Richard Cilli
Richard Cilli combines his expertise as a dancer with his passion for coaching, culture and excellence as Sydney Dance Company’s Rehearsal Director. In this role he enjoys holding space for many talented and dedicated artists at the top of their game to keep developing their craft. As a dancer himself Richard won the prestigious Helpmann Award for Best Male Dancer in 2010 for his performance in Rafael Bonachela’s We Unfold, and was also the winner of the Australian Ballet’s 50th Anniversary Ballet Competition in 2012.
Throughout his performing career, Richard has interpreted the work of an impressive array of choreographers, including Rafael Bonachela, Lloyd Newson, Stephanie Lake, William Forsythe, Anouk van Dijk, Jacopo Godani, Lucy Guerin, Gideon Obarzanek, Alexander Ekman, Adam Linder, Emanuel Gat and Kenneth Kvarnström. Beyond his years as a dancer at Sydney Dance Company, Richard has performed with renowned companies such as Rambert (UK), Chunky Move, Lucy Guerin Inc, Australasian Dance Collective, Dancenorth, and K.Kvarnström & Co (Sweden).
Born on Whadjuk Noongar country (Perth), Richard trained at the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and Taipei National University of the Arts (國立臺北藝術大學). He also studied Arts and Cultural Management at Deakin University.
As a choreographer he has created work for Sydney Dance Company and the Pre-Professional Year, The Australian Ballet, LINK Dance Company and WAAPA, as well as various independently produced works. A certified Countertechnique teacher, Richard has taught at institutions around Australia and the world, including the One Body, One Career intensive in at Springboard Dance Montreal. Richard has served as a board member for Create NSW’s Dance and Physical Theatre art form since 2022.