduate of the Australian Ballet School, Maggi toured extensively with the Australian Ballet and as a soloist with the London Festival Ballet before pursuing her interest in contemporary dance.

Maggi's choreographic debut was at the prestigious Spoleto Festival in Italy where she performed to great critical acclaim with the ‘Theatre du Chene Noir’. She subsequently founded the multi-media performing ensemble ‘Muance’ which toured the major cities of Europe. Moving to Australia in 1982, Maggi became resident choreographer of the North Queensland Ballet Company and was a prime mover in effecting the Company's transition to professional status (now Dance North). From 1983 to 1987, Maggi was a lecturer in dance at the Brisbane College of Advanced Education (now QUT), where she was involved in developing the first Bachelor of Arts Dance course in Queensland. Links with Education-in-Dance have remained an important part of Maggi's artistic philosophy and in 1992 she collaborated with the Queensland Education Department in the development of the Making Ideas Dance video. In 1995, Maggi was awarded an MA in Dance from QUT.

As director and choreographer Maggi places great emphasis on research and collaboration and in her work she frequently re-examines the roles and relationships of men and women within our society. Under Maggi’s direction Expressions has won several awards including the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award, Australia’s most prestigious performing arts award. Also under Maggi’s direction the Company has toured extensively throughout Australia as well as the U.S.A., Germany, the U.K., Israel, Singapore, Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Switzerland, Austria, China, Macau, Mexico, New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and India.

Since 1985, she has created over thirty works for the Company including the highly successful and internationally acclaimed Alone Together, Vanities Crossing and Virtually Richard3.

In 2000, Maggi was awarded an Asialink fellowship to choreograph and teach for the Beijing Modern Dance Company and the Beijing Dance Academy in China. On Australia Day 2002, Maggi was appointed a member of the Order of Australia for services to dance and dance education. Maggi created That Time for Hong Kong’s flagship contemporary dance company, City Contemporary Dance Company in 2003, and was awarded a Centenary Medal for her work with dance and society. Maggi became the recipient of a Churchill Fellowship in 2003.

Maggi has recently returned to the company from her position as Dean of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts.

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