Australian Dance Week 2026 celebrates community, legacy, and the transformative power of movement

Ausdance ACT proudly opens Australian Dance Week 2026 on International Dance Day, launching the country’s most expansive Dance Week program. What began as a small series of lunchtime performances in 1982 has grown into a significant celebration of dance. Executive Director Dr Cathy Adamek says this year’s program reflects the spirit of the region as a meeting place where local stories, national legacies and diverse dance communities come together.

“I love how Australian Dance Week celebrates our member studios and artists while intersecting with national dance stories — truly Kamberri, a meeting place,” Dr Adamek said.

With over 20 invitations to dance across the ACT and region, the 2026 calendar is “chockers” with opportunities for everyone — young and old, mixed ability, professional, pre-professional, and anyone who loves to move or has always wanted to try. The program spans ballet, contemporary, folk, hip hop, dance fitness, inclusive dance, dance for wellbeing, improvisation and more.

For those who prefer to “dance on the inside,” there are performances and screenings that celebrate the artistry and emotional power of movement.

The official opening takes place on 29 April International Dance Day with a community picnic atop Mount Ainslie, with traditional Welcome and smoking ceremony by Aunty Serena – joined by Minister for the Arts Michael Pettersson MLA and special guests Liz Lea’s Diamonds of Dance Week. This beloved annual gathering invites dancers, teachers, families, and supporters to celebrate in one of Canberra’s most iconic natural settings. Wear something sparkly.

On 6 May, the popular Networking Morning Tea returns to Gorman Arts Centre, focusing on the studio teacher and education sector. This year’s event features Shannon Kolak from ACT Down Syndrome & Intellectual Disability and will explore how to make your dance classes inclusive — a timely conversation as the ACT’s dance community continues to grow.

A major highlight of the 2026 program is the return of acclaimed dancer and educator Floeur Alder. Dr Adamek was inspired to bring Floeur’s story home to ACT audiences.

“After seeing the documentary Pointe Dancing on A Knife’s Edge and meeting Floeur Alder and Director Dawn Jackson, I discovered Floeur’s ACT family dance roots and wanted to share her work more widely here. Her story speaks to the healing power of dance to transcend physical limits,” Dr Adamek said.

Pointe has garnered festival recognition, including Official Selection laurels from the 2025 CinefestOZ Film Festival and the 2026 Capricorn Film Festival and this year screens in collaboration with the National Film and Sound Archive. Offering a moving portrait of resilience followed by a discussion of dance and healing with a panel of ACT experts.

Floeur’s lineage is deeply woven into Australia’s dance history. Her parents, Lucette Aldous AC and Alan Alder, founded the dance program at the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts, shaping the national dance landscape for more than forty years.

Floeur continues Lucette’s legacy through Floorebarre, a technique Dr Adamek recalls learning during her own training. This special workshop will be offered at Gorman Arts Centre on 3 May.

“Don’t miss a chance to learn this embodied tradition,” she said.

Floeur will also perform her solo work Djilba: A Moment in Time at Mirramu Creative Arts Centre on the bank of Lake George — an evocative natural setting that mirrors the work’s dance in nature aesthetic.

“Playful and meditative, Floeur Alder’s solo work Djilba: A Moment in Time leaves the viewer immersed in the tranquillity of its bush setting.” — Kim Balfour, Seesaw Arts Magazine WA

Australian Dance Week ACT is a celebration grown by local member artists, schools and studios working alongside Ausdance ACT and the wider community. It is a testament to the region’s extraordinary dance culture and the people who keep it thriving.

Other highlights of Australian Dance Week include a behind-the-scenes look at Canberra’s own youth dance company with Behind the Scenes with Quantum Leap on 29 April at Gorman Arts Centre; the high-energy Fresh Funk Open Class, offering weekly commercial hip hop with a new tutor and routine, also on 29 April at Tuggeranong Arts Centre; and DanceFitness with Henry, an inclusive session mixing upbeat fitness moves with a freestyle disco finale on 29 April and 6 May at Tuggeranong Southern Cross Club.

The program also features the Elevate School Dance Competition, a friendly ACT-wide event for high school and college dancers across street/hip hop, contemporary/lyrical, jazz, and open styles on 30 April at Erindale Theatre; The Hip Hop Civic Cypher, bringing live music, battles, DJing, graffiti and an open cypher to Garema Place on 2 May; and the Folk Dance Canberra World Dance Display, showcasing global dance traditions with opportunities for the public to join in on 2 May at Little Burley Market.

Ausdance ACT’s 2026 Australian Dance Week takes place 29 April – 6 May. Explore the full calendar HERE.