Celebrating Australian dance in 2020 – a call to arms

In response to this year’s International Dance Day Message from Gregory Vuyani Maqoma, Ausdance National will promote the legacy of dance creation in this country by initiating a new digital platform called From the Vault – a retrospective of Australian dance. The project will profile the diversity of Australian dance that has moved and inspired audiences and participants for two decades, but whose creators will be unable to continue their ground-breaking work if Australian dance continues to be drastically under-funded. We will be linking this project to a national advocacy campaign highlighting the value of dance across all sectors.

Gregory Maqoma notes that ‘Dance is not political but becomes political because it carries in its fibre a human connection and therefore responds to circumstances in its attempt to restore human dignity’. In expressing these sentiments, Gregory reminds us that through dance we can come to recognise that humanity still exists; it extends purpose and empathy to inspire living.

We all know that to build and sustain communities that are vibrant, where people can lead quality lives and where bodies and minds are healthy, we need a viable and sustainable dance industry. People’s physical, social, cultural, emotional, mental, economical and creative health need to be nurtured. Dance enables this. As an essential element of human communication, movement and culture, dance uses the human body as its vessel. This is the power of dance – to positively affect human society and wellbeing, to quantify the value of humanity.

So, how do you value dance? Why should it be supported? Do you value humanity? Why would you support that? Take the time to share these questions (and your ideas) with your local Member of Parliament and State/Territory senators, and emphasise the importance in investing in an arts-led COVID-19 recovery by empowering artists to fully participate in the way forward. Our guide The politics of dance – an action plan will help you to take action and to make your voices heard where it matters – in the parliaments of Australia.

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2020 International Dance Day message

This year the Dance Committee of the ITI has selected Gregory Vuyani MAQOMA, South African dancer, actor, choreographer and dance educator

Message for International Dance Day, 29 April 2020.

'It was during an interview I had recently that I had to think deeply about dance: what does it mean to me? In my response, I had to look into my journey, and I realised that it was all about purpose – each day presents a new challenge that needs to be confronted, and it is through dance that I try to make sense of the world.'