BlakDance

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BlakDance We are a national industry and producing organisation for First Nations contemporary dance in Australia.

raymond d. blanco is one of Australia’s most highly regarded choreographers in contemporary First Nations dance and we a...
20/10/2026

raymond d. blanco is one of Australia’s most highly regarded choreographers in contemporary First Nations dance and we are proud to have been part of his journey.
BlakDance’s Giving Day is your chance to help us give the same opportunity to other First Nations dancers and choreographers.

Learn more about our Giving Day:


Image: raymond d. blanco during the First Collective Residency at Australasian Dance Collective (ADC). Photo: Jade Ellis.

raymond d. blanco is one of Australia’s most highly regarded choreographers in contemporary First Nations dance and we a...
20/10/2026

raymond d. blanco is one of Australia’s most highly regarded choreographers in contemporary First Nations dance and we are proud to have been part of his journey.

Reflecting on BlakDance’s support, raymond said, ‘Blakdance has supported my choreographic projects with unbounded support and guidance; from project management, producing and guidance through the web of government hurdles to jump.’

BlakDance’s Giving Day is your chance to help us give the same opportunity to other First Nations dancers and choreographers.

See our LinkInBio to learn more about our Giving Day.


Image: raymond d. blanco during the First Collective Residency at Australasian Dance Collective (ADC). Photo: Jade Ellis.

Meet Rachel Daniels, our Manager, Partnerships & Engagement.Rachel is a Yuwaalaraay woman who joined BlakDance in May 20...
20/10/2026

Meet Rachel Daniels, our Manager, Partnerships & Engagement.

Rachel is a Yuwaalaraay woman who joined BlakDance in May 2026 and stepped into her current role in September. She brings extensive experience in community engagement, strategic partnerships, Indigenous business development, project leadership and national event delivery.

At BlakDance, Rachel is strengthening relationships with community, supporters and partners to build the resources and connections that sustain careers for First Nations dancers and choreographers.

Her approach is grounded in cultural integrity, collective self-determination and shared decision-making. We’re delighted to welcome her to the team.


Image credit: IM Social Impact Agency

We make the diversity of First Nations contemporary dance possible, and your support empowers us to create professional ...
19/10/2026

We make the diversity of First Nations contemporary dance possible, and your support empowers us to create professional pathways, productions and tours that keep culture strong and careers sustainable.

On AusArt Day, we invite you to help BlakDance to give First Nations dancers careers not gigs. Learn how you can help shape the future of First Nations dance on Thursday 22 October.

Learn more about our Giving Day: https://www.blakdance.org.au/giving-day-2026


Image: Garabari by Joel Bray Dance, produced by BlakDance, presented at the Sydney Opera House during Sydney Festival 2026. Pictured: Luke Currie-Richardson. Photo: Stephen Wilson Barker.

15/10/2026

A little reflection on my time at Melbourne Fringe in Melbourne 🖤

I’m Ethan, a Wiradjuri emerging producer at BlakDance. My recent trip to Melbourne Fringe opened something up for me.

I jumped straight in. Some days I saw four shows, alongside meetings with artists, producers and curators. I even found myself on the other side of the table, with artists pitching their work to me! Crazy!

Planning and attending on my own pushed me to back myself. I had to make the meetings happen, introduce myself and trust what I’ve learned. Those conversations built connections that you just can’t get from reading about someone or watching their work.

Seeing so much also helped me build my curatorial eye. What moved me? What didn’t connect? Why? I’m learning to trust those questions and have thoughtful, honest conversations about the work.

Gugu Dindi Gunyah (Many Rivers. One Home), led by Kutcha Edwards at Arts Centre Melbourne, had me bawling. Hearing about the producing work behind it afterwards added another layer to an already powerful experience.

I came home grateful, inspired and more confident in what I bring as a producer. Big love to everyone who welcomed me, and to BlakDance for backing me to get out there.

I would like to especially thank Alexandra Paige and the Deadly Fringe team for being so hospitable and welcoming. Alexandra was such an amazing host, thanks diva x


PRACTICE. PROCESS. PROTOCOL.50 years of legacy. A sector looking forward.NAISDA and BlakDance, with support from Carriag...
14/10/2026

PRACTICE. PROCESS. PROTOCOL.

50 years of legacy. A sector looking forward.

NAISDA and BlakDance, with support from Carriageworks, are proud to announce the first speakers for Practice. Process. Protocol. – a First Nations-led Symposium-in-Action bringing the dance sector together to consider the future of First Nations contemporary dance.

Featuring: Kim Walker, Marilyn Miller, Dr Vicki Van Hout, Jasmin Sheppard, Jacob Boehme, Gary Lang, Frances Rings, Tammi Gissell, Katina Olsen, Amy Hollingsworth, Lucy Guerin, David Hallberg, Daniel Riley, Thomas E.S. Kelly and Merindah Donnelly.

Marking 50 years of NAISDA’s contribution to First Nations dance, the symposium will bring creative sharings, artist conversations and sector exchange together to explore cultural authority, story and protocol in contemporary practice.

📅 Saturday 21 November 2026
⏰ 9:30 am–4 pm, followed by networking drinks
📍 Track 8, Carriageworks, Sydney

Registration is now open. Join us to gather, witness, listen and contribute.

Register via the link - https://events.humanitix.com/practice-process-protocol-symposium

By Photo: Claudio Raschella.
Photo: Paz Tassone.
Photo: Shannon Hayes.
Photo: Tee Click.
Photo: Liz Lea & Co.
Photo: Gregory Lorenzutti.
Photo: David Kelly.
Photo: Lisa Haymes, NAISDA.
Photo: Kate Holmes.
Photo: Emmaline Zanelli.
Photo: Tessa Nuku.
Photo: Danie Mello.
Photo: Jody Haines.
Photo: Syl Marie.

Presented collaboratively by NAISDA and BlakDance, supported by Carriageworks.

Big congratulations to Amrita Hepi on receiving a 2026 Creative Australia Fellowship!Amrita, we are so happy to see you ...
05/10/2026

Big congratulations to Amrita Hepi on receiving a 2026 Creative Australia Fellowship!

Amrita, we are so happy to see you recognised. You live and breathe art, always turning up, an artist’s artist, with beauty in your spirit and your thinking.

Amrita has built an extraordinary independent career on her own terms. We admire her curiosity and the conviction with which she follows an idea, asks difficult questions and makes space for younger artists to imagine their own paths.

At BlakDance, we were proud to support her proposal, Choreographing Leadership. We’re excited for the time and space this fellowship will give her to explore choreography and creative leadership while continuing to make her own work.

So well deserved, Amrita. We can’t wait to see where you take it.


Image by Jade Ellis

Dance, Country and Cultural ContinuityPresented by Quandamooka Festival in partnership with BlakDanceSunday, 13 Septembe...
11/09/2026

Dance, Country and Cultural Continuity

Presented by Quandamooka Festival in partnership with BlakDance
Sunday, 13 September 2026

QUAMPI Arts & Culture Centre, Minjerribah

What does it mean to create, carry and share dance grounded in Country and culture?
Four leading Indigenous dance artists from Australia and Turtle Island come together for a conversation about dance as cultural practice, contemporary expression and a way of carrying knowledge across generations and place. Drawing on their distinct cultural, artistic and community practices, they will explore the responsibilities of creating work grounded in Country, the relationship between ancestral practice and
contemporary innovation, and the ways dance sustains cultural continuity.

Together, they will reflect on how artists work with Elders, families and communities; what must remain protected; and how work can travel across stages, communities and international contexts without losing cultural integrity. The conversation will also consider the conditions needed for First Nations dance to thrive into the future.

Facilitator
Merindah Donnelly — Wiradjuri producer and Co-CEO and Executive Producer of BlakDance

Panel artists
Djakapurra Munyarryun — Songman, dancer, cultural consultant and musician
Yolande Brown — Choreographer, performer and cultural leader
Margaret Grenier — Executive and Artistic Director, Dancers of Damelahamid | Producer, Coastal Dance Festival

Image credits:
Headshot: Paz Tassone
Image courtesy of Bangarra Knowledge Ground
Headshot: George Lawson, Georgie Photography

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the BlakDance Tri-Nations Dinner Party during APAX.We welcomed guests fro...
11/09/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the BlakDance Tri-Nations Dinner Party during APAX.

We welcomed guests from Turtle Island, Australia and Aotearoa, alongside First Nations artists, presenters, cultural leaders and friends, for an evening of food, stories and connection.

Our gathering began on the banks of Maiwar, where Fred Leone welcomed us to Maganjin, shared Cultural Protocols and led us in Gurri Ngindin Narmi, grounding us together in Country.

Special thanks to CAPACOA and Judy Harquail for helping bring this gathering to life.

Safe travels to everyone heading home. We look forward to carrying these connections forward.

Images: Elliott Bledsoe

It’s deadly to see our friends at Australasian Dance Collective continue their partnership with Wiradjuri choreographer ...
07/07/2026

It’s deadly to see our friends at Australasian Dance Collective continue their partnership with Wiradjuri choreographer Joel Bray. Following his participation in BlakDance and ADC's First Collective Residencies program, Joel is now creating a new mainstage work for THREE – a wonderful example of the pathways this partnership was designed to create! If you want to experience Joel's practice first-hand before the premiere, don't miss his upcoming masterclass this Saturday. And for mob, it's free!

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Level 2, 420 Brunswick Street
Fortitude Valley, QLD
4006

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