Australian Dance Week

Australian Dance Week (ADW) has been celebrated since 1982, when lunch-time performances were held in Sydney, facilitated by Ausdance NSW. It was eventually combined with the Dancers’ Picnic, an annual event held in Sydney on April 29 to mark the birthday of Jean Georges Noverre. Noverre was born in Paris in 1727, and was a distinguished and innovative choreographer, ballet master and dance theorist.

The dates for the opening and closing of Australian Dance Week vary slightly from state to state according to local events, but it always takes place during the first week of May and follows International Dance Day on 29 April. Read the 2017 International Dance Day Message by Trisha Brown.

ADW2018 will run from 29 April – 6 May 2018.

Dance Week celebrations across Australia

• 2017 Australian Dance Week in Perth
• 2017 International Dance Day celebrations in Victoria

Chung Wah Dance performing at Ausdance WA's Dance Live event, celebrating Australian Dance Week 2011.

Each state and territory Ausdance now coordinates a variety of events from book launches and forums to free performances and community classes, and encourages its dance community to promote their own activities throughout the week. Contact your local Ausdance to see what's happening in your area and how you might get involved.

Flash mob at Belconnen Fresh Food Markets, 2014 Australian Dance Week in Canberra. Photo: Art Atelier

Australian Dance Week 2014 in Perth. (L) Danza Viva Spanish Dance Company (R) Dance in Perspective. Photo: Neil Wallace