A major new street dance collaboration is set to take shape following the announcement of the inaugural recipients of Creative Australia’s Creative Futures Fund. Among the 20 ambitious projects to receive investment is the Western Melbourne // Western Sydney Street Dance Exchange — a groundbreaking initiative uniting street dance communities across two of the country’s most vibrant urban regions.
The project has received Development funding to support the creation of a large-scale new work that aims to propel street dance onto major festival stages and into national cultural conversations. The work will premiere with performances in both Sydney and Melbourne, featuring a roster of leading street dance artists and collectives drawn from each city.
Led by The Substation (Melbourne) and PYT Fairfield (Western Sydney), the initiative is underpinned by a commitment to collaboration, cultural exchange and artistic excellence. The lead artists include Efren Pamilacan, Feras Shaheen, Eliam Royalness, Troi Ilsley, Jamaica Moana and Gusta Mara — each renowned for their contributions to hip hop, street and contemporary dance practices in Australia and beyond.
Supporting them are powerhouse collectives Cypher Culture (representing Western Melbourne) and The PIONEERS MegaCrew (representing Western Sydney), with producing partner Intimate Spectacle onboard to help bring the vision to life.
According to The Substation, the Exchange will explore the evolution of street dance as both an artform and a social force, drawing on the cultural richness of Western Sydney and Western Melbourne to shape a dynamic and unified creative process. This project will not only develop new performance work, but also lay the groundwork for long-term collaboration and visibility of street dance in Australia’s professional performing arts sector.
“We are thrilled to be part of this national investment in creative risk and innovation,” said Nuala Furtada, CEO of The Substation. “Street dance has always been a site of community, storytelling and resistance. With this project, we hope to spotlight its artistic rigour and cultural relevance, and open up new platforms for its expression.”
The Creative Futures Fund, part of the Australian Government’s National Cultural Policy: Revive, will invest $7.8 million this year across 20 projects, supporting both the development and delivery of original Australian stories and creative works. The fund champions new models of creation and engagement, with the aim of fostering ambitious, large-scale projects that resonate across the country and beyond.
The inclusion of street dance in this high-profile funding round marks a significant recognition of the genre’s creative depth and growing role in Australia’s cultural landscape.