DARUNG MURU*, inaugural NSW Aboriginal Dance Forum, was held on the 18th May and 19th May at the Sydney Opera House Boardroom.  The forum aligned with the 2011 Message Sticks Festival and a presentation by NAISDA Dance College as part of the Kids at the House Education program.  Funding from Arts NSW was approved to deliver the NSW Aboriginal Dance Forum 2011 as part of the implementation of the NSW Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Strategy; Direction 1: Artists (1). * Darung Muru: Dance Pathways

NSW was recently identified as an Aboriginal contemporary dance ‘hot spot' (2) with a large number of emerging and mid-career Aboriginal dance artists and choreographers residing and practicing in NSW, alongside Bangarra Dance Theatre  and National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) (3) . Additionally, national arts research indicates NSW and QLD had a significantly higher level of attendance at Indigenous dance performances (compared to Victoria and South Australia) (4).    

• a)       provide an opportunity for NSW Indigenous dance artists to voice critical issues they are facing in their practice;

• b)       identify priority issues for NSW Indigenous dance artists;

• c)       establish a snapshot of existing Indigenous dance activity in NSW;

• d)       develop clear priority recommendations from forum outcomes; and

• e)       prepare the final report and submission to Arts NSW at the completion of the forum.

A forum steering committee, representing the NSW Aboriginal dance sector, was primarily responsible for approving the forum framework, focus, priority topics for discussion, invited participant list and signing off the final report and submission to Arts NSW.  The report is currently being completed by an appointed consultant for submission in August 2011. The priority forum topics for discussion and the 16 representative delegates were selected following a comprehensive consultation phase with NSW Aboriginals dance practitioners that provided the steering committee with sufficient data to inform the focus of the forum. 

The results of the forum consultation highlighted that the NSW Aboriginal dance sector also comprises of:  graduating students from NAISDA, emerging artists in their first 5 years of practice, mid career and established NSW Aboriginal dance artists and companies. Artists are practising in contemporary dance, community dance, cultural dance, hip hop and street dance. The sector is segmented to encompass; independent artists, dance custodians, choreographers, teachers in schools, tertiary institutions and dancers in government funded and non government companies. NSW Aboriginal dance artists are practising in Sydney CBD, Western Sydney and Regional NSW in both the arts and tourism sectors.  The consultation phase identified the following topic areas:

• Place and Space addressing issues of artistic and cultural exchange, scholarships, mentoring, appropriate rehearsal space
• Culture in Practice, including understanding and recognition of appropriate protocols that informs the creation of dance works and the creative process.
• Distance and Access - outreach programs (send people out, or bring people in to facilitate discussion between regional, urban, regional artists coming into the city for reasons of employment and opportunity. It would be important to capture these distinct different point of views, and address their particular needs.
• Sustainability of the Work, and therefore employment and career paths – (including discussion regarding access to producers, touring and festivals).
• Funding includes different models and sources eg ArtsNSW, Australia Council, Tourism, local government, non-government sources. 

Each topic was discussed highlighting what is:

• currently good
• the issues faced
• challenges encountered
• identify the needs
• name the obstacles.

From the critical issues that were identified as forum topics, the delegates were asked to consider what were some possible solutions/initiatives that would address them?  And specifically, what are the top three things Arts NSW and Ausdance NSW could implement that would make the most difference?

• Why?
• What would these initiatives look like – importantly what are the qualities that would make it functional/work? What qualities would make it dysfunctional?
• What could be used that exists already?

To conclude the forum the delegates outlined a brief 3 year strategy and unanimously approved the recommendation for Ausdance NSW to request a position to be funded, initially, within the Ausdance NSW operational structure, to represent the sector and drive the development of a NSW Aboriginal Dance Program.  This proposed newly created role would be responsible for developing and implementing a detailed program plan using various dance and Aboriginal networks to address the artists issues elaborated at the Darung Muru dance pathways forum in May 2011. The role would incorporate implementing strategic directions and priorities, co-coordinating advocacy strategies, negotiating partnerships, attracting investment and representing the project statewide. The Manager, NSW Aboriginal Dance Program, will work with an advisory committee and NSW Aboriginal dance practitioners to bridge the many gaps that separate them from each other and from career opportunities.

Ausdance NSW would like to thank the Darung Muru steering committee, project team and of course the delegates and looks forward to releasing the recommendations from the final forum report.

 Cathy Murdoch, Director AusdanceNSW

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Darung Muru, Steering Committee Members

Liza-Mare Syron (Chair), Aboriginal Cultural Development Officer, Capacity and Development (Arts NSW, Communities NSW)

Lily Shearer, General Manager (Gadigal Information Service Aboriginal Corporation)

Cathy Murdoch, Director (Ausdance NSW)

Johanna Clancy (Contemporary Aboriginal Dancer/Dance Teacher)

Cecil McLeod (Song man, Dancer Doonooch Dancers, Founder and leading Song man Yuin Ghudjargah Dance Company)

Peta Strachan (Contemporary Aboriginal Dancer, Artistic Director Jannawi Dance Theatre)

Rayma Johnson (Contemporary Aboriginal Dancer & Choreographer)

Darung Muru Management Team  

Ausdance NSW                                  Executive Management of project

Lee Maverick Enterprises                Jasmine Gulash and Sandy Collins

Facilitator                                            Michael Campbell                                               

Report writer                                       Dr Laura Ginters

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The NSW Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Strategy

Liza Mare Syron | Arts NSW

Over the life of the Strategy 2010- 2014 there will be an art form forum each year. It is part of the Strategy’s broader agenda to identify gaps and opportunities in Aboriginal arts practice and provide targeted investment to strengthen support for Aboriginal artists in all art forms.

The Strategy was informed by consultations with the NSW Aboriginal arts and cultural sector, including Aboriginal arts workers and artists, and Aboriginal community and arts organisations from across NSW. It aims to foster a vibrant NSW Aboriginal arts and cultural sector that affords Aboriginal people of NSW greater opportunities to participate in, share and strengthen their culture through arts practice and develop careers and businesses in the arts and cultural sector.

Presenting an annual Aboriginal Arts Symposium is designed to ensure a better understanding of the NSW Aboriginal arts and cultural landscape. Dance was selected for the inaugural symposium as the 2010 Australia Council report More than bums on seats: Australian participation in the arts identifies NSW as an Aboriginal contemporary dance ‘hot spot’.

NSW is home to Australia’s premier and most visibly successful Indigenous dance company Bangarra Dance Theatre across the water at Pier 4. NSW is also the home of the national Indigenous tertiary dance training institution, National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) located at Mt Penang Gosford.   As a state therefore, NSW appears to offer Indigenous dance artists from around Australia the most visible and prestigious employment pathways in contemporary Aboriginal dance. But as we discovered in the Strategy consultation with the Aboriginal arts and cultural sector and the peak body for dance in the state, Ausdance NSW, this is by no means the whole picture and there remain many needs and gaps in the Aboriginal dance sector in NSW.

Arts NSW worked closely with Ausdance NSW and the Aboriginal dance sector to present ‘Darung Muru’ that will provide outcomes and recommendations to support initiatives for NSW Aboriginal dance artists under the Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Strategy. What emerges from Darung Muru’ will be of importance to not only the Aboriginal dance sector in NSW but the whole of the dance industry in the state and should assist in shaping future directions, programs and initiatives in dance.

NSW has a long history of being the launching pad for a broader national platform for Aboriginal arts through locally developed theatre, dance, music, screen production and visual arts. The NSW Aboriginal arts and cultural sector is well placed to continue this leadership through presenting and exploring new and exciting innovations of arts and cultural expression with the support of the NSW Government.

Since the release in October 2010, the NSW government has allocated over $2 million for more than 50 Aboriginal arts and cultural programs and projects across the state as part of the Strategy. The $1 million funding injection announced in May 2011 includes:

·         $200,000 over two years for the Sydney Opera House to expand the Message Sticks Festival into a full multimedia program with more new work from local artists

·         $200,000 over two years for Bangarra Dance Theatre to fund a new traineeship program

·         $145,500 to fund professional internships by Aboriginal artworkers with the Biennale of Sydney

·         $120,000 for Museums and Galleries NSW to hold a two-day summit on Aboriginal keeping places and cultural knowledge centres.

Also included in this funding is $100,000 for nine projects under the first NSW Aboriginal Regional Arts Fund (ARAF).  Applications are open to individuals and organisations living in or based in regional NSW.

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