DNA DANCE: SCIENCE MEETS STORYTELLING & LEGACY BECOMES MOVEMENT
Choreographer and creative pioneer raymond d blanco has returned to his birthplace of Gurambilbarra (Townsville) to undertake the creative development of a powerful dance creation that traces the intersections of DNA, family, spirituality, memory and legacy.
SHOWING: 1.30pm, Tuesday 28 July 2026 at Dancenorth Australia, 188-210 Stanley Street, Gurambilbarra (Townsville)
Produced by BlakDance with funding from the Office for the Arts, Indigenous Languages and the Arts Program with support from Dancenorth Australia through their Artist Residency in the Tropics (A.R.T.) Program, the work marks a full-circle moment for Blanco, as the only one of his siblings born in Gurambilbarra (Townsville). For Blanco, this development is both homecoming and heartfelt thank you to Dancenorth, the organisation that first gave him the space to transform years of personal reflection into a living creative work.
““This project has lived inside me for a long time,” Blanco said.
”Coming back to Townsville and working with Dancenorth has allowed me to finally explore it properly. This is my way of saying thank you to the place where I began, and to the people who believed in this story.”
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Current Development
This work is an embodied exploration of Blanco’s genealogy, inherited memory and cultural identity. The project asks profound questions about what is passed through generations - not only through blood, but through responsibility, belief, lived experiences and love. An intimate reflection and retrospective on a life spanning decades of artistic practice, spiritual searching and personal growth.
At the heart is a deeply personal exploration of Blanco's Torres Strait Islander, Aboriginal, Filipino, Malaysian and Jamaican ancestry, alongside his family's long relationship with Christianity, cultural practice and identity. Through movement, he reflects on the idea of legacy and the invisible contracts carried through generations, ultimately asking; what do we inherit and what do we choose to carry forward?
““I’ve spent my life creating work for others. This is the first time I’m really turning the mirror back on myself and asking, ‘How did I get here? Who am I now? What do I leave behind?’”
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A defining feature of the development is the cast itself. Four dancers from Raymond’s bloodline appear in the work, including his nephew/son, Waangenga and Blanco's granddaughter, Cairns based Brianna Kemmerling, creating a rare intergenerational collaboration where artistic practice and family history become inseparable.
For his granddaughter, Brianna, the experience carries deep personal significance.
““It’s an honour, and a rarity, to be given the opportunity to dance a story representing my own family lineage. To be taught and to create alongside my grandfather is something incredibly special.
We’re not only connected through blood, but through our shared artistic practice, our kinship and our family history.”
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By placing his own family on stage, Blanco invites audiences into a story that is deeply personal yet encourages contemplation of universal questions about belonging, identity and inheritance.
The creative development also honours the artistic communities that have shaped Blanco throughout his career. Family members, collaborators and generations of artists contribute to a work that celebrates both the strength of kinship and the enduring power of dance as cultural legacy.
Marilyn Miller and Luke Daniel Peacock bring generations of creative excellence to the project. Marilyn Miller, Raymond D. Blanco’s lifelong creative collaborator and dance family, contributes her extensive cultural knowledge and artistic expertise, while acclaimed singer-songwriter and producer Luke Daniel Peacock, Raymond’s cousin, is creating the original soundscape and musical composition that underpins the work’s emotional and cultural journey.
As the work continues to evolve, Blanco hopes audiences will be inspired to reflect on their own stories; he says:
““I want people to look at themselves. We all carry histories. We all carry family. This work is about stripping everything back and asking, ‘What has brought me to this moment? & what is relevant to my future’”
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The development taking place at Dancenorth marks the next stage of a work that promises to be one of Blanco's most personal and ambitious creations to date—where science meets story, DNA meets dance, and legacy becomes movement.
Creative Team
Choreographer: raymond d blanco
Creative Collaborator: Marilyn Miller
Sound Design: Luke Daniel Peacock
Cast (Townsville Development): Aba Bero, Brianna Kemmerling, Harlisha Newie-Joe, Tameeka Cora, Tessarna Cora.
Produced by: BlakDance
Supported by: Dancenorth, ART Program
Funded by: Ministry of Arts