Yinarr 2022 Amelia-OLeary. Photo by Alliah Nival

BlakDance has partnered with Dancehouse to support First House Forum, a crucial model of self determined commissioning in Naarm/Melbourne 2022/23.

In October 2022, Dancehouse hosted the inaugural First House Forum which invited artists to agree collectively and to direct Dancehouse on how to allocate funds across collective projects and practices: new works, commissions, residencies specifically for First Nations dance artists.

The Forum identified a need for artists to learn, work and return to Country with existing and developing projects. They agreed to support each artist, under the guidance of a project Elder, to develop new work on Country or present existing works to communities on their homelands for the first time, with producing assistance from Dancehouse.