The NAISDA Dance College (usually referred to as simply NAISDA) is a

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

training college based in

Kariong, New South Wales Kariong () is a locality of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia west of Gosford along the Central Coast Highway. It is part of the local government area. History Kariong's first British settler was W.H. Parry in 1901. The ...

for

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

people in Australia. It was established as the Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Scheme (AISDS) in 1975, which became the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) in 1988. The date of establishment of the college is usually cited as 1976, although some sources report it as 1975. The dance troupe Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre (AIDT) arose in 1976 from AISDS, from which several dancers and

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

s went on to form

Bangarra Dance Theatre Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-born ...

History

1975–1999

The Aboriginal/ Islander Skills Development Scheme was founded by

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

dancer Carole Johnson in 1975. She had toured Australia, performing in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

and

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 ...

, in 1972, as part of the

Eleo Pomare Dance Company Eleo Pomare (20 October 1937 – 8 August 2008) was a Colombian-American modern dance choreographer. Known for his politically-charged productions depicting the Black experience, his work had a major influence on contemporary dance, especially Bla ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and was commissioned by the

Australia Council for the Arts The Australia Council for the Arts, commonly known as the Australia Council, is the country's official arts council, serving as an arts funding and advisory body for the Government of Australia. The council was announced in 1967 as the Austra ...

to run dance classes for Aboriginal people in Sydney. After a display performance of Indigenous dance at the

Black Theatre Black theatre or black theater may refer to: * Black light theatre, a staging concept using black backgrounds and black light * Black Theatre (Sydney), an Australian Aboriginal theatre company 1972–1977 * African-American musical theater ...

in 1975 there was a six-week workshop, the Six Weeks Performing Arts Training Programme, held in Redfern. A performance by Pastor Brady's Yelangi Dance Company and Stephen Mam's Torres Strait Island or

Waiben Thursday Island, colloquially known as TI, or in the Kalaw Lagaw Ya, Kawrareg dialect, Waiben or Waibene, is an island of the Torres Strait Islands, an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait. TI is located approximately ...

Dancers opened the workshop. Tutors included Johnson (

contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly strong popularity in ...

); Eddie Pau and Henry Peters (traditional dance of the

Torres Strait Islands The Torres Strait Islands are a group of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait, a waterway separating far northern continental Australia's Cape York Peninsula and the island of New Guinea. They span an area of , but their total land ...

and

Mornington Island Mornington Island, also known as Kunhanhaa, is an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Shire of Mornington (Queensland), Shire of Mornington, Queensland, Australia. It is the northernmost and largest of 22 islands that form the Wellesley I ...

);

Brian Syron Brian Gregory Syron (19 November 1934 – 14 October 1993) was an actor, teacher, Aboriginal rights activist, stage director and Australia's first Indigenous feature film director, who has also been recognised as the first First Nations featur ...

, with Ann Swan (drama); and others who taught speech, sound and lighting,

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...

, and writing. The participants in the workshop included John Bayles,

Euphemia Bostock Euphemia ( el, Εὐφημία; "well-spoken f), known as the All-praised in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was a virgin, who was martyred for her faith at Chalcedon in 303 AD. According to tradition, Euphemia was arrested for refusing to offer ...

, Laurel Briggs, Fred Buckskin, Irene Casey, Betty Colbund, Aileen Corpus,

Lillian Crombie Lillian Crombie (born 1958) is an Aboriginal Australian actress and dancer, known for her work on stage, film and television. Early life and education Lillian Crombie was born in 1958. She is of the Pitjantjatjara/ Yankunytjatjara people of cen ...

, Jack Davis,

Christine Donnelly The Aboriginal Dance Theatre Redfern (ADTR) is an Australian non-profit organisation providing cultural and dance programs for Aboriginal Australian, located in the Sydney suburb of Redfern. It was founded in 1979 by Christine Donnelly, who re ...

, Elizabeth Duncan, Ros Forgan, Monica Hoffman, Yvette Isaacs, Andrew Jackomos, Rhona Keys, Pearl King, Lorraine Mafi, Shireen Malamoo, Hylus Maris, Zac Martin, Wayne Nicol, Dorathea Randall, Fred Reynolds, Ralph Rigby, Cherie (Cheryl) Stone (co-founder of

), Georgina Telfer,

Maureen Watson Maureen Watson, also known as "Aunty Maureen" (9 November 1931 – 4 January 2009), was a supporter of Aboriginal rights in Australia, actor, vocalist, writer, musician and storyteller. Early life and education Watson was born on 9 November 193 ...

, Roslyn Watson, and Darryl Williams. After the workshop, a three-year professional course called "Careers in Dance" was created. Preliminary funding for three months was provided by the Department of Education. CC-BY icon

Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under
Attribution 2.0 Australia (CC BY 2.0 AU)
licence. The Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Scheme was established in 1975 to train

Indigenous Australians Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

in dance. It arose from a collaboration of

s trained in Western dance styles and cultural custodians of traditional Aboriginal dance, led by Carole Johnson. Its first intake of students, who started in October 1975, were

, Wayne Nicol,

Michael Leslie Michael Leslie (born 28 January 1993) is a former Scottish professional snooker player. Leslie turned professional in 2012 after winning the 2012 EBSA European Under-21 Snooker Championships and gained a two-year tour card for the 2012–13 ...

, Dorathea Randall, Cheryl Stone and Darryl Williams (who had participated in the workshop), and new students Richard Talonga and Roslyn Watson.

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia, they are often grouped ...

people were involved from the beginning, owing to strict rules that traditional dances could only be performed if a traditional owner of that dance was present. There was an emphasis on developing a unique style of contemporary Indigenous dancing. In 1976, Careers in Dance became a subsidiary of the Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Scheme (AISDS), which was established as the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association in 1988, and is now NAISDA Dance College. NAISDA refers to 1976 as its foundation date, although some sources cite 1975. Founding members of NAISDA, apart from Johnson, were Lucy Jumawan from the Philippines, the principal teacher, and students Lillian Crombie, Wayne Nicol, Dorathea Randall, Cheryl Stone, Darryl Williams, Michael Leslie, Richard Talonga, Malcolm Cole, Kim Walker and Philip Langley. Over the years, Johnson engaged many other dancers and choreographers from around Australia and worldwide, and together they developed what is now known as Contemporary Indigenous Dance Technique. The Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre (AIDT), which arose out of NAISDA in 1976 and comprising NAISDA students, was the first contemporary Indigenous Australian

dance company A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a sport, spectacle or entertainment. There are many different types of dance companies, often working in different styles of dan ...

. It toured nationally and internationally, becoming known as the most toured dance company in Australia. AIDT remained a part of the NAISDA under the artistic direction from 1989 of

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 ( ...

, former student of NAISDA and the first Indigenous person to lead a dance company in Australia. It disbanded following the departure of Blanco in 1998. Johnson founded

in 1989, with

Stephen Page Stephen George Page (born 1965) is an Australian choreographer, film director and former dancer. He is the current artistic director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre, an Indigenous Australian dance company. Page is descended from the Nunukul peopl ...

taking the reins in 1991. In 1997, NAISDA achieved the status of

Registered Training Organisation A registered training organisation (RTO), in Australia, is an organisation providing Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses to students, resulting in qualifications or statements of attainment that are recognised and accepted by indust ...

, and became a founding member of the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

's "

Australian Roundtable for Arts Training Excellence Performing arts education in Australia refers to the teaching of different styles of creative activity that are performed publicly. The performing arts in Australia encompasses many disciplines including music, dance, theatre, musical theatre, ci ...

" (ARTS8), comprising a number of "elite training institutions" directly funded by the

Office for the Arts The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA), formerly Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications (DITRDC), is a department of the Australian ...

. It was intended that Johnson's vision of training style should persist.

2000–present

Until 2007, NAISDA was located in the inner

suburbs of Redfern,

Glebe Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...

and then The Rocks, before moving to their present location in the Mt Penang Parklands, near

Gosford Gosford is the city and administrative centre of the Central Coast Council local government area in the heart of the Central Coast region, about north of Sydney and about south of Newcastle. The city centre is situated at the northern extr ...

. Shortly after the move, former student Kim Walker was appointed Executive Director and Head of Dance. the board appointed alumnus Kim Walker as Executive Director and Head of Dance. As of 2008, NAISDA was funded as an arts education "

Centre of Excellence A center of excellence (COE or CoE ), also called excellence center, is a team, a shared facility or an entity that provides leadership, best practices, research, support or training for a focus area. Due to its broad usage and vague legal prec ...

" by the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

and was also supported by the

New South Wales Government The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...

. It was a

registered training organisation A registered training organisation (RTO), in Australia, is an organisation providing Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses to students, resulting in qualifications or statements of attainment that are recognised and accepted by indust ...

(RTO) offering Certificates II, III and IV and a Diploma in Careers in Dance, and was a member of the Australian Roundtable for Arts Training Excellence. Between 2008 and 2010, Walker, in close collaboration with the NAISDA Performing Arts Advisory Committee, developed a new

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curricula or curriculums) is broadly defined as the totality of student experiences that occur in the educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view ...

, which was implemented in 2011. In March 2012 a new building, housing a number of purpose-built studios, was opened. In 2016, founder Carole Johnson, along with three college graduates, undertook a six-week performing tour of the United States. Also in 2016, NSW Arts Minister Leslie Williams announced of new funding for NAISDA. In November–December 2016, the 40th anniversary of NAISDA was celebrated in an exhibition at

Carriageworks Carriageworks is a multi-arts urban cultural precinct located at the former Eveleigh Railway Workshops in Redfern, Sydney, Australia. Carriageworks showcases contemporary art and performing arts, as well as being used for filming, festivals, fa ...

at Redfern. ''Naya Wa Yugali'' ("We Dance" in

Darkinyung language Darkinjung (Darrkinyung; many other spellings; see below) is an Australian Aboriginal language, the traditional language of the Darkinjung people. While no audio recordings of the language survive, several researchers have compiled wordlists an ...

) featured

oral histories Oral history is the collection and study of historical information about individuals, families, important events, or everyday life using audiotapes, videotapes, or transcriptions of planned interviews. These interviews are conducted with people wh ...

, photographs, film footage and artwork by

Tracey Moffatt Tracey Moffatt (born 12 November 1960) is an Indigenous Australian artist who primarily uses photography and video. In 2017 she represented Australia at the 57th Venice Biennale with her solo exhibition, "My Horizon". Her works are held in th ...

Michael Riley Michael Riley (born February 4, 1962) is a Canadian actor. From 1998 to 2000, he portrayed Brett Parker in '' Power Play''. He has acted in over 40 films and television series, including '' This Is Wonderland'', for which he received a Gemini Aw ...

Juno Gemes Juno Gemes (born 1944) is a Hungarian-born Australian activist and photographer, best known for her photography of Aboriginal Australians.Lee Chittick and

Elaine Kitchener Elaine may refer to: * Elaine (legend), name shared by several different female characters in Arthurian legend, especially: ** Elaine of Astolat ** Elaine of Corbenic * Elaine (short story), "Elaine" (short story), 1945 short story by J. D. Salinge ...

as well as a specially commissioned work by Vicki Van Hout and Marian Abboud. An auction was held to help raise funds for the planned new international college, Naya Wa Yugali. NAISDA has built close ties with Badu and

Saibai Island Saibai Island, often shortened to just Saibai ( mwp, Saybay), is an island of the Torres Strait Islands archipelago, located in the Torres Strait of Queensland, Australia. The island is situated north of the Australian mainland and south o ...

s in the Torres Strait,

Elcho Island Elcho Island, known to its traditional owners as Galiwin'ku (Galiwinku) is an island off the coast of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located at the southern end of the Wessel Islands group located in the East Arnhe ...

and

Yirrkala Yirrkala is a small community in East Arnhem Region, Northern Territory, Australia, southeast of the large mining town of Nhulunbuy, on the Gove Peninsula in Arnhem Land. Its population comprises predominantly Aboriginal Australians of the ...

(NT), and Turkey Creek (WA).

Description and governance

NAISDA is based in

Mount Penang Parklands The Mount Penang Juvenile Justice Centre is a heritage-listed former juvenile detention centre, now a parkland and redevelopment precinct known as Mount Penang Parklands. It is situated on the Pacific Highway at Somersby, Central Coast, New ...

in Kariong on the Central Coast of

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, on Darkinjung land. Graduates have worked in arts management, dance, music, theatre and film, both at the elite and community level. , NAISDA Ltd is a

limited company In a limited company, the liability of members or subscribers of the company is limited to what they have invested or guaranteed to the company. Limited companies may be limited by Share (finance), shares or by guarantee. In a company limited by ...

that runs the Dance College, and is governed by a board which includes

Wesley Enoch Wesley James Enoch (born 1969) is an Australian playwright and artistic director. He is especially known for ''The 7 Stages of Grieving'', co-written with Deborah Mailman. He was artistic director of the Queensland Theatre Company from mid-2 ...

and Elizabeth Butcher and is chaired by Maryah Sonter. The NAISDA Foundation is a separate fund-raising entity, whose patron since its establishment in December 2013 is Dame

Marie Bashir Dame Marie Roslyn Bashir (born 1 December 1930) is the former and second longest-serving Governor of New South Wales. Born in Narrandera, New South Wales, Bashir graduated from the University of Sydney in 1956 and held various medical positio ...

. It continues to be funded by the Australian and New South Wales Governments. Its funding as one of the

ARTS8 Performing arts education in Australia refers to the teaching of different styles of creative activity that are performed publicly. The performing arts in Australia encompasses many disciplines including music, dance, theatre, musical theatre, circ ...

group of eight elite training organisations in the

is through the

. NAISDA achieves a completion rate of around 84 per cent, compared with the national rate for completion of 34 per cent in the VET sector.

Future plans

Plans are under way for new international art education centre, Naya Wa Yugali (meaning "we dance" in

Darkinjung language Darkinjung (Darrkinyung; many other spellings; see below) is an Australian Aboriginal language, the traditional language of the Darkinjung people. While no audio recordings of the language survive, several researchers have compiled wordlists an ...

) to be built adjacent to the current campus. Plans include an expanded curriculum of accredited courses across the creative industry, helping to increase the number of qualified artists and leaders. It will also provide training and retraining for people already in industry, and will include a program of "open courses, classes, concerts, performances, arts exchange forums, school programs, outreach and engagement opportunities for our regional, national and international communities".

In film and television

NAISDA was the subject of an

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

documentary, ''From Dreamtime to Dance'', narrated by Stan Grant and broadcast in 2002.

People

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 South Sea Islanders are the Australian descendants of Pacific Islanders from more than 80 islandsincluding the Oceanian archipelagoes of the Solomon Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, the Gilbert Islands and New Irelandwho were kidnappe ...

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 ...

, later a teacher and counsellor 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 he took the role of

Captain Cook James Cook (7 November 1728 Old Style date: 27 October – 14 February 1779) was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy, famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 in the Pacific Ocean an ...

in an enactment 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 ...

landing, in which a boatful of black sailors was pulled by a white man. This was the first ever Aboriginal float entry in the parade. Along with Lillian Crombie, he was the first co-presenter for the

's ''Blackout'' in 1989. He also taught dance as an

artist in residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

at many Australian schools. His legacy includes the Malcolm Cole Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Performing Arts Scholarship at the

University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

; the Alexandria Public School weekly awards called "Malcolms"; and Malcolm Cole Terrace in the

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

suburb of

Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...

Staff

Other teachers not mentioned above, among many others, included

David Gulpilil David Dhalatnghu Gulpilil (1 July 1953 – 29 November 2021), known professionally as David Gulpilil and posthumously (at his family's request, to avoid naming the dead) as David Dalaithngu for three days, was an Indigenous Australian actor ...

and Larry Gurruwiwi.

Prominent alumni

Wayne Nicol and Dorathea Randall were the first Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander choreographers who graduated from NAISDA. Other notable alumni include: * Christine Anu *

* Gary Lang (of NT Dance Company) *

Russell Page Montague Russell Page (1 November 1906 – 4 January 1985) was a British gardener, garden designer and landscape architect. He worked in the UK, western Europe and the United States of America. Biography Montague Russell Page was born in Lin ...

References

External links

*
Guide to the Records of the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association, 1973-2009

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

* * * {{Australian Roundtable for Arts Training Excellence Dance education in Australia Education in New South Wales Indigenous Australian education Australian vocational education and training providers Organisations serving Indigenous Australians 1975 establishments in Australia