The full program for DanceRites 2026 was officially revealed this week.
Taking place across October 24-25, the event will host two packed days of family-friendly performances on the Sydney Opera House Forecourt.
The biennial celebration of First Nations dance, song and culture will present more than 320 dancers across the weekend's competition and special guest performances.
This year's program includes two special tributes to the late Rhoda Roberts AO and her work to safeguard vital cultural practices on a national stage, which included founding DanceRites as part of the Homeground Festival in 2015. The weekend will open with a performance from Jannawi Dance Clan, a piece created and choreographed by Peta Strachan (Dharug) and Matthew Doyle (Muruwari, Yuwalarray) to honour Ms Roberts.
A group of Canadian Powwow performers, Wabanaki Dancers, will close the first day of DanceRites as the inaugural participants in a new donor-funded initiative - Walking Together: The Rhoda Roberts AO Cultural Exchange - established by the Opera House to cement collaboration between international and Australian First Nations artists.
Across the weekend, 20 dance groups will take to the sand circle stage in Australia's only national competition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups, representing the unique dance traditions and songlines of more than 50 nations and clans across the continent.
Competing for prizes from a total pool of $50,000, 12 groups will make their DanceRites debut, and 11 groups will travel from rural and remote communities to showcase the diversity of their cultures.
The competing groups include, Boonwurrung Ngargee Dance Group, Brolga Dance Academy, Buuja Buuja Burrundi Dancers, Deaf Indigenous Dance Group, Dunghutti Figtree Dancers, Duurunu Miru, Kwopidak Kenning Yok, Lagaw Titui, Lirrga, Mura Biri Gururu Aboriginal Dancers, Murrundaya Yepengna Dance Troupe, Muyngu Koekaper Dance Team, Sand & Sea Dance Troupe, Shalom First Nations Dancers, Sundowners Kalkutungu Dancers, Sunrise Dancers, Tchanba Wultjirir, The Tingkabee Arrernte Dancers , Walla Mulana and Wangga.
The competition will be judged by a panel of First Nations dance experts including Beau Dean Riley Smith (Wiradjuri, Gamilaraay), Julie Bukari Webb (Dharug), Marilyn Miller (Kukuyalanji, Waanyi),Rosealee Pearson (Yolŋu, Maŋgalili, Yirrkala) and Toby Cedar (Torres Strait Islander, Eastern Islands). Hip-hop pioneer Shannon Williams (Yiman, Ghungalu), AKA BrothaBlack, returns to MC the festival, joined by co-host and professional dancer Taryn Beatty (Wuthathi, Erub, Waiben).
Additional dance performances across the program include Mackay Torres Strait Islander Cultural Group (QLD: Torres Strait - Meriam) and marking 50 years as Australia's leading performing arts training organisation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, a group of current students from NAISDA will lead an interactive workshop with audience members and perform before the winner's ceremony on Sunday.
"DanceRites is a unique moment in Sydney's calendar when audiences, artists and community gather together for an exciting exchange of culture," said Sydney Opera House head of First Nations Programming, Michael Hutchings.
"It's a celebratory weekend and an opportunity for everyone to join in the living history of Tubowgule, a place where story, song and dance has always been shared."
DanceRites is free for all to attend on the Forecourt and will also be broadcast as a livestream on Sydney Opera House channels.
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