Maggi Sietsma

Maggi Sietsma AM (born 1951) is the founding artistic director of the multiple-award winning Brisbane contemporary dance company, Expressions Dance Company, and regarded as one of Australia's leading choreographers. Maggi Sietsma has choreographed multiple international dance works during her career and has contributed extensively to dance and dance education in Australia.

As a child, Maggi Sietsma was inspired to dance after seeing Dame Margot Fonteyn on stage (whom she later performed with). At the age of 14, Maggi Sietsma ran her own dance studio with 200 students, who were put through Royal Academy of Dance examinations. Her studio held annual concerts and had three staff members. At the age of 16, Sietsma was granted an international dance scholarship, and later graduated from The Australian Ballet school receiving an offer to join the company. Maggi Sietsma danced as soloist for international ballet companies – the Avignon Opera Ballet (France) and the London Festival Ballet (now the English National Ballet), before beginning her career in contemporary dance.

While working as a classical dancer in 1972, Maggi attended a performance by the Dutch Nederlands Dans Theater, inspiring her to undertake a new career path into contemporary dance. Maggi joined the Theatre du Chene Noir, a French collaborative company of musicians, actors and Sietsma as the solo dancer. Sietsma redefined her relationship to the artform during her time in the Theatre du Chene Noir, as she was suddenly alone as a dancer; a "strong contrast to the hierarchical structures characteristic of classical ballet companies". Sietsma furthered her contemporary dance choreography, establishing the French multi-media company Muance with her partner Abel Valls.

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