Registrations are open for Dance Rites, Sydney Opera House’s Indigenous dance competition. A highlight of the Opera House’s annual Homeground celebration of First Nations arts and culture, Dance Rites aims to safeguard and revitalise vanishing cultural practices – language, dance, skin markings and instruments – to ensure they are shared from one generation to the next.
The inaugural Dance Rites competition took place last year and saw more than 150 participants from 10 communities across New South Wales, Queensland and the Torres Strait Island’s Indigenous communities.
Cape York’s Naygayiw Gigi dancers won first prize, with Nowra’s Yuin Ghudjargah second, and the Djaadjawan dancers from Sydney’s La Perouse taking out a special award.
Registrations for the 2016 event, which will take place Sunday 9 October, are now open at sydneyoperahouse.com/dancerites for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia who have, or would like to develop, a dance group.
Photo: Prudence Upton.