Registration Open for Indigenous Dance Competition at Sydney Opera House

Registrations for the Sydney Opera House's groundbreaking national Indigenous dance competition Dance Rites are now open. The third annual competition will be held at the Opera House on Sunday 26 November.

Dance Rites aims to safeguard and revitalise vanishing cultural practices - language, dance, skin markings and instruments - to ensure they are shared from one generation to the next. Dance groups from around Australia - many spanning several generations - are expected to join the high-profile event competing for a winner's prize of $20,000. Dance Rites is the community highlight of the Opera House's annual celebration of First Nations music, art and culture, Homeground.

More than 180 participants from 12 communities participated in last year's Dance Rites competition, culminating in a stunning final watched by a capacity crowd, which can now be experienced in a compelling virtual reality clip Dance Rites 360°. Transporting audiences to the very heart of Dance Rites 2016, the clip was produced in partnership by the Sydney Opera House and SBS Digital Creative Labs and is free to watch by downloading the SBS VR app.

Sydney Opera House Head of First Nations Programming, Rhoda Roberts AO, says: "Dance Rites invites audiences to engage with language, dance, skin markings and traditions of diverse First Nations cultures. By engaging with culture, we preserve and celebrate it - but the experience isn't just about the audience - participants reconnect and reclaim their personal histories through dance as well as build connection in their communities."

John-Paul Marin, Manager, SBS Digital Creative Labs, says: "Virtual reality and 360° storytelling provides new opportunities to engage with audiences, immersing them in other worlds and visual stories that drive an emotional connection through shared experience."

The standard of performance in 2016 was incredibly high. Koomurri - a dance group made up of members from the Yuin, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi Nations - was declared the winners after a hard-fought competition, receiving a $20,000 prize and the opportunity to perform at Homeground 2017. The second prize of $5,000 was won by Nupitjii Nupitjii of Cowra (Wirajduri and Gomeroi Nations), and a Wildcard prize of $3000 went to ALLKUMO Malpa Paman from the Cape York area (Kaantju/Ayapathu Nations). Koomurri demonstrated their commitment to the ethos of Dance Rites by sharing a part of their prize money with the fourth and fifth placed groups, the Djaadjawan Dancers of La Perouse (Eora and Yuin Nations) and Mayi Wunba from Far North QLD (Djabugay & Walpara clan groups).

During the 2017 registration period, Rhoda Roberts AO and Sydney Opera House First Nations Associate Producer, Travis De Vries will travel to remote, rural and regional areas in Northern Territory and South Australia to work with individuals, community groups, Aboriginal Land Councils and local councils to engage participants and local communities.

Dance Rites is inspired by the highly successful Pow Wow Circuit in North America and Kapa Haka Festival in New Zealand.

KEY INFORMATION

How to register
All Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia who have, or would like to develop, a dance group can enter Dance Rites. Each contestant group will present three dances - a welcome and farewell dance, one of which must include a chant in local language, and a third 'wildcard' dance of the group's choosing.

Register at https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/general/enter-dance-rites-2017.html.
Registrations close Monday September 25.

For more information on how to register call Dance Rites Coordinator Ali Buckley on 0407535111 or email dancerites@sydneyoperahouse.com

Prizes
The winning group will receive $20,000 and the opportunity to perform at Homeground in 2018. One runner-up will receive $5,000 in prize money and one group will be awarded the best 'wildcard' dance with a prize of $3000. For the first time, the Sydney Opera House will also be offering $1 to $1 matched fundraising to support the travel expenses of eligible groups to Sydney.

The Opera House acknowledges the generous support of the Creative Music Fund - Dance Rites Foundation Partner - and of Sydney Opera House donors.

About Sydney Opera House First Nations programming
The Sydney Opera House First Nations program continues the rich traditions of Bennelong Point, formerly known as Tubowgule, which has been a meeting place for the local Gadigal people for thousands of years. Led by the Head of First Nations Programming, Rhoda Roberts AO, the year-round program celebrates the richness of First Nations culture by presenting works that span contemporary issues, retell forgotten stories and revitalise ancient cultural practices. It culminates in the annual Homeground festival in November.

SBS VR has previously released projects which similarly illustrate and encourage audiences to engage with the stories of Australia's First Peoples. Through First Contact VR, SBS uses stereoscopic 3D technology to place the viewer face-to-face with a diverse group of Indigenous Australians who speak about what being Indigenous means to them and Welcome to Garma with Ernie Dingo presents a rare insight into the remarkable Indigenous Garma Festival in Arnhem Land.