Dance Rites returns to the Sydney Opera House Forecourt

Taking place over the weekend of 23-24 November, Australia’s fifth annual national First Nations dance competition Dance Rites returns to the Sydney Opera House Forecourt over two days for a free, cross-generational celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance, language and culture for the whole family.

Dance Rites 2019 will welcome more than 300 performers from all corners of Australia to one of the world’s most spectacular outdoor stages, Bennelong Point. 

Each group will showcase their culture through three dances: a welcome and a farewell dance and a ‘wildcard’ dance. An expert judging panel will assess the participating groups on the technical aspects of their performance and their engagement with language, skin-markings and traditional instruments. The winning group will receive $20,000, one runner-up will receive $5,000, and $3,000 will go to the highest-scoring ‘wildcard’ dance. The Rite of Passage Award acknowledges a dance troupe’s outstanding contribution to revitalising cultural knowledge and practices.

For further information visit: Dance Rites

Image courtes of Dance Rites