NAISDA is calling on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students with a passion for dance to apply for its 2025 cohort. Applications to study at Australia’s leading arts training organisation for First Nations people open Monday 3 June 2024.
NAISDA has an almost 50-year legacy of nurturing Australia’s leading First Nations creative and cultural artists.
With exceptionally strong student outcomes, the distinctive NAISDA learning model is the only one of its kind, focusing on lifelong learning, culture, and connection.
One of the annual learning highlights is NAISDA’s cultural residency program delivered in partnership with remote communities and cultural tutors. The NAISDA cohort journeys each year to immerse in learning on Country with a remote community who share their guidance, knowledge, kinship and connection to Country.
“These unforgettable learning experiences are not offered anywhere else in Australia. They give a solid foundation in cultural dance technique, and importantly strengthen students’ sense of self, empowering them to build their own contemporary practice and opportunities as independent artists,” explained Berthalia Selina Reuben, Peiudu and Samsep woman from Erub, Darnley Island and Cultural Trainer at NAISDA.
NAISDA’s nationally accredited qualifications, from Certificate III to Advanced Diploma, include skills development in cultural and contemporary dance genres, dancefilm and music production to meet the demands of the First Nations arts industry.
Training also includes real-world performance and production experiences in professional theatres, as well as valuable industry placements with national arts companies and artists.
Recent graduate Peta-Louise Rixom, is pursuing a career in dance and stage management, as Bangarra Dance Theatre’s Indigenous Production Trainee. She explained the value of NAISDA’s skills development which underpins training.
“NAISDA’s curriculum, particularly the Advanced Diploma, offers training tailored to industry needs and your interests. One of the most important things is finding your own people—that’s what NAISDA can offer. They really do become family,” she said.
With a nationwide cohort, NAISDA offers holistic support services and programs to cultivate a thriving student community with onsite accommodation options, and world-class training facilities located at its residential campus on Darkinjung Land at Kariong, NSW Central Coast.
Maddison Fraser, also a recent graduate and 2024 Secondee with Dirty Feet explained the benefits of training at NAISDA.
“NAISDA has given me the opportunity to grow and develop into a confident artist who can navigate the performance industry. The opportunities to connect with Country and experience different First Nations communities provides so much life experience. Learning how to set yourself up to have a career, be independent and learn from internationally respected choreographers is invaluable.”
To apply, First Nations applicants aged 16 and over should visit www.naisda.com.au/apply and submit their online application before 2 September 2024.