NAISDA : Our History and Philosophy
The organisation now known as NAISDA Dance College sprang from a six-week dance workshop in Redfern in 1975, modestly funded by the NSW Arts Council of the day.
Today the National Aboriginal & Islander Skills Development Association – better known as NAISDA - is Australia’s national tertiary Indigenous dance training organisation, a member of the Commonwealth Roundtable for Excellence in Arts Training and a VETAB-registered training organisation that provides ground-breaking delivery of a Careers in Dance curriculum to diploma level.
NAISDA students are drawn from all over Australia through talent identification programs and an annual week-long audition program, and most students are eligible for Abstudy.
From the beginning, what evolved into NAISDA Dance College offered uniquely exciting possibilities springing from a fusion of traditional and contemporary Indigenous dance.
Since 1976 large numbers of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performers have begun their careers at NAISDA. NAISDA graduates have built successful careers both in the arts and beyond. And from NAISDA sprang Australia’s national Indigenous dance company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, where NAISDA graduates continue to play key roles both onstage and off.
In the transformed world of the 21st century, NAISDA Dance College is more relevant than ever as young Indigenous people look to redefine their roles in this very different Australia. However, some aspects of NAISDA never change.
Traditional culture will always sound the heartbeat of NAISDA. For everyone associated with the college, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are central to the NAISDA experience at all times, and all students participate in cultural residencies, both internal and at remote traditional communities.
It is this immersion in living Indigenous cultures that distinguishes a NAISDA education from that of other tertiary arts training organisations.
Over three decades NAISDA graduates have provided role models for other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth and have inspired their communities. A Careers in Dance Diploma from NAISDA opens doors to careers both onstage and off, and the list of quiet achievers in career paths both in and beyond the arts is a long one.
It is NAISDA’s goal to develop opportunities, self-development and independence in our students. And because they are never isolated from their cultural backgrounds, they are able to explore questions of cultural identity with confidence and pride.
The Way Ahead
NAISDA is committed to the provision of a learning space that culturally affirms and supports students while advancing their intellectual and performance skills and development.
Integral to the NAISDA learning experience is the unique NAISDA cultural residency program, which enables the sharing of traditional dance and culture by the traditional owners in their homeland communities and at NAISDA Dance College.
Central to the NAISDA philosophy is:
NAISDA’s relationship with our traditional communities
Provision of dynamic, relevant and responsive training programs;
Provision of quality facilities for our students and staff;
Recruitment of highly skilled and experienced staff;
Sound leadership and governance to maximise the organisation’s outcomes in line with its strategic plans
All NAISDA programs are informed by and respond to needs and aspirations as identified by our constituent members and by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture is at the core of every NAISDA experience.