Bangarra Dance Theatre Teachers’ Professional Learning

Register now for Bangarra Dance Theatre’s online and in-studio professional learning program, Winhanga-rra (hear, think, listen – Wiradjuri language). Winhanga-rra workshops are open to all education professionals and explore processes and practices for engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in an educational context.

Bangarra Dance welcomes the opportunity to share time and space with educators exploring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures – the oldest living cultures on this planet. Systems of knowledge, stories and songlines developed over millennia inspire our artistic responses and strengthen our connectedness to Country.

Focusing on cultural engagement and storytelling though contemporary dance theatre, the workshop is open to all education professionals and includes talks, open forum discussion, film presentations and practical tasks. This program is a valuable learning opportunity for educators of all stages of education, and across most learning areas. No dance experience is required. The Indigenous experience – past, present, and future – is multidimensional and timeless. The ancient manifests in the contemporary, and the future is paved through the resilience of our cultures.

Their process for framing and facilitating these workshops is based on respect and reciprocity; listening, learning and responding in a spirit of open exchange, and is central to all of Bangarra’s work. They are privileged to engage with those involved in educating the next generation, and sincerely hope their collaborative work will be of mutual and lasting benefit. As teaching artists, they are learning as well. Every workshop experience is different, and is an opportunity to discover new ways to adapt their own teaching tools, and navigate the challenges and triumphs they experience.

Creative processes are explored, tested, and developed through simple set tasks, giving teachers ideas for project learning and curriculum delivery across key learning areas. Facilitators will unpack Bangarra’s role in bringing stories of ancient and contemporary First Nations histories and cultures to the world. They explore the Creative Life Cycle of a Bangarra work in order to illustrate the critical importance of connection to Country in all of Bangarra’s work. Attendees will also discuss the value and importance of working respectfully with First Nations communities in order to design and implement effective learning experiences, while navigating Cultural Protocols.

These workshops are valuable to a variety of areas beyond The Arts, including Humanities & Social Sciences, Health & Physical Education, English, Science, and Languages.  

The program is facilitated by a rotating team of Bangarra’s dance alumni and staff including Yolande Brown, Rikki Mason, and Tara Gower. The first workshop will take place online on 27 March from 11 am-1:30 pm AEDT.

You can find out more about the facilitators, and about all of Bangarra’s Dancers, Choreographers, and productions at bangarra-knowledgeground.com.au

Please email education@bangarra.com.au, or visit bangarra.com.au/learning for more information about about their Learning Programs.