Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre

Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre (AIDT) was the first dance company used to train Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on their dancing career, and grew into a performance group. It was based in Sydney, New South Wales, and operated from 1976 to 1998.

History

The group has its origins in "Careers in Dance", a full-time dance training course established in 1975 for Aboriginal and Islander students by the Aboriginal Arts Board[1] and headed by African American dancer Carole Johnson, who had links to the Black Power movement in the United States. She set up classes in St James Church Hall in the Sydney suburb of Glebe, where the training included traditional as well as contemporary styles of dance.[2] The group of student dancers established in 1976 grew to include teachers as well as advanced and graduate students of the NAISDA (National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association) Dance College, and in 1988 became a professional performing group.[1]

In 1977 AIDT embarked on its first international tour, with Wayne Nicol, Michael Leslie, Richard Talonga, Lillian Crombie and Roslyn Watson (as guest artist) performed at the Second African and Black World Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC 77[3]) in Nigeria. After undergoing its transformation into a large professional dance troupe in 1988, AIDT performed in Finland and Germany, and later toured throughout Australia, as well as in Asia, Europe and the Americas. Notable dancers in the 1980s included Monica Stevens and Sylvia Blanco. [1]

Dance tutors included Aboriginal Australians Janet Munyarryun and Larry Gurruwiwi,[1] as well African American dancers and performers from New York City and others from the Philippines.[3] Indigenous choreographers such as David Gulpilil and Stephen Page worked with the group over the years, and non-Indigenous choreographers included Ronne Arnold, Kate Champion, and Bernadette Walong.[1]

In 1989 Johnson resigned, believing at that time that the school and the company were too closely connected, and their aims sometimes conflicted. There were multiple government grants from various sources, demanding different criteria and creating a large administrative burden. John Alderman was appointed to the role of leading the company in 1987, but the Aboriginal Arts Board soon afterwards directed that senior roles needed to be occupied by Aboriginal people, or it would withdraw its funding.[2]

In 1991 Raymond D. Blanco, who also danced with the company, became artistic director,[1] the first Indigenous Australian to lead a dance company.[2]

The company wound up in 1998.[4][1]

Notable students

See also

References
  1. "Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre [catalogue entry]". National Library of Australia. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  2. Pollock, Zoe (2008). "Aboriginal and Islander Dance Theatre (sic)". Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
  3. Leslie, Michael (December 2016). 2.5: A Journey towards Adolescence and an Aboriginal Dance Method (Master of Fine Arts). University of New South Wales.
  4. "Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre (1976 - 1998)". Australia Dancing. 29 September 2011. Archived from the original on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  5. "Gail Mabo". Indigenous Law Centre. University of New South Wales. Retrieved 10 December 2021.
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