Central West Aboriginal Dance Development Project

In 2008 young aboriginal dancers in Cowra, Condobolin, Kelso and Wellington participated in workshops and performances led by contemporary indigenous dancer/choreographer Jo Clancy.

Jo Clancy was engaged by Arts OutWest to facilitate dance and performance professional development and mentoring with identified young Aboriginal people and key community members.

Workshops were held in each of the four communities from April through to December 2008. Around 70 young people participated in the project and about 55 young people performed in the final show at Wellington High School on Saturday December 6, 2008.

The choreographic development process in each community was determined by the participants and focused on the individuality of each community. The young people in Cowra, for example, choreographed a dance based on the Lachlan River that runs through their town and the young men were keen to explore movements relating to Goanna (Wiradjuri Totem). While a group of six senior girls from Wellington High School requested workshop time with Jo to explore more advanced contemporary movement resulting in the choreographic development of 'Branches'.

Two public performances were also presented during the project period to showcase the skills of the young people and to highlight and promote contemporary indigenous dance in the region.

The successes of the project were many and included:

• Skills development for all of the participants in Contemporary Indigenous dance creation, development and performance. Journal documentation proved to be a valuable tool for the young people, teachers and mentors to remember dances and ideas from the workshops.
• Professional development for the community mentors and teachers who work with and rehearse the dances with the young people in each community.
• Cultural affirmation for the communities by showcasing the talents of their young people, teachers and community members as well as an opportunity to highlight the richness of Indigenous culture in the region.
• Networking opportunities for the young people, teachers and mentors and the impetus to continue exchanging and collaborating with each other.
• Pathways for further study or opportunities in dance were presented throughout the project through discussion and the showing of Jo Clancy's work on DVD and at the two performances. A senior student from Wellington High School travelled with Jo after the final performance in December to the NAISDA Dance College auditions and was accepted for entry in 2009.

A DVD documentary of the project was produced with copies made for all participants.

This project was funded by the Australia Council for the Arts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Board.