Darug woman Peta Strachan announced as Lucy Guerin Inc’s 2022 First Nations Resident, in partnership with BlakDance and Carriageworks.

06 Jun 2022

Lucy Guerin Inc (LGI) is delighted to announce Darug woman Peta Strachan as First Nations Resident for 2022.

The First Nations Residency will support Peta with a fee, production support and dedicated studio time at Carriageworks and LGI’s home WXYZ Studios.

The residency was created in 2021 through a multi-year partnership between BlakDance, national industry and producing organisation for First Nation contemporary dance based on Turrbal and Yuggera Country in Meanjin (Brisbane, Queensland) and Lucy Guerin Inc, the critically acclaimed contemporary dance company located on the lands of the Kulin Nation in Naarm (Melbourne, Victoria). For 2022, Carriageworks, Australia’s largest multi-art centre based on Gadigal Country (Sydney, NSW) joins the partnership to further support the program and expand its reach.

A descendant of the Darug people of the Boorooberongal clan of NSW, Peta Strachan is a professional dancer, choreographer, teacher and costume maker with 35 years’ experience in the industry. Peta trained at the Castlereagh School of Performing Arts and NAISDA Dance College. She has toured nationally and internationally with Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre (AIDT), and with Bangarra Dance Theatre for four years. Peta was the Artistic Director of Waggan-ma-gule, the official Indigenous Australia day morning ceremony at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney for five years.

Peta is the Artistic Director of Jannawi Dance Clan, which she formed in 2008. Jannawi Dance Clan is an Indigenous dance company encompassing modern urban and traditional Aboriginal dance styles with traditional music.

Over many years, Peta has played an important role at Sydney Opera House under the direction of Rhoda Roberts, including Message Sticks Festival, Homeground, and Dance Rites — directing opening ceremonies, performing, and judging.

The inaugural First Nations Resident 2021 was Narangga and Kaurna man Jacob Boehme, who was recently appointed as Carriageworks’ first-ever Director of First Nations Programs.

This partnership between LGI, BlakDance, and Carriageworks reflects the organisations’ shared goal to support Senior First Nations artists at various career stages and redress the historical lack of support in non-Indigenous organisations for First Nations dance artists. This opportunity is designed to both celebrate and support First Nations dance artists’ work by providing a space for the development of new work or ongoing research into their artistic practice. The program is also an important part of a cultural engagement strategy by LGI to improve the representation, opportunities and career pathways available for First Nations artists in contemporary dance.

The program will continue to develop with artistic self-determination at its core.

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Acknowledgments
This program has been generously supported by the Linnell/Hughes Trust and the Australian Government’s Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund.

Lucy Guerin Inc is assisted by the City of Melbourne, Creative Victoria and the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

BlakDance is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

Carriageworks is supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, and the NSW Government through Create NSW.

Media Enquiries
Estelle Conley, Producer (LGI)
estelle@lucyguerininc.com
0438 700 158 | (03) 9329 4213