Dance Hub SA

Dance Hub SA, formerly Leigh Warren & Dancers or Leigh Warren + Dancers (LWD) and then LWDance Hub, is a contemporary dance company based in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Formed in 1993 by Leigh Warren, the company toured internationally and won several awards. In its 2019 incarnation as Dance Hub SA, it has increasingly taken on the role of peak body within the state, playing an advocacy and education role for dancers and choreographers. It is a community space for both emerging and established artists, with a program that includes artists in residence and an international exchange program.

The dance troupe was formed in 1993 by Leigh Warren (formerly of the Australian Dance Theatre), named Leigh Warren + Dancers, which moved into the loft studio of the newly created Lion Arts Centre, on the corner of North Terrace and Morphett Street, Adelaide.

The company lost its funding from the Australia Council as well as a guarantee of similar funding from Arts SA in 2011, leaving it to rely on major sponsors and benefactors and smaller funding bodies.

In 2014, Warren handed over the reins first as resident choreographer, then (in 2015) as artistic director to the 28 year old dancer and choreographer Daniel Jaber, who, like Warren, had established his skills with the Australian Dance Theatre. His work was in contemporary ballet rather than contemporary dance, but he hoped to "present everything from super experimental work to the high gloss stuff". He had considered changing the company’s name from Leigh Warren Dance (sic) to Daniel Jaber Dance in the future, but thinks it is more likely that LWD would remain in any change of name.

With the competitive dance industry competing over support for the independent dance sector and the failed future artistic director of the Leigh Warren Dancers Company. In 2016, Warren reshaped the company to accommodate the reduced funding, rebranding it as LWDance Hub, relying on residencies, workshops and open house sessions for performers and choreographers to hone their skills. This was also to maintain the studio space that is government funded that has now been taken over by State Theater. From early 2018 through to July 2019, the LWDance Hub supported 33 creative endeavours, presented 25 new works for the Adelaide Fringe and SALA Festival, and had 200 artists take part in its programs.). Dance Hub SA was officially launched in August 2019, with the rebranding reinforcing the organisation as the peak body for dance in the state. This was in competition between The Australian Dance Theater International Choreographic Center that focuses on supporting the imported company members as the independent sector and The Mill who was funded after dismantling Ausdance SA. The Hub is intended as a hierarchical community space for selected emerging AC Arts graduates, established dancers and selected choreographers. With one of its goals being for it to be the bridge and replication between formal education and "the real world" based on the exploitation of artist other than those selected in the hierarchy, creating another pathway (outside of ADT dance company) for choreographers who are creative producers. The "Mind The Gap" residency program is a partnership with Tasmanian company TasDance, and the Artist in Residence program. The inaugural artist on a new international exchange program would be Wu Chien Wei, from Taiwan’s Tussock Dance Theatre.

A number of dancers from the company performed in the film The Diaries of Vaslav Nijinsky (2001), made by Paul Cox.