Sydney Opera House to Host National Indigenous Dance Competition

The Sydney Opera House today announced a ground-breaking new dance competition that aims to reinvigorate aspects of Indigenous culture through the reclamation of the age-old song-lines, stories and dance practices. Dance Rites will be held on Sunday 22 November 2015 on the Western Broadwalk at Sydney Opera House. Registrations are now open and will close on Sunday 6 September.

The competition is open to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia who have, or would like to develop a dance group. The winner will receive $15,000 and the opportunity to perform at Homeground at Sydney Opera House in 2016, an annual celebration of First Nation music, dance and culture attended by more 10,000 people. One runner-up will receive $5,000 in prize money.

Inspired by similar dance gatherings overseas including Pow Wow Circuit in North America and Kapa Haka Festival in New Zealand, Dance Rites aims to revitalise Indigenous cultural leadership and practices - including language, dance, traditional instruments and skin markings - ensuring they are passed on from one generation to the next.

Head of Indigenous Programming at Sydney Opera House, Rhoda Roberts, said: "All cultures keep their classics alive, but if things continue, in 30 years the songman and woman and their classic art form, and audience, will be entirely lost."

Each 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.

The Opera House acknowledges the generous support of the Creative Music Fund, Project Patron of Dance Rites, and of Sydney Opera House donors. With thanks to NAISDA, National Film and Sound Archive and Arts Northern Rivers for their continued support of Dance Rites 2015.