Elma Gada Kris is an Australian dancer, choreographer and NAIDOC award winner. She is a

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders ( ) are the Indigenous Melanesians, Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal peoples of the res ...

woman of the Wagadagam,

Kaurareg Kaurareg (alt. Kauraraiga, plural Kauraraigalai, Kauraregale) is the name for one of the Indigenous Australian and Papuan groups collectively known as Torres Strait Islander peoples, although some identify as Aboriginal Australians. They are t ...

, Sipingur, Gebbara and Kai Dangal Buai peoples, and a member of the

Bangarra Dance Theatre Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-bor ...

Early life and education

Kris was born on

Thursday Island Thursday Island, colloquially known as TI, or in the Kalaw Lagaw Ya, Kawrareg dialect, Waiben or Waibene, is an island of the Torres Strait Islands, an archipelago of at least 274 small islands in the Torres Strait. TI is located approximately ...

in the Torres Strait. She is a descendant of the Wagadagam, Kaurareg, Sipingur, Gebbara and Kai Dangal Buai peoples. She attended a performing arts school on the mainland, the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) Dance College in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Career

Kris first danced with

in 1997. She danced with the

Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre (AIDT) was the first dance company used to train Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on their dancing career, and grew into a performance group. Originating in the National Aboriginal and Islander ...

dance troupe before joining Bangarra Dance Theatre full-time in 1999, dancing with them for more than 20 years. Bangarra Dance Theatre's artistic director Stephen Page described Elma's contribution as “vital within Bangarra’s story and evolution. Over the past twenty years, she has been a unique creative collaborator, a source of wisdom and a valued friend to me. She has been instrumental in shaping and bringing Torres Strait Islander stories to the stage. I have such enormous respect for Elma – she is a rare artist and leaves an incredible cultural legacy for the next generation to carry forward." Kris also formed her own dance group, Bibir.

Works

Kris's choreographic credits include ''Malu'' (Bibir dance company, 1998), ''Bupau Ipikazil'' and ''Bupau Mabigal'' for NAISDA (1994) and components of the

Sydney Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

Opening Ceremony (2000) and ''Emeret Lu'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre, 2007).

Awards

* 2019 NAIDOC Award artist of the year * 2016 Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer * 2012 Dance Australia’s Critics Survey award for Best New Work for ''Walkabout'' * 2007

Deadly Award The Deadly Awards, formally titled National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music, Sport, Arts and Community Awards and commonly known simply as The Deadlys, was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ac ...

for Dancer of the Year Kris has also been nominated for the

Helpmann Award The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical theatre ...

(2017) and an Australian Dance Award, for her role in ''Bennelong'' (2018).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kris, Elma Gada Australian female dancers Australian choreographers Australian women choreographers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Indigenous Australian dancers