Dancer, educator, producer and author Peter Oxford is the founder of the Showcase Australian Dance Championships and Hollywood Bound National Dance Championships. Since establishing Showcase in 1994, he has brought together his experience as a dancer, teacher, judge and event producer to create opportunities for Australian and New Zealand dancers to perform, develop their skills and connect with the wider dance world. Born in Sydney, Peter trained extensively in dance and acrobatics before owning and directing his own dance studio for more than 12 years. His experience on both sides of the stage continues to inform his work with dancers, teachers and families. A career beyond the stage Peter’s international experience began as a competitor, winning titles in Chicago, Orlando and Las Vegas. Guest teaching in California and Iowa, and judging at the Rainbow National Dance Competition in Las Vegas, broadened his perspective on what dance competitions could offer. That experience helped shape Showcase: a national competition with regional qualifying rounds and a national final. The Dancer of the Year category followed in 1995. Alongside Hollywood Bound, Showcase has continued to evolve with the industry, embracing styles such as Broadway jazz, hip hop and contemporary, as well as student choreography. Peter has led more than 800 Australian and New Zealand dancers on international tours to competitions and conventions in the United States, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Through Dancer of the Year and Team Australia and New Zealand, these tours have given dancers opportunities to experience international stages and learn from performers and teachers around the world. His work as a teacher and adjudicator has taken him across Australia and to the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore. He also served as an MC and board member for the 2007 World Dance Championships in Las Vegas, judged at the 2019 Dance World Cup in Portugal and joined the international judging panel for the 2021 Fantastic World Dance Movement virtual competition. Bringing people and productions together Peter’s production experience extends beyond competitions. His Showbiz Kids Show Group represented Australia through the Australian–China Business Council during trade and sister-city initiatives in Guangzhou and Shenzhen. He also worked on the Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch Relay production team and choreographed selected venue openings associated with the Games. Other projects have included taking Australian dance studios to Australia Week celebrations in Kuala Lumpur and creating the South Pacific Championships at Sea, held aboard Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas in 2018 and Carnival Spirit in 2019. Within Showcase, Peter introduced online registration and downloadable audio adjudication reports in 2012, helping make competition administration and feedback more accessible. In 2013, he was appointed a child-safe ambassador for dance by the NSW Government, supporting education for teachers and parents. Community and advocacy Community work has been an important part of Peter’s career. Beginning in 2001, he developed a 15-year association with an orphanage in Vietnam, bringing Showcase families together to raise funds and provide supplies. Peter has also worked with Cystic Fibrosis Australia as an ambassador and peer-support leader, contributing to awareness through podcasts, public appearances and advocacy. During 2020 and 2021, he participated in planning at Westmead Hospital for a new cystic fibrosis ward and contributed to work on the model of care for adults with cystic fibrosis. In 2019, Queen Elizabeth II congratulated Peter on Showcase’s 25th anniversary, his achievements in dance and his commitment to raising awareness of cystic fibrosis. Books and writing Peter’s writing brings together his experience in dance and his commitment to sharing practical knowledge and personal stories. He was a contributing author to the dance-industry book Dance to Success and The CF Warrior Project. He has since published Stage Ready for Dancers, Stage Ready for Teachers and Stage Ready for Parents, extending his work with the dance community through a series for performers, educators and families. His forthcoming memoir, I Haven’t Got Time to Die, will add a personal chapter to his published work.