While in Canberra, Bangarra Dance Theatre is committed to engaging with the community beyond their performance by holding a beautiful contemporary dance workshop inspired by the company’s work ‘Sheltering’, on at the Canberra Theatre 23-27 May.
The workshop will focus on exploring cultural elements of dance in a contemporary setting. The event is open to dancers 14+ years old, independent dance artists, dance teachers and adult dancers with an intermediate to advanced level of training in contemporary dance.
The session will be facilitated by the wonderful company members, Kassidy Waters, Daniel Mateo and Tamara Bouman, who will share the rich culture and history that is sewn through their storytelling.
Friday 22nd May, 11.15am-12.45pm
D Block Studio, Gorman Arts Centre Ainslie Avenue Braddon
Cost:
$25 for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Community
$40 Ausdance ACT Member - not a member? Sign up via link in bio.
$55 for General Admission
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Community bursary places available, apply via link in bio.
Workshop Bookings link in bio.
Ausdance ACT’s Workshop Series is presented with support from Canberra Theatre Centre & Gorman Arts Centre
📸 Daniel Boud
Australia’s National Cultural Policy is about to be reviewed, giving us the opportunity to influence what comes next. Please fill out this short survey as your responses will inform the Federal Submission Ausdance National are doing on behalf of the dance sector for the new National Cultural Policy, Revive 2.0.
This is very important, as dance featured minimally in the last version and we need to have a stronger bolder voice.
Complete survey via link in bio.
Moments from Ausdance ACT’s Australian Dance Week opening celebrations yesterday on International Dance Day atop Mount Ainslie.
Featuring Aunty Serena from Yukkumbruk Women’s Dreaming welcome to country and smoking ceremony, opening by Caitlin Tough MLA, hosted by Ausdance ACT Executive Director Dr Cathy Adamek and International Dance Day message beautifully delivered by Dr Elizabeth Cameron Dalman AM, CdOAL. And a special appearance by the ‘Diamond of Dance Week’ Liz Lea with The Stellar Company and dancers from Canberra Dance Theatre.
A stunning start to a fabulous week of dance.
View full #AustralianDanceWeek calendar via link in bio or download the Ausdance app (free from the app store) for all the details.
📸 @ojwikner_photography
The 2026 Youth Dance Festival theme has officially been released — THE METAVERSE — and entries are now open.
This futuristic world of 3D avatars and virtual reality invites dancers to explore a parallel universe of social interaction and connection, and to imagine how this digital realm transforms the real world.
Youth Dance Festival encourages a student-led approach to dance making, choreography, theatre and film making and provides a shared artistic experience and professional mentoring.
Join the fun and sign your school up now! Link in bio. Entries close 26th May.
For more information, please contact us via email [email protected]
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#danceinschools #danceeducation #inclusivedance #youthdance #youthdancefestival
Yesterday in the Assembly, I spoke about the success of Australian Dance Week here in Canberra 💃
From its beginnings in 1982 to a nationwide celebration today, it’s a powerful reminder of how dance connects our community.
Thank you to @ausdanceact and everyone who made this week so vibrant and inclusive ✨
What a wonderful morning! Our #AustralianDanceWeek networking morning tea brought together studios, educators, artists, and advocates for a rich and inspiring conversation about inclusion in dance.
We were fortunate to hear from Shannon Kolak, CEO of ACT Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability; Holly Diggle, Director of Dance Northside; and Natalie Pearse, President of Ausdance ACT and Director of Pointe2Pointe Studio — each offering perspectives on what inclusive practice can look like across our sector.
A special thank‑you to artist Anna Connolly from The Stellar Company’s Chameleon Collective, Canberra’s first inclusive dance company, for sharing some of her dance journey and answering questions.
Attendees left with practical tools, new ideas, and renewed confidence to create inclusive dance spaces. We’re grateful to everyone who came along and contributed.
This event was supported by Gorman Arts Centre.
We were delighted to partner with the NFSA - National Film and Sound Archive of Australia to present ‘Pointe Dancing on a Knife’s Edge’ during #AustralianDanceWeek. Directed by Dawn Jackson, the documentary shares the powerful story of dancer Floeur Lucette Alder and her journey of resilience, artistry, and recovery.
Pointe reflects on survival, inherited strength, and the transformative force of art, touching on universal themes of family, trauma, violence against women, and the healing potential of creativity.
After the screening, our Executive Director Dr Cathy Adamek joined Floeur for a rich panel discussion with leading ACT experts: Dr Elizabeth Cameron Dalman AM, CdOAL (Mirramu Creative Arts Centre), Debora Di Centa (ZEST Dance for Wellbeing and somatic dance practitioner), Jane Ingall (ZEST Dance for Wellbeing and Somebody’s Aunt), Liz Lea (independent artist and The Stellar Company), Grace Peng (舞蹈生態系創意團隊 Dancecology Taiwan), Vivienne Rogis (dance artist and Pilates practitioner), and Jacqui Simmonds (ZEST Dance for Wellbeing and Canberra Dance Theatre).
The conversation offered deep insight into the film and explored the role of dance in healing, moving beyond the usual discourse of “well-being.” We’re grateful to our panel for their generosity and expertise, and we look forward to continuing this important conversation.
📸 @modeimagery
**RSVP REMINDER - #AustralianDanceWeek Networking Morning Tea**
Wednesday 6th May 10.30am Main Hall, Gorman Arts Centre
Participate in an open conversation about inclusion in dance, contribute your insights, and share your experiences. Our morning tea sessions are specifically created with the needs of dance studios, teachers and educators in mind, and everyone is welcome.
We will be joined by Shannon Kolak Chief Executive Officer of ACT Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability, Holly Diggle Director of Dance Northside and a leading advocate for inclusion and community connection — read her inspiring story here https://shorturl.at/uvUQz; and Natalie Pearse, President of Ausdance ACT and Director of Pointe2Pointe Studio, who is also leading the way in championing inclusive practice across the dance sector.
We will also welcome artist Anna Connolly from The Chameleon Collective. The Chameleon Collective are Canberra’s first inclusive dance company, a boutique offering of artistic excellence in the inclusive and accessible arts field, and Anna will be available to answer your questions.
Inclusion can look different from one studio to another — there is no single “right” way to welcome dancers with disability. Shannon will explore what inclusion in dance means, offering practical advice for studios and teachers. Understanding the core principles of inclusion is the first step toward creating more accessible and inclusive dance experiences across Canberra. As a community, we can shape what inclusion in dance looks like.
•What can you do to create a more inclusive dance space without compromising your school’s non‑negotiables.
•You will receive a toolkit and learn what assistance is available for dance schools supporting people with disability.
•Create your own way and build the confidence to have open conversations with parents.
This event is free to attend though RSVPs are essential for catering purposes by email to [email protected].
This event is presented with support from Gorman Arts Centre.
✨ Two days, two performances — and so much heart in every movement.
Grateful to Ausdance ACT and to Australian Dance Week for this beautiful opportunity to share, to express, to be seen.
This dance was always about connection —with each other, with the body, with nature.
And today… even the rain became part of it. 🌧️
Like nature dancing with us, not around us.
So grateful for these moments, this energy, this experience.
It stays with you long after the music stops.
@yasorupadasi@denidominguez@_kateryn_ka
Expand your horizon of movement this #AustralianDanceWeek with acclaimed artist and educator Floeur Lucette Alder. Join Floeur in a fun and friendly class to explore new forms of motion and find flexibility at your level.
Floorbarre – a low-impact exercise and is great for anyone looking to increase their strength, improve flexibility and so much more.
Contemporary – a basic technique class adjusted to suit various levels of experience. This includes floorwork, travelling sequences and applying creative elements from the performance ‘Djilba’ at the conclusion of the session.
Floeur and her mother, the late prima ballerina Lucette Aldous AC, were the only people in Australia qualified to teach Floorbarre—the 1960s technique developed by Bolshoi-trained dancer Boris Kniaseff for recovery and technical refinement. The lineage was passed directly from Aldous, who, with Canberra born and trained Alan Alder, founded the WAAPA Dance Department. Today, Floeur remains Australia’s sole authorised teacher and one of only a few worldwide preserving this specialised practice.
This open workshop is suitable for anyone aged ten and above who has some dance or yoga experience. Floorbarre can support people recovering from injury and can also benefit participants in their everyday movement and wellbeing.
“I’m looser now at 70 years old than I was at 18 thanks to the Floorbarre” - Lucette Aldous AC
TOMORROW, Sunday 3rd May 10.30am-12.30pm
D Block Studio, Gorman Arts Centre
All tickets $35, bookings via link in bio.
📸: Floeur teaching Floorebarre public classes at West Australian Ballet
Experience ‘POINTE: Dancing on a Knife’s Edge’ this Sunday!
A documentary Directed and Produced by Dawn Jackson
Presented by Ausdance ACT for #AustralianDanceWeek in collaboration with the NFSA - National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.
Dancer Floeur Lucette Alder, daughter of ballet luminaries Lucette Aldous AC and Alan Alder survives a brutal attack. While physical wounds heal, trauma stirs turbulent past memories, sparking a deeply personal quest to find her place in the dance world.
Critics describe the 2025 documentary as a “poetic and unflinching portrait” of dancer Floeur Alder’s resilience. Dance Australia labeled it a “landmark moment” with “striking visual beauty,” while FilmInk praised its depiction of dance as “both vulnerability and armour”.
POINTE is a reflection on survival, inherited strength and the transformative force of art. Through one artist’s lived experience, it explores universal themes of family, violence against women, trauma and resilience.
Q&A following the screening with Floeur Alder and panel discussion on Dance and Healing moderated by Ausdance ACT Executive Director Dr Cathy Adamek and a panel of ACT experts - Dr Elizabeth Cameron Dalman AM, CdOAL (Mirramu Creative Arts Centre), Debora Di Centa (ZEST Dance for Wellbeing and somatic dance practitioner), Jane Ingall (ZEST Dance for Wellbeing and Somebody’s Aunt), Liz Lea (independent artist and The Stellar Company), Grace Peng (舞蹈生態系創意團隊 Dancecology Taiwan), Vivienne Rogis (dance artist and Pilates practioner) and Jacqui Simmonds, (ZEST Dance for Wellbeing and Canberra Dance Theatre). The session will both provide insight into the film as well as explore the role of dance and healing, expanding beyond the discourse of “well-being”.
Sunday 3 May 2pm | Arc Cinema, NFSA 1 McCoy Circuit, Acton
Booking link in bio.
📸 Jon Green
Get your groove on this week with Ausdance ACT!
Australian Dance Week is back for 2026, offering over 20 open invitations to spectate, sparkle and move your body until Wednesday 6 May. With classes and showcases for everyone, there's no excuse to miss out on Canberra’s biggest dance party of the year.
Tap the link in our bio to explore the full calendar of workshops, performances, and events for all ages and abilities.
