Archive - Cha Cha Charity Ball

Sydney

Founder, Event Director, Producer
From 1993

Selected Archive Credit

The Cha Cha Charity Ball was founded by Raymond Mather in 1993 as a formal ballroom dance charity event developed through Avenue Productions and closely linked to the Dance Avenue community.

The inaugural Cha Cha Charity Ball was produced on 8 May 1993 at the InterContinental Sydney, in support of Miss Australia Awards entrant Jo Embury. The event established a new format for ballroom and social dancers, offering an elegant, formal setting beyond traditional community halls.

Program feature highlighting Jo Embury, Miss Australia Awards entrant for Eastern Sydney, whose fundraising campaign was supported by the Cha Cha Charity Ball.

Printed program spread from the Cha Cha Charity Ball (1993) featuring a Grand Marnier brand story alongside a profile of Raymond Mather, Director of Dance Avenue Productions, outlining his role in dance management, social dance events, and choreography for theatre and screen during the early 1990s.

Sponsors and acknowledgements page from the Cha Cha Charity Ball 1993 program, recognising supporting organisations and contributors to the event.

Society Spy newspaper coverage of the Cha Cha Charity Ball, published May 1993, featuring guests, dancers and supporters at the Hotel Inter-Continental Sydney.

The concept was to create an occasion where participants could dress formally, experience a high-quality venue, enjoy a celebratory atmosphere, and express their dancing within a refined social environment. The event also functioned as a gesture of gratitude to the Dance Avenue community and its supporters, rather than as a commercial venture.

Collage documenting Cha Cha Charity Ball events following the inaugural 1993 production, showing event leadership, DJ and program coordination, and the formal social environment that defined the annual charity ball format.

Raymond Mather did not take a significant fee for these events. Ticket pricing was deliberately kept accessible, with tickets set at $50 per person. Approximately $25 per ticket covered venue hire and catering, with remaining funds allocated to performer fees, minimal production costs, a small organiser’s fee, and direct charitable donation.

Collage showing large-scale social dancing at Cha Cha Charity Ball events, reflecting the participation, movement direction, and formal ballroom setting established as part of the annual charity ball program.

Collage capturing seated gala dining, guest interaction, and social celebration at Cha Cha Charity Ball events, highlighting the integration of formal hospitality with social dance culture.

Collage documenting Cha Cha Charity Ball events held at the Roundhouse UNSW and subsequent venues, illustrating the scale, continuity, and success of the event as an annual charity fundraiser.

Each event consistently sold out within two weeks of release. Additional funds were raised through raffles conducted on the night. Performers were paid directly by the organiser, and charitable donations regularly exceeded $5,000 per event, depending on venue and attendance.

This financial model applied to all Cha Cha Charity Ball events except the inaugural InterContinental Sydney event, which functioned primarily as the concept launch and template for subsequent productions.

Venues

InterContinental Sydney

Roundhouse UNSW

Manly Warringah Sea Eagles Leagues Club

Supported Charities

The Spastic Centre of NSW

Northcott Society

The House With No Steps

Prince of Wales Children's Hospital Foundation

Canteen Australia (two events)

Context and Continuity

The Cha Cha Charity Ball extended the Dance Avenue model into large-scale formal event production, integrating choreography, performance direction, logistics, hospitality coordination, and philanthropic fundraising. These events demonstrate an early synthesis of Raymond Mather’s skills in movement direction, audience experience, and ethical production, foreshadowing later work across national gala events, theatre productions, and major cultural projects, including NHIT productions and large-scale public events.

ART1 Archive Context

This page forms part of the ART1 Archive, documenting professional creative work, exhibitions, and cultural contributions undertaken prior to the launch of ART1 Fine Art Photography.

See more events, projects and professional experiences in Selected Credits