The Arts - Dance

This guide focuses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, perspectives and dance conventions since European colonisation. It is important, though, to appreciate that dance has been an integral part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures for thousands of years. It continues to play an active and important part in cultural life to this day.

The subject/learning areas of the Arts – and the subject guides that Reconciliation Australia’s Narragunnawali team have built around them – are separated into distinct Dance, Drama, Music, Media Arts and Visual Arts categories. However, traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance is ultimately based on a strong and simultaneous use of cross-arts frameworks and features such as song, drama and storytelling.

Traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance has often taken the form of a corroboree – a ceremonial amalgamation of dance, song and visual symbols or stimuli to provide a representation of the Dreaming and to pass on information about it. Corroboree dancers often use subtle yet stylised symbolic movement to support the telling of stories, including those carried through Songlines – traditional musical narratives that serve as an Aboriginal ‘voice map’ of Country, conveying important journeys made during the Dreaming. Dance customs have tended to embrace an intricate human, geographic and spiritual interrelationship. 

It is important to point out that there can be great diversity in the forms or features of a traditional corroboree. ‘Corroboree’ is a very generic word that was coined by Europeans in an attempt to imitate a term from just one Aboriginal language of NSW. There is no single corroboree structure, style or story, with a number of different corroborees existing both between and within distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander linguistic-cultural groups. Miriwoong/Ngaliwurru man Chris Griffiths describes the diversity of dance-song styles in the East Kimberley region alone: 

‘There are lots of different kinds of song and dance cycles … joonba, moonga-moonga, balga, janba, marndiwa, wangga and lirrga. Each style has different rhythms, different body paint, different songs, different artefacts, different instruments and different dances. These are the things that special people are given in their dreams. They’re also inspired by the Ngarranggarni (Dreaming), and the knowledge of the old people. It’s part of our tradition, and we’re holding on to it today.’  

Custodianship, authority and authenticity are important to consider when it comes to the teaching and practice of traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance. It is also important to appreciate distinct protocols around participation in, or attendance at, a corroboree. These protocols can depend on whether a corroboree is public and informal, or sacred and ritualised in nature, and on whether there are any culturally informed age or gender restrictions surrounding the corroboree. For these reasons, it is important to consult with your local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community when considering engaging with events and/or wider learning experiences relating to corroborees. 

It is important to acknowledge the historical and continued significance of traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance when researching and reflecting on how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, perspectives and dance conventions have entered into – or are represented in – more contemporary dance. As well as appreciating the ancient and continuing dance traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, it is important to realise that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance – like all cultural practices – is dynamic and subject to change over time. Reflect on how this evolution has been affected by ‘Western’ (mis)appropriations of First Peoples’ dance conventions.

This timeline chronologically lists some of the key dates in the more recent history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance, including events that bring dance and reconciliation together. .

60,000+ years ago: 

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia have maintained dance conventions and conceptualisations for tens of thousands of years. 

1973: 

• The Aboriginal Arts Board, made up of Aboriginal artists, authors and performers, is established. 

1976: 

• The National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) Dance College is set up under the leadership of founding director Carole Y Johnson. 

1977: 

• NAISDA’s student performing group, Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre (AIDT) embarks on its first international tour, with Wayne Nicol, Michael Leslie, Richard Talonga, Lillian Cromble and guest artist Roslyn Watson participating in the African and Black World Festival of Arts and Culture in Nigeria. 

1989: 

• NAISDA founder Carole Y Johnson, along with NAISDA graduates, and Rob Bryant and Cheryl Stone establish Bangarra Dance Theatre. 

1991: 

• Stephen Page is appointed artistic director of Bangarra Dance Theatre. 

2000: 

• Nunukul Watamaa Aboriginal dance troupe is selected to perform at the opening of the Sydney Olympic Games. 

2005: 

• Creating Pathways National Indigenous Dance Forum is held at the National Museum of Australia, Canberra, leading to the 2007 Treading the Pathways initiative. 
• BlakDance, a national industry organisation for First Nation contemporary dancers and choreographers is established as a direct outcome of the National Indigenous Dance Forum. 

2009: 

• Bangarra’s production Mathinna wins Best Ballet or Dance Work, Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production and Best Original Score at the Helpmann Awards. 

2013: 

• Wiradjuri woman Ella Havelka becomes the first Aboriginal dancer to join the 50-year-old Australian Ballet. ‘ELLA’, a documentary by Ronin Films, is released in 2016, to explore Ella Havelka’s ‘intimate and inspirational journey’.

2015:

• Taribelang woman Evie Ferris joins the Australian ballet. 

2021:

• Taribelang woman Evie Ferris becomes the first First Nations person to join The Wiggles.