Ausdance ACT Celebrates Australian Dance Week

Ausdance ACT celebrates and promotes all kinds of dance during Australian Dance Week and is proud to host the largest Dance Week program in Australia. The calendar is chockers with opportunities to dance all over the ACT and regions. Young, old, mixed ability, professional, pre-professional and anyone who loves to dance or has always wanted to try.

Now in its 43rd year, Australian Dance Week is an opportunity to turn the spotlight on our incredible local dance scene, with an extraordinary range of events highlighting the diversity and popularity of dance, both professional and community, in Canberra and surrounds. There are more dance studios in Canberra per capita than anywhere else in Australia!

The Australian Dance Week Opening takes place 29th April from 6.30 pm at Gorman Arts Centre. The event begins with a heartfelt Welcome to Country by Ngunnawal elder Aunty Serena Williams, followed by an official opening by Minister for the Arts Michael Pettersson MLA. Highlighting inclusive and social dance groups, the event features The Stellar Company’s ‘Stars in 3D,’ an immersive dance experience rooted in extraordinary science, performed by the Chamaeleon Collective with special guests Hilal Dance Australia. Attendees can also enjoy a lively salsa dance experience led by Kokoloco Dance Studio, showcasing the joy of partnered dance, which has captivated a new generation by fostering social interaction and bringing people closer together.

Ausdance ACT’s annual networking Morning Tea takes place on the 30th of April – for teachers and dance studio owners. This year, enjoy guest speaker ACT Public Advocate and Children and Young People Commissioner, Ms Jodie Griffiths-Cook. Jodie and her team will provide advice and guidance regarding the implementation of the ACT Child Safe Standards Scheme.

A special dance film workshop for high school and college aged students with Peng Hsiao Yin from Dancecology Taiwan takes place on the 5th of May. Students will be guided to choreograph movements and gestures to express themselves and capture their choreography with professional filming techniques.

During Australian Dance Week, Canberra’s local studios, dance artists, and arts centres come alive with an array of free, trial, and taster dance classes, offering something for everyone. Canberra Dance Theatre (CDT) partners with The Food Co-op Shop & Café for ‘Spiced Lunch,’ a delightful event combining affordable, nourishing vegan lunches with vibrant live performances by CDT dancers. At the National Library of Australia, the free ‘Loitering and Leaping in the Library’ ZEST: Dance for Wellbeing class invites adults of all ages and mobilities, especially older Canberrans, to keep their bodies and minds active in a fun, inclusive setting. For those seeking diverse experiences, Mirramu Creative Arts Centre at Lake George hosts a Contact Improvisation Workshop with Debora Di Centa, while Australian Dance Party offers professional contemporary workshops. The Menagerie of Misfits brings sass and empowerment through a flirty burlesque workshop series, and Folk Dance Canberra takes you on a global journey of exotic music and dance at The Little Burly Market. Families can enjoy Blueberries toddler classes, and Fresh Funk Canberra delivers high-energy commercial hip hop sessions, ensuring a week filled with creativity, connection, and movement for all.

QL2 Dance presents Garden, a captivating double bill of new contemporary dance performances that weave together themes of lineage, rebellion, and resilience. Created by choreographers James Batchelor (Berlin) and Alice Lee Holland (Kamberri), alongside a talented cast of young collaborators, this immersive production offers a living, breathing exploration of human connection and artistic expression, inviting audiences to experience a dynamic and thought-provoking journey through movement.

Ausdance ACT 2025 Australian Dance Week takes place Monday 28 April – Monday 5 May. View the full Australian Dance Week 2025 program here.

Australian Dance Week, Image credit Ausdance ACT