DANCERITES

DANCERITES

3 Seasons

DANCERITES — Australia’s First Nations dance competition — is the Sydney Opera House’s free celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island dance and cultures on the Sydney Opera House Forecourt, taking place each spring.

DANCERITES draws together performers representing nations from across the country from The Kimberleys to Far North Queensland, the Tiwi Islands, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and New South Wales. Groups travel to Sydney to showcase their unique cultures in one of the world’s most spectacular outdoor performance spaces: Bennelong Point. Formerly known as Tubowgule, Bennelong Point has been a meeting place for ritual celebration and dance for tens of thousands of years.

Each group has the opportunity to present three dances: a welcome and a farewell dance — one of which must include a chant in local language — and a ‘wildcard’ dance of the group’s choosing. These are judged by an expert judging panel for their technical skill and engagement with language, skin-markings and traditional instruments.

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DANCERITES
  • Dance Rites 2020 - Traditional #1

    Episode 1

    Witness the powerful coming together of traditional customs, language and contemporary culture with First Nations dancers from around Australia.

    Episode 1 of the Traditional Dance Heat reveals continuance of song cycles and language and age-old welcomes.

    Dance groups: Naygayiw Gigi Dance Troup...

  • Dance Rites 2020 - Traditional #2

    Episode 2

    Witness the powerful coming together of traditional customs, language and contemporary culture with First Nations dancers from around Australia.

    Episode 2 of the Traditional Dance Heat reveals continuance of song cycles and language and age-old welcomes.

    Dance groups: Mornington Island Dancer...

  • Dance Rites 2020 - Wildcard #1

    Episode 3

    Witness the powerful coming together of traditional customs, language and contemporary culture with First Nations dancers from around Australia.

    The Wildcard Dance is open to any style, often reflecting our shared histories, with some groups telling old comical stories, and others exploring more...

  • Dance Rites 2020 - Wildcard #2

    Episode 4

    Witness the powerful coming together of traditional customs, language and contemporary culture with First Nations dancers from around Australia.

    The Wildcard Dance is open to any style, often reflecting our shared histories, with some groups telling old comical stories, and others exploring more...

  • Dance Rites 2020 - Finals

    Episode 5

    Witness the powerful coming together of traditional customs, language and contemporary culture, with First Nations dancers from around Australia.

    Finalists: Guba Marki, Karajarri, Naygayiw Gigi Dance Troupe, Nunukul Yuggera Aboriginal Dancers, Mornington Island Dancers, Injinoo Storm Thathilgau ...