CLANCESTRY Comes to QPAC Beginning in July
Programming begins on Tuesday 30 July 2024.
By: Stephi Wild May. 31, 2024
Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) has announced the final program for 2024’s Clancestry, a celebration of First Nations arts and culture, from Tuesday 30 July 2024.
An iconic event on QPAC’s calendar since 2013, Clancestry is a celebration of identity and connection, providing a platform for both established and emerging First Nations artists to share their stories, perspectives, and talents.
This announcement comes hot on the heels of previously-revealed Clancestry events in 2024 – the uplifting and inspiring Warriors with Andrew Gurruwiwi Band, J-MILLA, Jungaji, and Radical Son on Wednesday 31 July and Bangarra Dance Theatre’s first cross-cultural collaboration Horizon from 8 to 17 August.
Clancestry will officially open on Tuesday 30 July with First Gathering – a vibrant celebration of the First Nations cultures of Brisbane. This event invites audiences to pay respects to the ancestors of this land, their spirits, and their legacy in a celebration of dance, song, and culture. This year, First Gatheringgoes back to Clancestry’s origins and opens the festival with Community groups coming together at the South Bank Piazza.
After successful sessions in 2023, Clancestry Conversations return to the Cremorne Theatre with two in-depth discussions on Saturday 3 August. This curated series of conversations will cover two pressing First Nations issues of today.
The morning session will share the true stories behind the new Torres Strait Island musical, Straight from the Strait, and will introduce audiences to the remarkable workers who laid an astonishing seven kilometres of the Mount Newman railway track in a single day in 1968. The afternoon session will share the incredible work of Link-Up (Qld) – the dedicated team offering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the chance to reconnect with family and understand their identity.
The Cremorne Theatre will also host the brand-new Clancestry Creatives program on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 August, providing creative development opportunities to support First Nations artists and creatives to explore, seed new ideas, and challenge forms of expressions. Clancestry Creatives will support two works: Eat Slay Zombie by Alinta McGrady and Growing Back by SOLCHLD. The creative developments will culminate in a live reading for Eat Slay Zombie and a performance of the developing work Growing Back.
The much-loved Mob Music stage returns in 2024 with an epic line-up of First Nations musicians and artists, hosted by BENNYGOLD. This impressive free live music event will run from Thursday 1 to Saturday 3 August.
Kicking things off on Thursday will be independent rising Indigenous Australian actor, rapper, singer, and songwriter Kootsie Don, alternative rock band Selve, and Kristel West, recent winner of the prestigious Dennis 'Mop' Conlon Scholarship.
Friday will see performances from local singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Rudy Matoy, psychedelic rock outfit Velvet Trip, and alternative rock artist and producer The Terrifying Lows.
Rounding out the line-up and bringing the vibes to Saturday will be 2020’s Triple J Unearthed Artist of the Year JK-47, Hip Hop, Neo-soul and R&B renegade Miss Kaninna, Papua New Guinea born and ARIA-award winning artist Kaiit, and electro pop powerhouse Djanaba.
Big and little kids alike will enjoy all that’s on offer as part of the free Clancestry for Kids day on Saturday 3 August. The team from the Institute for Urban Indigenous Health (IUIH) return with craft activities including scratch art, clay sculpting, story books and collage using natural materials. One of 2023’s most popular events, Face Painting with Kaylah Coghill, also makes its return to Clancestry alongside Find Our Friends and Hip Hop Dance Workshops with Georgie Baumann.
Saturday’s program will also offer free Weaving Workshops, where participants will work through different weaving techniques and how to twist and weave together different textures, while sharing in the storytelling of First Nations ancestors.
Arts Minister Leeanne Enoch said Clancestry is a signature event on the state’s cultural calendar that brings community together and shares Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples stories, traditions, and cultures.
“The Queensland Government is proud to invest in QPAC and Clancestry as an important platform for First Nations artists and organisations, supporting creative employment and growing opportunities for audiences to engage in the rich and ancient heritage of the First peoples in Queensland.
“QPAC’s delivery of Clancestry supports the Queensland Government’s 10-year Creative Together strategy and highlights the significant opportunity of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games as a powerful celebration of First Nations arts and culture when Queensland takes to the global stage.”
QPAC Chief Executive John Kotzas celebrated the return of Clancestry for its eleventh year and acknowledged the significance of the event taking place across South Bank.
“Clancestry acknowledges the rich cultural heritage of First Nations peoples and encourages communities to come together to celebrate, learn, and connect through all facets of the performing arts,” he said.
“This much-loved event is an integral part of QPAC's annual programming, and it continues the traditions of meeting, storytelling, dancing and connecting that have always taken place on this country, well before our building was here.”
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