Tanja Liedtke

Tanja Liedtke, the German-born artistic director designate of Sydney Dance Company, was killed early in the morning of August 17 when she was hit by a garbage truck. She was only 29 years old. Liedtke had recently been appointed to one of Australia’s most important dance jobs – to replace the irreplaceable Graeme Murphy, who had resigned after 30 years as the head of SDC. Young and relatively untried, she was considered an exciting and daring choice.

The young choreographer was born in Stuttgart, grew up in Madrid and London, and settled in Australia in her late teens.

Lissom and attractive, she was a member of Australian Dance Theatre for three-and-a-half years (under Garry Stewart), then of London-based DV8, run by Australian expat Lloyd Newson. She performed in “A Cost of Living” and “Just for Show,” for which she received this review from Ballet.Co: “Liedtke is the show’s compere, a beautiful golden thread that holds together 75 minutes of a virtual wonderland: an eloquent, artistocratic mistress of illusion; a gymnast with elastic limbs, an elegant comedienne; and a diva beyond compare.” In the meantime she was building up a choreographic career, beginning with ADT’s company ...