Today marks International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples and NAISDA Dance College is taking the opportunity to commemorate the day, along with the global importance of sustaining and sharing our world’s Indigenous cultures, histories and knowledge.
As Australia’s leading First Nations performing arts training organisation, NAISDA’s commitment to developing international partnerships and collaboration with Indigenous artists, organisations and practitioners plays a significant role within our creative and cultural landscape.
Chief Executive Officer of NAISDA, Kim Walker says that development of these unique global creative pathways, along with NAISDA’s international artist-in-residence programs, are a vital expression and celebration of individual and national identities, cultures, histories and futures.
One such example is NAISDA’s recent two-week artist residency with celebrated Māori choreographer, dancer and video artist Louise Potiki Bryant, whose body of work includes choreography for prestigious international companies including Black Grace Dance Company, The New Zealand Dance Company and Atamira Dance Company.
Over the past year NAISDA staff and students have also enjoyed collaboration with Indigenous New Zealand choreographer Taiaroa Royal, as well as an onsite international residency with Moving Lab, an Indigenous, intercultural and inter-disciplinary global arts collective featuring Artistic Director of Atamira Dance Company Jack Gray and international artists Bianca Hyslop, Victoria Hunt, and Dakot-ta Alcantara-Camacho.
In July, the College welcomed staff and students from The University of Auckland’s esteemed Dance Studies Programme, as part of three-day cultural and artistic exchange exploring differences and similarities of students’ cultures and backgrounds.
“For our young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Developing Artists, working with and learning from global Indigenous artists of such calibre not only produces dynamic creative work, but showcases the international lineage of a rich and strong Indigenous artistic practice, to which they can aspire and eventually join,” said Mr Walker.
NAISDA will also shortly see its Head of Creative Studies Frances Rings, along with a number of NAISDA Developing Artists, present Kotahi, an international collaboration of contemporary dance in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
“All these works, opportunities and experiences shape and share our living cultures with ever-growing global audiences. Of course, this in turn leads to a competitive, dynamic and resilient arts industry. Together we are helping lead dramatic changes in the way we consider, express and experience our arts, culture and creativity,” explained Mr Walker.
NAISDA is currently seeking Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people aged between 16 to 26 years to apply for its 2019 intake.
Registrations for auditions close on 19 October 2018. If you would like to audition for NAISDA or to find out more, please click here, call (toll free) 1800 117 116 or email auditions@naisda.com.au.