Dance

Indigenous dance

Ceremonial dancing is central to many Indigenous cultures. These ceremonies vary between communities but often include dance, music, song and intricate body decorations. Body paint and costumes often show the type of ceremony being performed.

Bangarra Dance Theatre

Bangarra Dance Theatre is Australia’s leading First Nations dance company. It was founded in 1989 and shares Indigenous stories with audiences around the world.
In 1992, Bangarra performed its first full-length work, Praying Mantis Dreaming. The piece was created by Nunukul Munaldjali man Stephen Page, who also became the company’s artistic director. It tells the story of a young girl guided by the Praying Mantis Spirit as she journeys from her Country to the city.

Stephen Page and his brothers Russell and David were key contributors to Bangarra’s work.

A photograph of a large billboard advertising the Bangarra Dance Theatre and the production Praying Mantis Dreaming. A large black mantis is stylised on the poster. The poster also gives the dates of the performances at the Enmore Theatre and the words BOOK NOW!. A man stands in front of the billboard. He is wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans.

Tim Webster, Stephen Page with poster for "Praying mantis dreaming", nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136369970

Noel Tovey

Noel Tovey was the first Indigenous man in Australia to work as a professional dancer. He used solo performance to share his life story and played the lead role in Skipping on Stars, a work inspired by tightrope walker Con Colleano. The performance was part of the 25th anniversary of the Flying Fruit Fly Circus.

Djuki Mala

Djuki Mala is a dance troupe from Elcho Island, off the coast of Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. Their performances blend comedy and traditional Yolngu culture, featuring ceremonial body paint, traditional weapons like gara (spears) and galpu (spear throwers), and vibrant movement. The troupe became internationally known after their YouTube debut.

Ballet

In the early 1900s, international ballet companies introduced many Australians to ballet for the first time. Between 1936 and 1940, three troupes from the famous Russian Ballets Russes toured Australia, organised by J.C. Williamson Ltd. These visits helped shape Australian dance history.

Some of the visiting dancers stayed and created local companies. Hélène Kirsova and Edouard Borovansky were among them.

An unfinished sketch of a dancer striking a pose. He is wearing a white blouse, his legs are not finished. He has highly contrasting makeup on.

Daryl Lindsay, Pierrot from the Ballet Russe Carnaval, ca. 1938, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-137359849

Irina Baronova

Irina Baronova (1919–2008) toured Australia with the Ballets Russes as one of its youngest performers. She later recalled how warmly Australian audiences treated the dancers:

'The reception we were getting and the amount of people that came on the pier to see us off… That was so touching… we never experienced [this] anywhere else.' - Irina Baronova interviewed by Lee Christofis

Ballerina Irina Baronova strikes a ballet pose for the camera. She is standing en point wearing a long black dress. Two dancers are watching her in the background

Max Dupain, Portrait of Irina Baronova in Choreartium, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-139588424

The Australian Ballet

The Australian Ballet was founded in 1962, led by artistic director Peggy van Praagh. In 1963, the company began touring internationally. In the 1960s and 1970s, ballet stars Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev performed with the company during its season in France, gaining it international attention.

A troupe of dancers illuminated on a blacked out stage. They are holding colourful balloons. Some actors are laying on the floor, most are standing.

Samuel Cooper & Adam Linder, Dancers on stage during dress rehearsal of Sydney Dance Company's Are we that we are, Sydney Theatre, Sydney, 2010, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-132086627

Meryl Tankard

Meryl Tankard began her career with the Australian Ballet before joining the Tanztheater Wuppertal in Germany, where she was a principal soloist for ten years. She created several acclaimed works, including:

Travelling Light (1986)
Two Feet (1988), based on the life of ballerina Olga Spessivtseva, who had toured Australia in 1934.

Ballerina Meryl Tankard strikes a pose. She is wearing a zebra print-esque dress. She is standing in front of a black curtain.

Regis Lansac, Portrait of Meryl Tankard, Sydney, 1984, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-140461142

Ballerina Justine Summers strikes a pose and stares at the camera. She is standing en point wearing a black tutu. She is standing infront of a textured curtain.

Jim McFarlane, Justine Summers in "Divergence", the Australian Ballet, 1994, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-136367403

Learning activities

Activity 1: The elements of dance

Ask students to define these five key dance elements:

Body
Action
Space
Time
Energy

Then, have them demonstrate each through short improvised movements.

Activity 2: Respond to a performance

Watch a dance performance (live or recorded). Ask students to discuss:

How did the dancers use space and energy to create different emotions (like strength, isolation or joy)?
What was the relationship between the dancers and the audience?

Activity 3: Compare dance across generations

As a homework activity, students can ask a parent, grandparent, older sibling or guardian:

What dances were popular when you were young?
Do people still do those dances today?

Have students compare these styles to their own favourite dance moves. What’s different? What’s the same?

What can we help you find?

Indigenous dance

Bangarra Dance Theatre

Noel Tovey

Djuki Mala

Ballet

Irina Baronova

The Australian Ballet

Meryl Tankard

Learning activities

Need help?

Dance

Indigenous dance

Bangarra Dance Theatre

Noel Tovey

Djuki Mala

Ballet

Irina Baronova

The Australian Ballet

Meryl Tankard

Learning activities

More to explore

Need help?