Tim Podesta
Tim Podesta is a versatile artist whose career seamlessly blends artistic innovation with scientific exploration. Born in Albury-Wodonga, he began dancing at sixteen and was quickly accepted into the Australian Ballet School, where he performed with The Australian Ballet during his training. After graduating, he danced internationally with companies including Tokyo City Ballet and South African Ballet Theatre, performing across festivals, modern productions, film, and television. A series of knee injuries brought his ballet career to an early close, sparking a transition into choreography, education, and exercise science.
Early in his choreographic career, Podesta won the Australian Choreographic Competition and established Projection Dance School and Projection Dance Company—now known as Tim Podesta Creative. Under his leadership, the school has placed dancers into elite training institutions and professional companies worldwide.
Podesta’s choreographic and teaching work spans prestigious institutions across Australia, New Zealand, Asia, Europe, and North America, including Queensland Ballet Academy, Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts, and New Zealand School of Dance. His works have been performed globally by dancers from English National Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Singapore Dance Theatre, Australian Dance Theatre, Atlanta Ballet, and Queensland Ballet. His diverse productions include FORTE, Closer, Echoes of Existence, and Architecture of Loss, a short film created for Davines in New York. His film Ador featured dancers from leading international companies, reflecting his commitment to global collaboration.
A creative force across multiple platforms, Podesta has choreographed and produced works for theatre, film, and television. His credits include campaigns for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, 7-Eleven, and Ultratune, and he featured in a short film awarded at the New York Short Film Festival. His theatre production Of Mice and Men toured Australia and Scotland, while his architectural installation with Akimbo pushed the boundaries of movement and spatial design.
As a choreographer, his work has received critical acclaim, including Shadow Aspect, which won Best Dance Production at the Welsh Theatre Awards and became the subject of the book Shadow Aspect by acclaimed London photographer Jason Ashwood.
Tim Podesta Creative remains independent of government funding, enabling tours across Australia, South Africa, and beyond. Podesta has led humanitarian projects in collaboration with the U.S. and Australian governments, using dance as a cultural bridge in Ethiopia, where his work raised funds to support a clinic for children with AIDS and to provide essential food relief.
A strong advocate for inclusivity, Podesta directed Disassemble Dance Company—an integrated ensemble for dancers with diverse physical and cognitive abilities. His initiatives such as Dis/assemble and Dance For Humanity reflect his commitment to social change through the arts.
As an exercise scientist and physical therapist, Podesta works with dancers and companies globally to optimise performance and reduce injury risk. He develops evidence-based training methodologies that support recovery and long-term health for dancers at all levels. His 2025 Honours research focuses on workload management and periodisation in classical ballet, aiming to balance physical demands with cognitive challenges such as learning complex choreography, to enhance performance and minimise injury.
Podesta’s influence extends worldwide as an educator, competition judge, and speaker. His engagements span Australasia, Europe, the United States, and the United Kingdom, reflecting his dedication to excellence in both the artistic and scientific realms.
Most recently, his new work Echoes in 8, a dance theatre production charting the career of Royal Ballet star Mara Galeazzi, had its preview at the Royal Opera House in London. Created in collaboration with director Peter J. Adams, Echoes in 8 blends narrative and movement to explore identity, ambition, and legacy, and is now being developed for international touring.