Sundowners go to Sydney!

Hi, my name is Seleena Blackley I am a proud Kalkutungu (Kalkadoon) woman and dancer for the Sundowners Kalkutungu Dancers. I am fundraising on behalf of our dance group who have been invited to compete at the 2023 DanceRites competition in Sydney, NSW.

DanceRites, Australia’s national First Nations dance competition is the largest and most prestigious Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance competition in Australia with hundreds of performers travelling to Sydney from all over Australia to compete for the title. This year it will be held from the 25-26 November, 2023.

This is a very special moment for our dance group as this will be the first time a Kalkutungu dance group has ever competed at DanceRites and showcased our people on a national stage.

Our dance group Sundowners Kalkutungu Dancers have been dancing since 2017 and since then have showcased our culture at the Laura Dance Festival, 2017 and most recently the 1770 Cultural Connections Immersion Festival, 2023.

Sundowners is made up of First Nations people of all ages, all of our dancers are descendants of Kalkutungu apical ancestors or have family ties to Kalkutungu people. We focus on the preservation and continuation of our history, song, dance and cultural practices with our elders being heavily involved in passing down cultural knowledge to the next generation of emerging Kalkutungu leaders/elders.

Not only will this be an amazing opportunity for our dance group, but it is an opportunity for all Kalkutungu people and mob within North West Queensland as we aim to showcase, promote and share what all of our mob have to offer to the rest of Australia.

The money raised through this GoFundMe will assist in travel costs. As we live on country in Mount Isa, flights in and out are extremely inflated. Currently to fly our whole dance group from Mount Isa to Sydney it will cost $30,000. Any donations towards our travel costs will be invaluable and greatly appreciated.

When we represent our people on the national stage at DanceRites in 2023, we will carry with us the strength and courage of our ancestors and bring pride to our mob while continuing to honour our old people.

Thank you!

Seleena.