Nathan Leslie announced as LGI’s 2024 First Nations Resident, in partnership with BlakDance and Carriageworks.

The Residency will support Nathan with dedicated studio time at Carriageworks in Sydney and LGI’s home in North Melbourne, WXYZ Studios, production support and a fee.

In March, First Nations leaders of federal-funded Australian dance companies will meet for the first time in Adelaide for the two-day Blak Futures conference. It is being billed as “a revolutionary moment for Australian dance” which aims to “think, dream and plant the seeds of the future”. The conference has no formal agenda, but cross-cultural collaboration will likely be a priority, as will discussion about federal and state arts funding, which companies say falls short.

Dana Waranara Digital brings together artists, producers and presenters who are interested in supporting First Nations choreographers to create, present and tour more productions. BlakDance’s goal with this project is to create the conditions where strong, reciprocal and equitable relationships can form between artists and presenters, leading to long-term pathways for new work.