The Board of Lucy Guerin Inc (LGI) is delighted to announce the appointment of Melanie Lane as the company’s new Artistic Director and Co-CEO, to commence in January 2027. A new name for the company will be announced as LGI’s brilliant founder, Artistic Director & CEO of twenty-five years, Lucy Guerin AO steps down from her role at the end of 2026.
Founded in Melbourne in 2002, Lucy Guerin Inc. has become an influential voice in Australian contemporary dance, creating and touring innovative work across Australia and internationally. Its repertoire has been presented at major venues and festivals including the Venice Biennale of Dance, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, ImPulsTanz in Vienna, Brooklyn Academy of Music and Shanghai International Arts Festival. Over more than two decades, the company has evolved from supporting a single choreographer’s vision to fostering a broader community of dance artists and developing new choreographic voices.
Announcing the appointment, LGI Chair Peter Jopling AM KC said: “We are thrilled to welcome Melanie Lane as LGI’s incoming Artistic Director. Her practice is ambitious, collaborative and internationally recognised — exactly the kind of distinctive artistic voice we hoped to find, and the Board is confident she’ll take LGI into an exciting new chapter.”
Melanie Lane is an Australian choreographer and performer of Anglo/Javanese heritage, working between Naarm (Melbourne) and Ngunnawal/Ngambri country (Canberra). Her work has been commissioned by Australian and international companies including Australasian Dance Collective, Chunky Move, Sydney Dance Company, Dance North, West Australian Ballet and National Dance Company of Wales. Her theatre and opera credits include English National Opera’s Salome, Burgtheater’s Trojan Women and Nosferatu, and Schauspiel Köln’s Die Orestie directed by Adena Jacobs. Lane won the Keir Choreographic Award in 2018 and the Leipziger Bewegungskunstpreis in Germany in 2017, and was previously a Resident Director at Lucy Guerin Inc. in 2015. She is currently Chair of the Board at Dancehouse, Melbourne.
Lane said: “I’m deeply honoured to be stepping into the role of Artistic Director and Co-CEO in 2027. It’s a gift to have the opportunity to lead the company into a bold new creative era, acknowledging Lucy’s extraordinary 25-year legacy and the remarkable body of work that has supported and championed so many artists, including myself. I feel privileged to build on this enduring home for dance, and I’m excited to work alongside the staff, Board and artists to shape a rigorous and adventurous program for the future.”
Lane’s appointment marks a return to Lucy Guerin Inc., where she previously served as a Resident Director in 2015, as the company prepares to enter a new chapter.
LGI Artistic Director and CEO Lucy Guerin said: “I am delighted to welcome Melanie Lane as the new Artistic Director of Lucy Guerin Inc. I have always admired Melanie’s work, and with her inventive and distinct choreographic voice, her international reputation and her deep engagement across the dance sector, she is the perfect fit for the role. I look forward to her daring artistic practice, bold collaborations and visionary leadership shaping the next stage of the company’s future.”
Lane will commence her new role in January 2027, with Guerin stepping down at the end of 2026 after 25 years as the company’s Artistic Director and CEO. A new name for the company will be announced following the transition.
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