Janet Vernon

Creative Associate The Silver Rose

Adelaide born Janet Vernon has danced with The Australian Ballet, Ballets Felix Blaska in France and Sydney Dance Company. In 1976 she was appointed, along with Graeme Murphy, to the artistic helm of The Dance Company (N.S.W.) which changed its name to Sydney Dance Company in 1979.

Graeme and Janet set about shaping a repertoire of genuine originality and a company built on strong technical standards. In the early years they frequently danced together in a now legendary partnership.

Janet Vernon has danced with Sydney Dance Company throughout the world. Her performances defined Graeme Murphy's evolving choreographic style and established her as the choreographer's muse and constant inspiration. Outstanding roles include those in Shéhérazade, Daphnis and Chloé, Some Rooms (The Bathroom), After Venice, Nearly Beloved, as Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire, as Queen Roxana in King Roger, The Protecting Veil, Fornicon, Berlin, as Andromeque in The Trojans (a collaboration with Opera Australia), and as Herodias in Salome.

Janet always works closely with Graeme Murphy in the creation of each new work, culminating in major premieres each year for the main-stage of the Sydney Opera House.
In 2000, their production Body of Work - A Retrospective was widely recognised as a celebration of Janet and Graeme's achievements at Sydney Dance Company.
Their creation of a new and unique Swan Lake (2002) went on to win numerous awards and emerged as a major milestone in Janet and Graeme's creative partnership.

They recently worked together on three major full length dance works for the Sydney Dance Company  - Shades of Gray (2004), Grand (2005) and Hua Mulan, a co-production with Shanghai Song & Dance Ensemble for the 2005 Shanghai International Festival before they rehearsed The Silver Rose in Munich, their first commission for the Bavarian State Ballet.

Janet was awarded an AM (Australia Medal) for services to dance in 1989.
In 1996, the national magazine Dance Australia's Dance Greats Survey named her as one of Australia's five greatest ever female dancers, alongside ballerinas Marilyn Jones, Marilyn Rowe, Kathleen Gorham and Lucette Aldous.