Helpmann Award for Best Ballet or Dance Work


The Helpmann Award for Best Ballet or Dance Work was a dance award presented by Live Performance Australia at the annual Helpmann Awards from 2001 to 2016. The Helpmann Awards are Australia's national awards for live performance.
From 2017, the award was superseded by separate Helpmann award categories for Best Ballet and Best Dance Production.
Indigenous contemporary dance company Bangarra Dance Theatre received the award six times, and The Australian Ballet won it four times.

Winners and nominees

  • Source:
YearTitleProduction company
2001
(1st)		--
2001
(1st)		SkinBangarra Dance Theatre
2001
(1st)		Body of Work - A RetrospectiveSydney Dance Company
2001
(1st)		HydraChunky Move
2001
(1st)		CoppeliaWest Australian Ballet
2002
(2nd)		--
2002
(2nd)		RequiemAustralian Ballet & State Opera of South Australia
2002
(2nd)		CorroboreeBangarra Dance Theatre
2002
(2nd)		Eidos:Telos Melbourne Festival
2002
(2nd)		TivoliAustralian Ballet & Sydney Dance Company
2003
(3rd)		--
2003
(3rd)		Swan LakeThe Australian Ballet
2003
(3rd)		The Age of UnbeautyAustralian Dance Theatre
2003
(3rd)		EllipseSydney Dance Company
2003
(3rd)		WalkaboutBangarra Dance Theatre
2004
(4th)		--
2004
(4th)		BushBangarra Dance Theatre
2004
(4th)		Great Piper DancesSydney Festival in association with Sydney Opera House
2004
(4th)		HeldAustralian Dance Theatre in association with Adelaide Bank 2004 Festival of Arts and Anchorage Concert Association
2004
(4th)		UnderlandSydney Dance Company
2005
(5th)		--
2005
(5th)		Shen Wei Dance ArtsSydney Festival in association with Sydney Opera House
2005
(5th)		Already ElsewhereSydney Festival
2005
(5th)		Mr. B - A Tribute to George BalanchineThe Australian Ballet
2005
(5th)		Shades of GraySydney Dance Company
2006
(6th)		--
2006
(6th)		JiriThe Australian Ballet
2006
(6th)		A Midsummer Night's DreamWest Australian Ballet
2006
(6th)		An Evening of Works by Russell MaliphantGeorge Piper Dances presented by Sydney Festival
2006
(6th)		I Want to Dance Better at PartiesChunky Move presented by Sydney Festival
2007
(7th)		--
2007
(7th)		Structure & SadnessLucy Guerin Company
2007
(7th)		LawnBrisbane Powerhouse
2007
(7th)		MonumentalMelbourne International Arts Festival and Ros Warby
2007
(7th)		zero degreesLes Ballets C. De La B. and Akram Khan Company presented by Sydney Festival
2008
(8th)		--
2008
(8th)		GlowChunky Move presented by Melbourne Festival
2008
(8th)		NutcrackerThe Australian Ballet
2008
(8th)		RoadkillBrisbane Powerhouse and Dancenorth choreographed by Splintergroup
2008
(8th)		Sacred MonstersAkram Khan Co. presented by Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts 2008, Sydney Opera House and Brisbane Powerhouse
2009
(9th)		--
2009
(9th)		MathinnaBangarra Dance Theatre
2009
(9th)		FirebirdThe Australian Ballet
2009
(9th)		Two Faced BastardMelbourne International Arts Festival and Chunky Move
2009
(9th)		we unfoldSydney Dance Company
2010
(10th)		--
2010
(10th)		FIREBangarra Dance Theatre
2010
(10th)		Dyad 1929The Australian Ballet
2010
(10th)		Harakiri - a riteSTRUT dance
2010
(10th)		KORPERMelbourne International Arts Festival and Sasha Waltz
2011
(11th)		--
2011
(11th)		Where the Heart IsExpressions Dance Company and Queensland Performing Arts Centre
2011
(11th)		SutraSydney Opera House and Brisbane Festival
2011
(11th)		AmplificationBalletLab and Phillip Adams
2011
(11th)		Vertical RoadMelbourne Festival and Akram Khan Company
2012
(12th)		--
2012
(12th)		Can We Talk About This?Presented by DV8 Theatre and Sydney Opera House. Co-produced by Theatre de la Ville and Festival d'Automne Paris, National Theatre of Great Britain and Dansens Hus Stockholm
2012
(12th)		Anatomy of an AfternoonMartin del Amo, Performing Lines and Sydney Festival
2012
(12th)		Aviary: A Suite for the BirdPhillip Adams BalletLab in Melbourne Festival 2011
2012
(12th)		MASSDancenorth
2013
(13th)		--
2013
(13th)		TERRAINBangarra Dance Theatre
2013
(13th)		Black Project 1 & 2Antony Hamilton Projects, Arts House & Insite Arts
2013
(13th)		Keep EverythingChunky Move
2013
(13th)		CactiSydney Dance Company
2014
(14th)		--
2014
(14th)		ChromaThe Australian Ballet
2014
(14th)		Ballet at the Quarry: Radio and JulietWest Australian Ballet presented in association with Perth International Arts Festival
2014
(14th)		Bolshoi Ballet – The Bright StreamQueensland Performing Arts Centre and Tourism and Events Queensland
2014
(14th)		Sadeh21Batsheva Dance Company, Adelaide Festival and Perth International Arts Festival
2015
(15th)		--
2015
(15th)		Frame of MindSydney Dance Company
2015
(15th)		MEETINGAntony Hamilton Projects, Arts House and Insite Arts
2015
(15th)		Motion PictureLucy Guerin Inc in association with Arts House
2015
(15th)		precipiceRachel Arianne Ogle
2016
(16th)		--
2016
(16th)		SheoakBangarra Dance Theatre
2016
(16th)		CockfightPerforming Lines and The Farm
2016
(16th)		HabitusAustralian Dance Theatre
2016
(16th)		SpectraDancenorth