Celebrating 40 years of contemporary Indigenous arts, NAISDA Dance College will commence its biggest year to date with a USA tour, starting at the 28th Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance.
As part of a Cultural Exchange and teaching arrangement, four delegates from NAISDA will be traveling to Denver and Castle Rock Colorado, the University of Virginia, UArts Philadelphia and New York, where they will showcase Australian Indigenous Contemporary Dance and culture.
As part of the tour, NAISDA alumni Thomas ES Kelly, Taree Sansbury and Hans Ahwang, as well as Artistic Director Emeritus and Founder of NAISDA Carole Y Johnson, will share the unique style of Australian Indigenous Contemporary Dance for which the College has become renowned.
Artistic Director Emeritus and Founder of NAISDA Dance College, Carole Y Johnson said that the tour is an opportunity to showcase NAISDA’s vast contributions to contemporary dance on an international stage.
“Today NAISDA Dance boasts more than 100 independent professional dance artists creating, performing and touring dance throughout Australia and abroad. The College is also a catalyst and stimulus for the preservation of traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance,” said Carole.
“We are honoured to represent NAISDA and the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance community as part of the Conference, which will host the broadest gathering of Black Dance professionals in the US and Internationally from January 20 to 24 this year.
“This is a perfect opportunity to celebrate Australian Indigenous Contemporary Dance NAISDA 40 years and spread this unique art form to performers, choreographers, artistic directors, teachers and many more members of the international dance community,” added Ms Johnson.
CEO of NAISDA Kim Walker commented that this wonderful start to our celebrations could not have taken place without the creative insight of the Department of Foreign Affairs Canberra, Arts NSW and NAISDA.
This year, the College will celebrate its 40th Anniversary with a series of special events planned throughout the year.