Linda Sastradipradja

LINDA SASTRADIPRADJA is an internationally renowned dance performer, researcher and educator whose work emphasises the centrality of the dancer to dance making, dance teaching and dance performance processes. Her PhD by Creative Practice explored a reappraisal of embodied knowledge; asserting the primacy of the dancer as auteur of her dancing.

Linda continues to evolve and progress this line of research through the ongoing development of a series of performance projects created and performed in Melbourne (at The SUBSTATION during Open House Melbourne 2019), and in Indonesia in conjunction with ISI Yogyakarta. Her research includes participation in a joint project at the VCA across Social Sciences, Dance and Fine Arts that encompasses current faculty research in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Of Javanese descent, Linda has a particular interest in traditional Javanese court dance practices, their cultural situation and contemporary evolution. Her Eurasian heritage informs her creative approach to a life-long artistic practice that embraces both European techniques and Javanese dance aesthetics. She is currently working on a project that engages with dance artists in Australia and Yogyakarta, and which fosters artistic and cultural learning exchanges that broaden the knowledge of culturally specific approaches to artistic practice. Majoring in both Dance Performance and Education, Linda graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (Distinction) from the Victorian College of the Arts School of Dance under the then Dean of Dance, Anne Woolliams. Living overseas for 15 years in Hong Kong and New York, Linda’s professional experience includes dancing with a diverse range of dance luminaries and companies from classical ballet to post modernist artists including Mikhail Baryshnikov's White Oak Dance Project, Sara Rudner, Dennis O'Connor, Dana Reitz, Molissa Fenley and Russell Dumas’ Dance Exchange. Her current practice includes guest performances with dance companies including Trisha Brown Dance Company (Spanish Dance) and Dance Exchange, where she is also an Artistic Associate. Linda’s particular interest in mentoring young artists through pre-professional to early artist career phases sees her continuing to work in association with these and many of Australia’s foremost practicing dance artists, educational institutes and companies.Linda is an internationally renowned and critically acclaimed dance performer, and in Australia she received a Critics Choice Award for best female dancer 2009 for her performance of Russell Dumas’ “Long Duet”. Her research and creative work has been presented in the US and Australia over the past 15 years, and incorporates award winning theatre, film, and music video projects. Linda is also a featured dancer in the work of renowned US dance photographer Lois Greenfield. As a consulting artist and writer Linda has contributed to national and state government resource projects, curriculum reviews, granting programs and award panels.