NAISDA calls on First Nations dancers to enrol for 2025

Phoebe Blogg Published June 6, 2024 at 12.00pm (AWST)

culture

NAISDA dancers performing on stage. (Image: NAISDA)

Internationally recognised as Australia's only arts training organisation providing accredited arts training courses for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, this month National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) has launched a call out for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students with a passion for dance to apply for its 2025 cohort.

Applications to study at the leading arts training organisation for First Nations people opened Monday June 3, and those wishing to apply are encouraged to express their interest soon.

Boasting an almost 50-year legacy of nurturing Australia's leading First Nations creative and cultural artists, NAISDA's learning model is the only one of its kind, focusing on lifelong learning, culture, and connection.

One of the annual learning highlights is NAISDA's cultural residency program delivered in partnership with remote communities and cultural tutors. The NAISDA cohort journeys each year to immerse in learning on Country with a remote community who share their guidance, knowledge, kinship and connection to Country.

"These unforgettable learning experiences are not offered anywhere else in Australia. They give a solid foundation in cultural dance technique, and importantly strengthen students' sense of self, empowering them to build their own contemporary practice and opportunities as independent artists," said Berthalia Selina Reuben, Peiudu and Samsep woman from Erub, Darnley Island and Cultural Trainer at NAISDA.

*NAISDA dancers performing on stage. (Image: NAISDA)*

NAISDA's nationally accredited qualifications, from Certificate III to Advanced Diploma, include skills development in cultural and contemporary dance genres, dance film and music production to meet the demands of the arts industry.

Training also includes real-world performance and production experiences in professional theatres, as well as valuable industry placements with arts companies and artists.

With a nationwide cohort, NAISDA also offers support services and programs to cultivate a thriving student community with onsite accommodation options, and training facilities located at its residential campus on Darkinjung Land at Kariong, NSW Central Coast.

*NAISDA dancers performing. (Image: NAISDA)*

For recent NAISDA graduate Peta-Louise Rixom, the program offered her a variety of experiences and opportunities which lead to her now pursuing a career in dance and stage management, as Bangarra Dance Theatre's Indigenous Production Trainee.

"NAISDA's curriculum, particularly the Advanced Diploma, offers training tailored to industry needs and your interests. One of the most important things is finding your own people—that's what NAISDA can offer. They really do become family," she said.

Maddison Fraser, also a recent graduate and 2024 Secondee with Dirty Feet, said "NAISDA has given me the opportunity to grow and develop into a confident artist who can navigate the performance industry".

"The opportunities to connect with Country and experience different First Nations communities provides so much life experience. Learning how to set yourself up to have a career, be independent and learn from internationally respected choreographers is invaluable," she said.