Graeme Murphy Australian choreographer and dancer Date of Birth: 02.11.1950 Country: Australia

1. Biography of Graham Murphy
2. Early Life and Education
3. International Career
4. Artistic Director and Marriage

Biography of Graham Murphy

Australian choreographer and dancer Graham Murphy, born on November 2, 1950, is considered one of the best Australian choreographers and dancers. He is often compared to dancer and choreographer Jerome Robbins due to his unique style of presenting performances to a wide audience, bringing contemporary dance to the commercial stage.

Early Life and Education

Graham Murphy was born in Melbourne and grew up on the island of Tasmania, where he began taking dance lessons from Kenneth Gillespie in Launceston. His career started during his time at the Australian Ballet School when he was just 14 years old. In 1968, he joined the Australian Ballet as a dancer and had the opportunity to explore choreography as well.

International Career

In 1970 and 1971, Graham Murphy toured extensively across America with the Australian Ballet. In 1971, he attended a dance seminar and choreographed his first ballet, "Ecco le Diavole" (Ecco), set to the music by Nino Rota. This work was presented by the Australian Ballet Society at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne in July of the same year. Murphy later performed with the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet (now Birmingham Royal Ballet) and the ballet "Félix Blaska" in France.

Artistic Director and Marriage

In 1975, Graham Murphy worked as an independent choreographer and did not collaborate with dance companies during that time. However, in early 1976, he rejoined the Australian Ballet as a dancer and resident choreographer. In November 1976, he was invited to take on the position of Artistic Director of the Sydney Dance Company in New South Wales.

Graham Murphy is often compared to Jerome Robbins for his ability to present performances to a wide audience and bring contemporary dance to the commercial stage. In July 2004, there were rumors that Graham's partner, Rudni Krum, had rejected him, leading Murphy to deny being homosexual. However, Krum later refuted his previous statement and publicly apologized to Graham. On December 18, 2004, after nearly 40 years of creative and personal partnership, Graham Murphy and Janet Vernon got married in their country home near Launceston.