Dance Reviewer and Arts Journalist - Jill Sykes

Born in Adelaide it seemed destined that Jill Sykes would pursue a career in journalism. The family business was in Newspapers. Working at THE ADVERTISER (not yet owned by Rupert!), Jill completed a 4-year cadetship and immediately headed to London. She arrived in the middle of the 60s - a decade of experimentation, creativity, invention and a vibrant arts existence. Securing 'the longest holiday job' in history she wrote a column for The Evening News, covering swinging London and the Arts. Working along the paper's Dance reviewer, who discovered she had been paying to see dance, she was offered an opportunity to try her hand at reviewing - and so it began! In her role as Reviewer in Australia she has seen an extraordinary amount of production and the work of significant contributors like Graeme Murphy and Bangarra Dance Theatre - following them as they evolved and made their salient mark. Jill has been a freelance Arts Journalist most of her career. In addition to Dance she writes about theatre, music and the visual arts. She also contributes writings on dance to specialist publications throughout Australia and overseas. Jill has been awarded an AM for her services to Dance in Australia. Her knowledge is extensive. Her passion is palpable. She is a font of knowledge. Jill engages with tremendous warmth and a great passion for the Arts.