"The performance begins with a Welcome to Country by local elders, followed by dancers performing from pre-dawn until morning breaks."
The Australian Dance Theatre presented the world premiere of RISE on Saturday at Bundanon, an art museum on the New South Wales South Coast. This contemporary dance performance uses the rising sun as its backdrop.
Artistic Director Daniel Riley, a Wiradjuri man, conceived the work as a direct response to the failed Voice to Parliament referendum and negative rhetoric around Welcome to Country ceremonies.
The production opens with a Welcome to Country by local elders, followed by dancers performing from pre-dawn until morning breaks.
RISE was commissioned by Bundanon for the Make Good Festival and co-choreographed by Brianna Kell.
The production aims to tour across Australia in 2027-2028, requiring no traditional theatre infrastructure. Instead, it relies on people and relationship-building with local communities.
Yuin elder Uncle Gerry Moore noted that the concept reflects historical practices of First Nations peoples walking and trading along the coast. The performance concluded with a shared breakfast.
A workshop at Vincentia High School was conducted with the Dhaawarii Dance Group, comprising 20 students learning traditional dances.