DanceRites
19 & 20 October 2024
On the Forecourt
Dance
Join hundreds of performers on the Sydney Opera House Forecourt for this free festival of live dance, music and community that celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Date | Time |
---|---|
Saturday 19 October 2024 | 2pm |
Sunday 20 October 2024 | 2pm |
DanceRites is a free event. No registration is required.
Wheelchair accessible, no language barrier
This event is Auslan Interpreted. Experienced Auslan interpreters will translate what the host are saying into Auslan. No booking required. Reserved seating will be available for best view. For more information email accessibility@sydneyoperahouse.com
Telephone
+61 2 9250 7777
(Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm AEST)
Find out more about accessibility at Sydney Opera House
Run time
Saturday 19 October 2024, 2pm – 7:40pm
Sunday 20 October 2024, 2pm – 8pm
Gates open 1:30pm each day.
Event duration is a guide only and may be subject to change.
Age
Suitable for all ages.
Children aged 15 years and under must be accompanied at all times.
The Opera House is committed to the safety and wellbeing of children that visit or engage with us. Read our Child Safety Policy.
For the full schedule including when your favourite dance groups are performing, please click here
Useful information
Celebrating First Nations dance groups from across the country
DanceRites continues the traditions that have taken place over tens of thousands of years on Bennelong Point, known to its traditional custodians as Tubowgule.
This year almost 20 dance groups will take to the Sand Circle to perform at Tubowgule, showcasing the richness and diversity of their cultures. Each group will showcase their local storytelling and language in the Cultural Dance and Song cycle, competing in heats on Saturday and finals on Sunday, with many groups also performing an optional ‘Wild Card’ dance to demonstrate their unique style.
Witness the powerful coming together of traditional customs and contemporary culture, as hundreds of First Nations dancers from more than 40 nations and clans across Australia perform on the Forecourt. Both days are free to attend and fun for the whole family.
If you can’t cheer on the dance groups in-person, the events will also be broadcast as a free livestream on Sydney Opera House and NITV channels.
Presented by Sydney Opera House
Guide to DanceRites
Your interactive handbook for the song and dance of Australia’s First Nations.
Photo credit: Wayne Quilliam
DanceRites hosts and judging panel
Naomi Wenitong is a powerhouse in the music industry, accredited with over 25 years as a multi-award-winning singer, rapper, songwriter, producer, television host, MC, and youth mentor. As the founder of the Naytive Mentorship program, a panel member on the ARIA's Hip Hop & RnB Advisory Group, and Co-Director of Strong House Arts, Wenitong's significant role in the Australian arts and entertainment landscape is far-reaching.
Hailing from the Dauwarbara clan of the northern Gubbi Gubbi people in South-East Queensland, Wenitong's musical journey began in her hometown of Gimuy | Cairns, inspired by her musician parents. By age 16, Wenitong co-founded Shakaya, producing platinum and gold hits like 'Stop Calling Me', 'Sublime', and 'Cinderella', and touring with music heavyweights like Destiny's Child and Usher.
Wenitong later sharpened her MC skills by forming The Last Kinection (TLK), performing alongside The Herd and Public Enemy. Her contributions have cemented TLK's reputation as trailblazers in the Australian First Nations hip hop scene.
An ambassador of change in the mob music scene, Wenitong continues to inspire young people with her empowering message of being 'Black and Deadly' and embracing a 'Be All You Can Be' attitude.
Shannon Williams aka BrothaBlack is one of Australia’s pioneers of Indigenous Hip Hop. He is a founding member of Indigenous Hip Hop crew, South West Syndicate. In 2007 he released his first solo album More Than a Feeling featuring the breakthrough single ‘Are You With Me Out There’ fast becoming an anthem for underground Hip Hop goers. This track added genuine south-west side grunt to the soundtrack for Foxtel’s smash hit TV series Dangerous.
Williams has received extensive airplay on Triple J including performing a set for Live at the Wireless, broadcast in 2007. Williams is also an accomplished actor and performer with more than 200 perfmances under his belt. He featured on the Foreign Heights track 'Get Yours (Remix)' nominated for the 2007 ARIA Award for Best Urban Release. Williams also appeared as the studio host in Move It Mob Style® Seasons 1, 2 and 3 nominated in 2012 for The ASTRA Awards Most Outstanding Children’s Program or Event and in 2014 for Most Outstanding Children’s Program at the 56th Annual TV Week Logie Awards. He is also the current host of 'The Brekky Show' on Koori Radio.
Tara Gower is a Yawuru woman from Broome with Filipino, Irish and Spanish bloodlines. Gower returned home to Broome after a successful career with Bangarra Dance Theatre for 15 years as a professional dancer. Since March 2020, Gower has been working as a Community Liaison Officer in Broome and developing wellness programs for local youth through culture, dance and music. In 2021 Gower initiated a dance program through KAMS (Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Service) and Goolarri Media Enterprises, where she collaborated with Yawuru Elders to teach the next generation both contemporary and traditional dances leading up to numerous performances at leading events around town.
This year Gower's dance crew titled Burrb Wanggarraju Nurlu by Yawuru Elder Aunty Di Appleby, continues to bring opportunities to emerging dance and music artists who are eager to rekindle and sense of culture through Contemporary Indigenous expression - empowering our leaders of tomorrow. Burrb Wanggarraju Nurlu were recently invited to perform at the State Theatre in W.A. as apart of a collaboration with CO3 Contemporary Dance Company in the 'Connect - The Inside' Youth program.
In 2021 Gower won an award for Best New Movement Director from Performing Arts WA, after choreographing the latest version of Jimmy Chi's musical Bran Nue Dae in 2020, produced by Opera Australia.
Gower was acknowledged by her community at the 2022 NAIDOC awards and won the Performing Arts category for contributing to the growth of creative industries.
Last year Gower was the recipient of the Minderoo Arts Award.
Gower is passionate about passing her skills on to the next generation and bringing creative pathways and experiences to remote areas of Australia. She believes growing up on Yawuru country gave her the strength to pursue her dreams into reality.
Gary Lang is a Senior Larrakia man, proudly identifies as LGBTQIA+ and is the Artistic Director of Gary Lang Northern Territory Dance Company. Lang trained at the National Aboriginal and Islander Dance School and has toured nationally & internationally with some of Australia's premier dance companies including Bangarra.
Lang founded NT Dance Company and has been choreographing full-length works since 2008. His most recent production, The Other Side of Me, toured Australia in 2024. Key collaborators to date include West Australian Ballet, Deborah Cheetham AO, BlakDance, Miku Performing Arts, NAISDA Dance College, Darwin Symphony Orchestra and Northumbria University. In 2023, Lang completed his residency with The Australian Ballet beginning the development for his next work Baya Rakarum, a First Nations adaptation of Giselle.
Rosealee Pearson is a Yolngu women from the Manggalili Nation and a interdisciplinary artist from Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land. A graduate of NAISDA Dance College, she has worked across many disciplines as a Cultural Dance Tutor, Cultural Consultant, Dancer, Director, Actor, Tour Manager, Event Coordinator, Stage Manager, Choreographer, Producer and Festival Coordinator. Pearson has worked with Insite Arts, Belvoir St. Theatre, Urban Theatre Projects, Shaktidharan Sivanathan, Curious Works, Performance Space, Bells Shakespeare Company, Boomerang Festival, Sydney Festival, East Arnhem Live and Aris & Grimes.
In 2021 she created and directed her first work Wanha! Journey to Arnhem: a live audio visual work featuring an intergenerational collective of musical talent from Arnhem Land. The show premiered at Darwin Festival in 2021 and was presented at the Sydney Opera House in 2022. In 2024 Pearson premiered her new work 'Song Spirals' at Darwin Festival, which was inspired by the book of the same name. An immersive dance theatre work featuring projection, contemporary and trraditional dance as well as recording of sacred Milkarri (women's keening). With a sold-out season behind her, Pearson hopes 'Song Spirals' will tour in the future.
Berthalia Selina Reuben, or Selina as she is known to many, is a Torres Strait Islander woman, a descendant of the Peidu and Samsep tribes of Erub, Darnley Island. Growing up in a family with a strong Torres Strait Island cultural heritage, Reuben has practiced her cultural dances from a young age which today shows through her passion for cultural dance and knowledge. Reuben began her technical dance training at National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) Dance College where she has successfully completed her Diploma in Professional Dance Performance. After graduating from NAISDA, Reuben was cast in the production of Stolen for two seasons under the direction of NAISDA Alumni Vicki Van Hout for National Theatre of Parramatta (NToP) which also toured regional NSW.
Reuben has performed with Force Majeure in the work 'Mura Buai' co-directed by Torres Strait Islander multidisciplinary artist Ghenoa Gela and Artistic Director Danielle Micich, which toured to the Gold Coast for 'Festival 2018' and to Turtle Island, Canada in 2019. Reuben maintains a good relationship with Force Majeure and is currently performing in Ghenoa's latest work 'Gurr Era Op -Faces of the Sea'. Reuben is one of the cultural sessional trainers at NAISDA Dance College where she shares her passion and cultural knowledge with emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. Through dance and cultural knowledge, Reuben plans to continue working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth across Australia inspiring confidence and pride in their respective cultural heritage.
An award-winning dancer who trained with NAISDA Dance College, Sani has also worked as a choreographer, writer, theatre-maker, and teacher, and is currently Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Youth Program Coordinator.
Native Pride Productions – The Native Pride Productions’ mission is to educate, inspire, motivate, and empower diverse communities to bridge cultural gaps through Indigenous traditions. Led by two-time World Champion Fancy Dancer Larry Yazzie, this group from the United States will make their DanceRites debut, sharing Native American cultural traditions, following performances at past Olympics, The Kennedy Center and the Smithsonian Institute.
Mui Mui Bumer Gedlam – The winners of DanceRites 2023, who originally formed near Newcastle on Wonnarua land to connect children living away from their homeland with the traditions of the Torres Strait Islands; and
Maruku Arts Dance Group – Having last performed as DanceRites competitors in 2019, the Anangu dancers will bring INMA back to the Forecourt and showcase some of the most ancient dance and songlines from the Central Desert region.
Dance Group | Location |
---|---|
ALLKUMO Malpa Paman | QLD: Ayapathy, LamaLama, Kaantju, Umpila, Mungkanhu & Oolkolo |
Babilali Dancers | NSW: Northern Coast region, Bundjalung country |
Boigu Island Kayn Kuap Dance Team | QLD: Boigu Islands, Torres Strait - Shark/Egret |
BuujaBuuja Butterfly Dancers | NSW: Wiradjuri |
Deaf Indigenous Dance Group (DIDG) | QLD: Gimuy Walubara Yidinji |
Dhanggati Baayati | NSW: Dunghutti |
Kaiyukan Kawuma | NSW: Murrawarri |
Koey Poeypiyam Dance Group | QLD: Boigu Islands, Torres Strait - Moegi Buay, Koedal |
Maarli Nhuuhngkhus pikilarna maarni | VIC: Barkindji |
Mackay Torres Strait Islander Cultural Group | QLD: Torres Strait - Meriam |
Midnight Dreaming | NSW: Karuah/Newcastle Awabakal & Worimi |
MINJIL | QLD: Yidinydji |
MIPLA AFL Cape York Aboriginal Dance | QLD: Cairns & Cape York |
Mura Biri Gururu Aboriginal Dancers | QLD: Muruwarri |
Kebi Ngagalyg Kab Le Buway | QLD: Bamaga |
Ngambaa Dhalaay | NSW: Gamilaraay |
Wadumbah Aboriginal Dance Group | WA: Noongar |
Wagana | NSW: Wiradjuri |
Sat 19 Oct & Sun 20 Oct from 2pm AEDT
Stream DanceRites
From the Forecourt to your screen, both days will be broadcast as a free livestream and available to watch anytime on-demand. This broadcast will be AUSLAN interpreted and includes closed captions. Times are subject to change.
Photo credit: Dan Boud
DanceRites highlights
Acknowledgements
Global Goals Partner
Event Sponsor
Event Media Partner
The Sydney Opera House thanks Global Goals Partner Honeywell, Event Sponsor Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, Event Media Partner NITV and donors to DanceRites and its Travel Fund for their generous support of DanceRites 2024.
A very special thank you to Yuwaalaraay Wirringgaa artist Lucy Simpson for the creation of our DanceRites artwork.
Plan your visit
Getting here
The Sydney Opera House Car Park, operated by Wilson Parking, is open and available to use. Wilson Parking offer discounted parking if you book ahead. Please see the Wilson Parking website for details.
Please check the Transport NSW website for the latest advice and information on travel. You can catch public transport (bus, train, ferry) to Circular Quay and enjoy a six minute walk to the Opera House.
Frequently asked questions
DanceRites runs from 2pm-7.40pm on Saturday and 2pm-8pm on Sunday with gates opening each day at 1:30pm, so you’re welcome to join us on the Forecourt at any point throughout the afternoon. With performances running throughout the day there’s always something to do.
If you are attending a particular performance, please arrive 30 minutes prior to your start time as there may be queues to enter the site.
Yes, if you’re taking a few snaps for personal use. Make sure to switch off your flash and be conscious of the people around you and the performers on stage. We’d love for you to tag #sydneyoperahouse on your social channels.
Your safety and security is our number one priority. As a safety precaution and condition of entry, mandatory visual bag inspections will be carried out by SOH venue security staff on all bags and personal belongings. Additionally, patrons may be subject to random electronic screening.
Please travel lightly, arrive early and allow additional time to access the venue.
There is no cloaking facility available for this event. Items that will not be permitted inside the venue include – but are not limited to – extra-large backpacks, umbrellas, briefcases, suitcases and other items that may be hazardous or restrict the movement of visitors. At the discretion of Opera House venue security staff, additional items of an irregular size may also be deemed a trip hazard or safety risk and will be prohibited from the venue footprint.
Find out more about venue security at Sydney Opera House.
DanceRites will takes place outdoors on the Opera House Forecourt so comfortable shoes and sun-safe clothing are recommended. Please wear a hat, bring sunscreen and a refillable water bottle. There is no shade cover available on site. Shade tents are not permitted.
Please bring a raincoat if rain is likely on the day. Rain umbrellas smaller than 125cm diameter are permitted.
Food and beverage pop-ups will appear across the Sydney Opera House Forecourt.
DanceRites pop-ups will open from 1.30pm, Saturday and Sunday.
Small amounts of picnic food and soft drink are permitted - No glass containers & BYO alcohol.
Terms and conditions
Information on how to enter and the prizes form part of these Terms and Conditions of entry. Participation in this Competition is deemed acceptance of these Terms and Conditions. The Promoter of the Competition is Sydney Opera House Trust, Bennelong Point, Sydney NSW 2000. (ABN 69 712 101 035), (+61 2) 9250 7111.
- WHO MAY ENTER Entry is open to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community dance groups. Entrants must be over the age of 12. Entrants over 12 and under the age of 18 require the consent of their parent or legal guardian to enter. Entrants must enter as part of a Dance Group and each member of the Dance Group will be deemed to have accepted these Terms and Conditions. If any employees and their immediate families of the Promoter and agencies and companies associated with this Competition wish to enter the Competition, they must declare their relationship to the Promoter to ensure any conflicts can be appropriately managed.
- HOW DO I ENTER Registration for the Competition commenced on Wednesday 21st June 2023 at 9am Australian Eastern Standard time (AEST) and closed at midnight on Friday 25th August 2023 AEST. Each DanceGroups may only enter the Competition once for 2023. The Promoter reserves the right to disqualify any incomplete or automated entries.
To enter the Competition, you must:
Complete the registration form provided; and
Adhere to the criteria listed on the information sheet
- HOW WILL ENTRIES BE JUDGED Winners will be selected by a panel of judges at the DanceRites Competition on 25 and 26 November 2023 at Sydney Opera House. There may be multiple rounds of judging. All rounds of judging will be judged by a panel of Sydney Opera House Trust selected judges, which will consist of community dance and song line custodians, along with professional choreographers and dance practitioners. Judges may change between rounds. Entries will be judged on the criteria provided in the information sheet. The winners will be announced and notified on conclusion of the DanceRites Competition Final, and will be published on the Sydney Opera House website (www.sydneyoperahouse.com) The Judges decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. The Promoter’s decision in relation to any aspects of the Competition is final and binding on every person who enters and no correspondence will be entered into.
- WHAT ARE THE PRIZES The winning dance group will receive a cheque for $20,000. Runner up will receive $5,000, and the highest scoring Wild Card dance will receive $3,000. The Rites of Passage prize winners will receive $4,000 each.
We reserve the right to award additional prizes or change the prizes, at our sole discretion, provided that the value of the prizes specified here shall not decrease. We are not responsible for any dispute regarding prize dispersal or use.
If you (and your team) are confirmed as a winner:
You may not designate someone else or another team as a winner.
You (and your team members) may be requested to participate in media interviews as requested by the Sydney Opera House Trust.
You (and your team members) will direct any media enquiries to the Sydney Opera House Trust’s Corporate Communications team in the first instance.
We will consult with the key contact nominated in the registration form as to the payee details for the prize. The prize must be made payable to a person over 18 years old. Prize monies and other prizes should be retained by individuals only in conformity with any applicable policies of his or her employers, academic institutions, or government regarding participation in, and receipt of, promotional consideration and receipt and retention of the prize. If a government, employer’s or school’s policies are applicable, it is the Participant’s sole and ultimate responsibility, in consultation with his or her government, employer or school, to determine how, and if, the prize will be retained and/or distributed and accounted for and we assume no responsibility for the decisions made by such entities regarding this issue.
- CANCELLATION If for any reason this Competition is cancelled or is not capable of running as planned, due to an intervention of any outside agent or event which naturally changes the result or prevents or hinders its determination, including but not limited to vandalism, power failures, tempests, natural disasters, acts of God, civil unrest, strikes; the Promoter may in its absolute discretion cancel the event and recommence it from the start on the same conditions.
- INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY You warrant that the entry is your dance group’s own work and that you are the custodian of all the material you submit as part of your performance entry into this Competition (Entry) and that your Entry does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party. If you are using any musical works as part of your performance, you must notify us in advance of the author and title of such musical works and we will advise as to whether or not their inclusion in your performance will be covered under our blanket licences with the relevant musical collecting society or whether you will be required to clear such musical works for inclusion in your Entry and for exercise of the rights set out in these terms and conditions.
- RECORDING By entering this Competition you agree that we can photograph, film or make any sound or audio-visual recording of your Entry for our own archival purposes and for use in any media. By entering thisCompetition, you grant us a worldwide, perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty free and transferrable licence to use, reproduce, segment, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display and communicate any recording of your Entry in any media. This includes the right to adapt or edit it and/or to juxtapose any recording of your Entry with other content, in consultation with the appropriate cultural advisor and/or body. You also grant us the right to sub-licence the rights under this licence to any third party deemed appropriate by us. If you allow us to record an interview, we may use it in any media. You grant us a licence to use any materials incorporated in the Entry to the extent necessary for us to exercise the rights set out herein, including to assign or sub-licence those rights as may be necessary. You acknowledge that, for practical reasons, we may be unable to credit the original creators. You retain any intellectual property in your Entry, subject to this licence, and may use it how you wish after conclusion of the Competition.
To the extent permitted by law, you consent to the Promoter doing anything in relation to the Entry or any recording of your Entry or the communication therein that (but for this consent) would otherwise infringe any moral right or performer’s rights that you might have anywhere in the world. We may promote the Competition, including your Entry, in any media during or after the Competition. Promotional material may include the use of all or part of your Entry or any recording of your Entry. AllEntries used by Promoter will be credited where appropriate.
We reserve the right not to permit you or any member of your Dance Group to participate in the Competition where we determine at our discretion that it would bring the Sydney Opera House into disrepute, cause damage or harm to any person, or if we have reason to believe that you have compromised the integrity or the legitimate operation of the Competition or if it is foreseeable that you will be in breach of these Terms and Conditions in any way.
- PERSONAL INFORMATION The personal information you provide in entering this Competition will be used by the Promoter to conduct the Competition. By entering this Competition, you consent to the storage of your personal information on the Promoter’s database and the Promoter may use this information for future promotional and marketing purposes regarding the Promoter’s products including contacting you via electronic messaging. Your name and contact details may also be shared with various third party organisations, including resident companies, presenting partners and our sponsors, who may contact you from time to time regarding promotions. Such organisations must comply with the Promoter’s Privacy Policy and with strict conditions governing how personal information is to be handled includingapplicable Privacy Laws. In case of an emergency the Promoter will use the contact details supplied by you when entering this Competition. More information about the Promoter’s Privacy Policy, including how to request access to personal information and how to opt out of receiving promotional communications from the Promoter and/or third parties, can be found on the Promoter’s website at www.sydneyoperahouse.com.
- WORKING WITH CHILDREN You warrant that the Dance Group and each performer will comply with: the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection)(Child Employment) Regulation 2010 if relevant; and will also hold a necessary working with children check clearance of a class applicable to the work and must not be prohibited from working with children and must not be “Prohibited Persons” under the Child Protection(Working with Children) Act 2012 (NSW). 10. INDEMNITYBy entering this Competition you agree to release and hold harmless the Promoter, its officers, employees, contractors and agents from any and all claims, liability or any injury, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Competition, its promotion or any prize won.
- INDEMNITY By entering this Competition you agree to release and hold harmless the Promoter, its officers, employees, contractors and agents from any and all claims, liability or any injury, loss or damage of any kind arising from or in connection with this Competition, its promotion or any prize won.
DanceRites Deadly Moments
For almost 10 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have travelled to Sydney to take part in Sydney Opera House’s various First Nations Festivals and our principal Festival now known as DanceRites.
Deadly Voices from the House
A podcast that takes intimate interviews with First Nations artists and leaders to the world. Acclaimed presenter, journalist, actor, producer and arts guru Rhoda Roberts AO presents Deadly Voices from the House, recorded live from Sydney Opera House. Featuring a diverse selection of guest appearances from prominent First Nations leaders from the music, arts and culture sector. Deadly Voices from the House provides an important platform to discuss critical issues and explore the vibrancy and diversity of contemporary culture.