Jennifer McLachlan has been appointed as the Australia Council’s director of dance.

Jennifer began her career as a dancer, training with the Scottish Ballet and London Contemporary Dance School. She then spent a year’s apprenticeship with Transitions Dance Company and 10 years as an independent dancer.

In 1998 she joined Dance City, the National Dance Agency for the North East of England, where she led a regional performance company focusing on audience development and dance education.

Joining Arts Council England in 2000, Ms McLachlan’s key responsibilities included the development of broadcast and new media for dance, as well as the ‘middle scale’ touring portfolio and Sadler’s Wells theatres. While at the Arts Council, she produced the Capture series, an annual commission of award-winning screen-based dance.

Executive producer credits include 4Dance, a collaboration with Channel 4; Set Step, a dance education initiative providing recordings of live stage work; and Dance Film Academy, a collaboration with the BBC.

In addition, Jennifer was specialist adviser for the Scottish Arts Council for three years.

The Australia Council’s artform directors hold primary authority over the grants process and key organisations in their area, but funding decisions remain with the boards. They have a role in setting strategic priorities for the entire Council and in representing their artform area across all areas of Australia Council activity.