DanceRites 2023 winners announced

Mui Mui Bumer Gedlam has claimed the top prize at DanceRites 2023 – Australia’s only national dance competition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups – following two days of intense competition at the Sydney Opera House 25-26 November.

Crowds gathered for DanceRites’ return to the Forecourt, after a four-year hiatus, in what was the largest on-site iteration of the competition since it began in 2015. Twenty-one dance groups representing over 30 nations and clans from across Australia shared their local storytelling and language in a joyous celebration of First Nations music, dance and culture. Showcasing the diverse traditions from urban, regional and remote communities, 300 performers took to the Sand Circle for Cultural Dance and Song Cycles, while eighteen groups also demonstrated their unique style in the Wild Card category.
 
The winners were as follows:

• DanceRites 2023 Overall Winner ($20,000): Mui Mui Bumer Gedlam (Peiudu, Torres Strait Islands)
• Runner Up ($5,000): AFL Cape York Aboriginal Cultural Dance (Cairns & Cape York, QLD)
• Best Wild Card Dance ($3,000): Yangkay Cultural Connect (Ngemba, NSW)
• Rite of Passage* Awards ($4,000): DIDG (Deaf Indigenous Dance Group – Gimuy Walubara Yidinji, QLD) and Eip Karem Beizam (Meriam, Torres Strait Islands)
  *an award to acknowledge outstanding contributions to revitalising cultural knowledge and practices.

An expert panel of Elma Gada Kris (Wagadagam Kigus, Kai Dangal Buai, Sipingur), Gina Rings (Kokatha Mirning), Matthew Doyle (Muruwari), Peta Strachan (Dharug) and Sani Townson (Koedal, Dhoeybaw, Samu Saibai Island Zenadth Kes) judged the competitors on their engagement with culture and language, markings and traditional instrumentation, as well as their technical dance skills. The weekend also featured performances from celebrated Songman Fred Leone (Butchulla and Garrwa) and previous DanceRites competitors Jannawi Dance Clan (Dharug).

Michael Hutchings, Head of First Nations Programming at the Sydney Opera House shared: “DanceRites has given us a weekend of joy, celebration, and community on the Sydney Opera House Forecourt. It was a privilege to welcome mob back to the site, to continue the traditions of Tubowgule as a meeting place where storytelling and dance has been shared for tens of thousands of years. This opportunity for cross-cultural and cross-generational gathering was truly unforgettable, and a testament to our enduring culture and customs.”