After taking part in the official opening of The Art House at Wyong earlier this month, Australia’s premier training college for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students NAISDA Dance College will be one of the first to stage a show at the new venue when it presents its NAIDOC Week Program of workshops and performances to local schools and the Central Coast community.
WIRAYI (NOW) will take place at The Art House from Wednesday 29 June to Friday 1 July 2016, with a special one-off performance open to members of the public on Thursday 30 June at 8pm sponsored by Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council.
With NAISDA celebrating its 40th Anniversary in 2016, the production will pay special homage to one of the College’s first performances, which took place on the stage of the Opera House some forty years ago.
1984 NAISDA Graduate and Director of WIRAYI (NOW), Raymond D Blanco, will share the ground-breaking choreography with NAISDA’s Students of today through the special one-hour production.
“Wirayi finds its inspiration in the stories of yesterday and brings them to today’s audiences in the language of dance,” said Mr Blanco.
“The show will take inspiration from Embassy, a piece by NAISDA’s Founder Carole Y Johnson which marked NAISDA’s first shaky steps on the stage of the Opera House.
“Embassy set the pace for what has seen 40 years of powerful, confronting and entertaining dance theatre from NAISDA Dance College and it will be a true honour to share this choreography with a contemporary audience,” he added.
As part of the program, NAISDA will also be offering three exclusive performances to schools on the Central Coast for a gold coin entry, as well as dance workshops where students will have the opportunity to learn cultural dance. Located in Kariong, NAISDA has been an active part of the Central Coast cultural scene for close to a decade.
“We are thrilled to have an opportunity to give back to our community through these special performances at The Art House and look forward to further developing our NAIDOC celebrations for the Central Coast,” said Kim Walker, Chief Executive Officer of NAISDA Dance College.
For more information and bookings, visit www.thearthousewyong.com.au or contact The Art House on 02 4335 1485.