Rafael Bonachela, artistic director of Sydney Dance Company for nearly 20 years, will premiere his final work for the company in its 2027 season. The new piece will appear in a triple bill called Wild Order. Bonachela announced in March that he would leave the company in mid-2028, saying it was time for someone else to lead it. The 2027 season also includes Future Reverie, a collaboration between four choreographers, and tours to regional New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and overseas.
Award-winning Kuranda musician Djawarray will headline UMI Arts' 19th annual Big Talk One Fire festival at Munro Martin Parklands on 24 October. He will close the evening with the Koahlition band, blending rainforest reggae and rock with his language and English. Dance groups from across the region will also perform, including Babinda's Jaban Dancers, making their debut. Seven workshops will offer activities such as jewellery-making, painting and basket weaving.
Kawanji Dance Group from the Palmer River region will perform traditional dances at UMI Arts' Big Talk One Fire festival in Cairns on Saturday 24 October. The group says its dances honour ancestors and pass cultural knowledge from grandparents to grandchildren. Representative Graham Brady said the performances keep that knowledge alive for future generations. The free festival runs at Munro Martin Parklands from 3 to 9 pm, with gates opening at 2 pm. It features music, dance, workshops and art markets, including headline performer Djawarray.
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Melbourne's Immigration Museum will host a Diwali celebration on Saturday 9 November, running from 11am to 4pm on Flinders Street. The day includes a South Asian dance cypher, which organisers describe as the first of its kind in Australia, along with a collaborative 10-metre textile artwork that visitors can add to. Rangoli design activities, henna tattoos and traditional games are also planned. Most activities are free, while Indian embroidery workshops cost $15. The event is open to all ages and backgrounds.
Greek Australian singer VASSY has topped the ARIA Club Chart for four weeks with her track 'DAY N NIGHT', featuring DJ BUST-R. The song is the sixth by an Australian woman to reach the chart's peak. It has also climbed to No. 2 on the UK Music Week Club Chart, with VASSY thanking DJs in both countries for their support. The track premiered at Tomorrowland in Belgium on 26 July.
Armidale community radio station 2ARM will honour its long-time musical patron, Uncle Cyril Green Senior, at the 15th Black Gully Festival on Saturday, 7 November. A grant from the NSW Aboriginal Land Council will fund a Welcome to Country and a Smoking Ceremony from 12 midday at Festival Stage Central. Contemporary Aboriginal dance and theatre performances follow from 12:30pm at the Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place. Performers include the Sharnae Smith Dance Troupe, the Lyãmbay Dance Group and the Saturday Magic Theatre Company. The festival runs from 10am to 7pm.
Former Daylesford resident Jasmine Gruar, a ballet dancer, has been featured on the front page of The Local in a painting. Her grandmother, Irene Mooney, created the acrylic portrait to celebrate Jasmine's recent 21st birthday, and Jasmine was thrilled with the gift. Jasmine trained from a young age at Starz Dance Centre in Kyneton and later with Ballet Theatre Australia. She has performed in ballets including The Nutcracker and Giselle, and now teaches dance to pre-schoolers in Melbourne.
L2R Dance will hold a Supa Dupa Fly showcase at the Bowery Theatre on Saturday 28 November, from 3pm to 4pm. The event celebrates the group's free dance programs and features L2R dancers alongside special guests. It is inspired by hip hop artist Missy Elliott. L2R is a not-for-profit and social enterprise that makes dance accessible to children and young people facing financial and social barriers. Its programs include Panda Squad, Lil Legends and Breaking, which are based in Braybrook, St Albans and Melbourne's west.
Students from Tuggerah Lakes Secondary College's Tumbi Umbi Campus have earned national recognition for a dance performance. The school has been awarded a 2026 National Wakakirri prize for the work, which is described as powerful and capable of helping change young lives.
Melbourne choreographer Lucy Guerin is stepping away from the company she founded 25 years ago. She is handing its artistic directorship to choreographer Melanie Lane. Before leaving, Guerin performed a solo show, Place Dances, at the Buxton Contemporary gallery in Melbourne. It was her first public dance performance in 13 years. The company has been influential in Australian contemporary dance and has performed at the 2023 Venice Biennale. Guerin says she is proud of the work and the connections she built with local artists. She is about to begin a month-long residency in Italy.
A Weipa dance troupe is holding a fundraising concert to help eight dancers travel to Samoa for a performance next June. The Penina O Pasifika concert on 23 October will mix traditional dance with audience participation, including a dance-off and Pacific games. Group leader Lita Mahy said three of the selected dancers had visited Samoa last year, and the trip had strongly influenced their performances. The concert runs from 5 to 7pm at the Weipa Storm Surge Shelter, with a $5 cash entry fee and a donation dish for further support.
Melbourne-based collective Resonate Heart will stage Forest Living Room at the Bowery Theatre on Saturday 21 November, from 6pm to 7.30pm. The interdisciplinary performance combines music, dance, gesture, shadow puppetry and multilingual poetry, drawing on the artists' cultural heritages in seven languages. Alongside the show, the collective will run free community workshops at St Albans Community Centre on 7, 13 and 20 November. The workshops are open to participants of all ages and are supported by Creative Partnerships Australia.
Eight-year-old Issaiah Apap, from Sunbury, will play Young Fritz in The Nutcracker. The production opens at Melbourne's Ian Potter State Theatre on 24 October and runs until 31 October. Issaiah has danced since he was about one year old and trains at Flashdance Performing Arts. Rehearsals began on 13 October, and his family has rearranged school pick-ups and sport schedules to support him. The production follows Clara, a young ballet student, on a magical Christmas Eve adventure.
Two student dancers have shared what it is like to take part in this year's Youth Dance Festival in Canberra. The student-led event has a theme of the metaverse and features original performances. Helen and Sophia say the non-competitive format welcomes dancers of all skill levels and offers backstage work experience. The three-day showcase runs from Tuesday 27 to Thursday 29 October at the Canberra Theatre Centre.
A weekly events guide lists activities across Albany and the Great Southern from October 15 to 21. The Frankland River Wine Festival runs on Saturday at the Frankland River Town Oval. The Let's Shine All Ability Dance Showcase is held at Albany Port Theatre on Friday. Art exhibitions, music performances, roller derby and a talk by meditation master Ajahn Brahm also feature across the week.
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Award-winning choreographers Thomas E.S. Kelly and Taree Sansbury are returning to NAISDA to direct Sun Cycle, a show marking the organisation's 50th year. Working with current students, they will stage the work at Carriageworks in Sydney from 26 to 28 November. The title draws on three languages and traces the sun from first light through twilight to a new sunrise. NAISDA chief executive Kim Walker said the production celebrates the artists who have trained there and those working today. NAISDA, founded in 1976, is a First Nations-led performing arts training organisation based at Kariong, New South Wales.
