Registrations open for Australia’s only national dance competition DanceRites

Sydney — Wednesday 10 April 2024

Registrations are now open for the eighth annual DanceRites competition, a celebration of First Nations dance, music and culture, taking place on the Opera House Forecourt and live streamed online on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October.

Since the inaugural DanceRites festival in 2015, more than 1600 performers from over 100 dance groups have participated in the celebrated First Nations event that helps to safeguard cultural practices, including language, dance, song, and skin markings, and showcases the richness and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. In 2023, 300 performers from 21 dance groups representing over 30 nations and clans competed in the largest on-site iteration of the competition to date.

Sydney Opera House Head of First Nations Programming, Michael Hutchings, said “At its core, DanceRites is an opportunity for our communities to come together in a joyful display of our unique and diverse cultures, and to showcase the incredible skill of the dancers who compete. It’s a moment of solidarity for First Nations people and a chance for us to celebrate the traditions that continue in all corners of the country. We can’t wait to welcome deadly mob back to the Forecourt and hopefully welcome even more people to the Opera House for the first time.”

The competition will unfold over two days, with heats on Saturday 19 October and finals on Sunday 20 October. Each group will present a Cultural Dance and Song Cycle, representing their local storytelling and language. Groups are also welcome to perform an optional ‘Wild Card’ dance to showcase their unique style.

A panel of First Nations dance experts will judge the entries on their song, skin markings, and engagement with language and culture, as well as their technical dance skills. Prizes will be awarded for the overall winner, one runner-up group, and a separate prize for the best ‘Wild Card’ dance. Two Rites of Passage awards will also acknowledge outstanding contributions to revitalising cultural knowledge and practices.

DanceRites continues the traditions that have taken place over tens of thousands of years on Bennelong Point, known to its custodians as Tubowgule. Upholding the site as a meeting place for storytelling, ritual celebration and dance, DanceRites aims to promote cultural knowledge and exchange at a community level, and provides a space to gather and share First Nations practices with audiences around the world.

KEY INFORMATION

Important dates
Registrations open: Wednesday 10 April, 2024
Registrations close: Wednesday 22 May, 2024

How to register
Register here before 5pm AEST Wednesday 22 May
For more information on how to register, please email dancerites@sydneyoperahouse.com

As the number of dance groups for DanceRites 2024 will be limited, we encourage groups to submit their registrations as early as possible. If the number of registrations received outnumbers the available competition slots, the DanceRites team will select groups to participate based on broad geographic representation, the information provided in the registration form and a submitted performance video.