Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre (AIDT) was the first dance company used to train

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

and Torres Strait Islander students on their dancing career, and grew into a performance group. Originating in the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (predecessor to NAISDA), it was based in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, New South Wales, and operated from 1976 to 1998.

History

The group has its origins in "Careers in Dance", a full-time dance training course established in 1975 for Aboriginal and Islander students by the Aboriginal Arts Board and headed by African American dancer Carole Johnson, who had links to the Black Power movement in the United States. She set up classes in St James Church Hall in the Sydney suburb of Glebe, where the training included traditional as well as contemporary styles of dance. The group of student dancers established in 1976 grew to include teachers as well as advanced and graduate students of the NAISDA ( National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association) Dance College, and in 1988 became a professional performing group. In 1977 AIDT embarked on its first international tour, with Wayne Nicol, Michael Leslie, Richard Talonga, Lillian Crombie and Roslyn Watson (as guest artist) performing at the Second African and Black World Festival of Arts and Culture ( FESTAC 77) in Nigeria. After undergoing its transformation into a large professional dance troupe in 1988, AIDT performed in Finland and Germany, and later toured throughout Australia, as well as in Asia, Europe and the Americas. The company became known as the most toured dance company in Australia. In 1989 Johnson resigned, believing at that time that the school and the company were too closely connected, and their aims sometimes conflicted. There were multiple government grants from various sources, demanding different criteria and creating a large administrative burden. John Alderman was appointed to the role of leading the company in 1987, but the Aboriginal Arts Board soon afterwards directed that senior roles needed to be occupied by Aboriginal people, or it would withdraw its funding. In 1991

Raymond D. Blanco Raymond is a male given name. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as the Germanic ᚱᚨᚷᛁᚾᛗᚢᚾᛞ ( ...

, who also danced with the company, became

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the ...

, the first Indigenous Australian to lead a dance company. The company wound up in 1998.

People

Notable dancers in the 1970s included Wayne Nicol, Michael Leslie, Richard Talonga, and Lillian Crombie.

Malcolm Cole Malcolm, Malcom, Máel Coluim, or Maol Choluim may refer to: People * Malcolm (given name), includes a list of people and fictional characters * Clan Malcolm * Maol Choluim de Innerpeffray, 14th-century bishop-elect of Dunkeld Nobility * Máel C ...

(1949-1995), was an Aboriginal and South Sea Islander man from

Far North Queensland Far North Queensland (FNQ) is the northernmost part of the Australian state of Queensland. Its largest city is Cairns and it is dominated geographically by Cape York Peninsula, which stretches north to the Torres Strait, and west to the Gulf C ...

, who later also taught at the college. He is especially remembered for his participation in the 1988

Sydney Mardi Gras The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras or Sydney Mardi Gras is an event in Sydney, New South Wales attended by hundreds of thousands of people from around Australia and overseas. One of the largest such festivals in the world, Mardi Gras is the ...

, in which, in collaboration with artist Panos Couros, he enacted the story of the

First Fleet The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command ...

, with himself as Captain Cook – the first ever Aboriginal float entry in the parade. Notable dancers in the 1980s included Monica Stevens and

Sylvia Blanco Sylvia may refer to: People *Sylvia (given name) *Sylvia (singer), American country music and country pop singer and songwriter *Sylvia Robinson, American singer, record producer, and record label executive *Sylvia Vrethammar, Swedish singer credi ...

. Stevens is featured in "NAISDA with Monica Stevens", an episode in the 2013 documentary television series '' Desperate Measures''. It is available on SBS on Demand. Dance tutors included

Janet Munyarryun Guypunura "Janet" Munyarryun (born ) is an Aboriginal dancer, choreographer and tutor. She was a founding member of the Bangarra Dance Theatre. Biography Munyarryun was born in Yirrkala, a community in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. She grew ...

Larry Gurruwiwi Djalu Gurruwiwi, also written Djalu ( – 12 May 2022), was a Yolngu man from Arnhem Land in northern Australia, known worldwide for his skill as a player, maker and spiritual keeper of the yiḏaki (didgeridoo). He was also a respected artis ...

Notable works

*''Gelam'', choreographed by Dujon Niue, the first ever adaptation of a Torres Strait Island legend *''Colours'', the first contemporary interpretation of Indigenous use of colour, in a concept from dancer

Gary Lang Gary may refer to: *Gary (given name), a common masculine given name, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name *Gary, Indiana, the largest city named Gary Places ;Iran *Gary, Iran, Sistan and Baluchestan Province ;Unit ...

and choreographed by Marilyn Miller, Dujon Niue and Raymond Blanco

Notable students

* Gail Mabo, 1984 to 1987 * Stephen Page

References

External links

*{{Citation , author1=Seselja, Loui. , title=Creating Pathways Forum, a national Indigenous dance forum, National Museum of Australia, 27-30 October 2005 , year=2005 , section=33 digital photographs : col. , publisher= , url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-131601806 , id=nla.obj-131601806 , access-date=31 August 2022 , via= Trove
Portrait of Dennis Newie, also known as Dujon Niue
2005 Dance education in Australia Education in New South Wales Indigenous Australian education Australian vocational education and training providers Organisations serving Indigenous Australians 1976 establishments in Australia 1998 disestablishments in Australia

History

People

Notable works

Notable students

See also

References

External links