The Aboriginal Dance Theatre Redfern (ADTR) is an Australian non-profit organisation providing cultural and dance programs for

Aboriginal Australian Aboriginal Australians are the various indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, excluding the ethnically distinct people of the Torres Strait Islands. Humans first migrated to Australia 50,000 to 65,000 year ...

, located in the

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 ...

suburb of Redfern. It was founded in 1979 by Christine Donnelly, who remains executive director . ADTR instigated the founding of the

National Aboriginal Dance Council Australia Ceremonial dancing has a very important place in the Indigenous cultures of Australia. They vary from place to place, but most ceremonies combine dance, song, rituals and often elaborate body decorations and costumes. The different body paintings i ...

(NADCA) in 1995.

History

The Aboriginal Dance Theatre was founded in 1979 by Christine Donnelly, who remains at the helm as director . The idea of the theatre was based in political struggles, in particular the land rights activism of the 1970s. Donnelly had been a participant in the Six Weeks Performing Arts Training Programme held in Redfern (which later led to the development of NAISDA Dance College, and, indirectly,

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 ...

). It was originally housed in the

National Black Theatre The National Black Theatre is a not-for-profit organization, non-profit cultural and educational corporation, and community-based theatre company located on 5th Avenue in Harlem, New York (state), New York. History The National Black Theatre (N ...

building, and both organisations used theatre as a form of political action. Donnelly states that her objective in establishing the

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. P ...

and cultural centre was "to bring dance to Aboriginal youth and children by furthering the cultural, social and educational development of Aboriginal people", especially the underprivileged people of Redfern. She is particularly proud of the establishment of the National Aboriginal Dance Council Australia (NADCA) in 1995. In this ADTR was supported by Ausdance National. NADCA was still in existence in 2007, when it was in the process of developing a document on "Cultural Protocols on Aboriginal Dance". ADTR later moved to 82–88 Renwick Street.

Programs

ADTR used to offer accredited courses in Aboriginal dance and

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

, as well as an outreach program in dance for young people from Sydney, regional

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

and beyond. Donnelly has encouraged people to dance in their own styles, whether traditional,

contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of Concert dance, dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly stron ...

, or a fusion of the two. Today, the organisation's work is focused on Aboriginal health and well-being through culture, dance, sports and recreational programs. its programs include programs for children and young people, including cultural awareness, sports, and dance programs that cover many styles of dance (including traditional, contemporary, jazz, and

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

); women's programs (including health, social justice and leadership); and cultural programs, which include dance awareness,

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

-making, and a "men's business" group. ADTR is a registered

charitable institution A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a cha ...

Christine Donnelly

Christine Donnelly, née Onus, is granddaughter of activist and showman

Bill Onus William Townsend Onus Jnr (15 November 1906 – 10 January 1968) was an Aboriginal Australian political activist, designer, and showman, also known for his boomerang-throwing skills. He was father of artist Lin Onus. Early life and educat ...

, a

Wiradjuri The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales, united by common descent through kinship and shared traditions. They survived as skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers, in family groups or clans, a ...

Yorta Yorta The Yorta Yorta, also known as Jotijota, are an Aboriginal Australian people who have traditionally inhabited the area surrounding the junction of the Goulburn and Murray Rivers in present-day north-eastern Victoria and southern New South Wale ...

man. She is the daughter of his daughter Christine. Her other grandfather is of the Darkinjung people of the

Hawkesbury River The Hawkesbury River, or Hawkesbury-Nepean River (Dharug language, Dharug: Dyarubbin) is a river located northwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its associated main tributary, the Nepean River, almost encircle ...

, connected to Sydney

Eora The Eora (; also ''Yura'') are an Aboriginal Australian people of New South Wales. Eora is the name given by the earliest European settlers to a group of Aboriginal people belonging to the clans along the coastal area of what is now known as ...

clans. Donnelly's daughter Aiyisha is also involved in the

, as well as

visual art The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and texti ...

Recognition

A photographic portrait of Donnelly taken by renowned Aboriginal photographer

Mervyn Bishop Mervyn Bishop (born July 1945) is an Australian news and documentary photographer. Joining ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' as a cadet in 1962, he was the first Aboriginal Australian to work on a metropolitan daily newspaper and one of the first to ...

is included in the Sydney Elders exhibition at the

Australian Museum The Australian Museum, originally known as the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum. is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney, William Street, Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, New South Wales. It is the oldest natural ...

. The exhibition was mounted in 2012, and represents a selection of Elders who have "contributed to the important role of culture, education, health, community or social justice".

References

External links

*
Aboriginal Dance Theatre, Renwick Street Redfern, 1989
at the City of Sydney Archives & History Resources {{authority control Dance education in Australia Education in New South Wales Indigenous Australian education Australian vocational education and training providers Organisations serving Indigenous Australians 1979 establishments in Australia Redfern, New South Wales