Connecting you with Australian culture online
Cathy Freeman, with the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games identity logo. Photograph courtesy of Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation. The XVIII Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne from 15 to 26 March 2006. ...
Each year the Sydney Festival offers a rich and diverse program spanning all art forms including dance, theatre, music, visual arts, film, forums and large scale free outdoor events. The National Multicultural Festival is held over two weeks and features...
The Australian Institute of Music has been preparing young Australians for music careers since 1968. This is a portal to other Australian music websites of various genres, including jazz, blues, pop, rock and classical. Australian country and folk music...
New media art is an exciting and integral part of the contemporary art scene in Australia. New media art, as defined by the Australia Council, is a process where new technologies are used by artists to create works that explore new modes of artistic expr...
UNESCO states that Indigenous populations number some 350 million individuals in more than 70 countries in the world, and that this represents more than 5000 languages and cultures. Today, many Indigenous peoples live on the fringes of society and are de...
Military bands have accompanied Australian ceremonies, parades, church services, mess dinners and performed at concerts on innumerable occasions since then. Band musicians and band music owe a great deal to Australia's Salvation Army. Other Australian p...
The bush has an iconic status in Australian life and features strongly in any debate about national identity, especially as expressed in Australian literature, painting, popular music, films and foods. The bush was revered as a source of national ideals b...
Hoopdive, The Flying Fruit Fly Circus. Troupes like the Flying Fruit Fly Circus and Circus Oz have spearheaded a new style of circus performance that features highly physical activities and no animal tricks. Nicole Brackertz, teacher of circus history at...
Dance is a very dynamic part of Australian performing arts culture. In turn, Australian dance ventures such as Chunky Move, Buzz Dance Theatre and Australian Dance Theatre are bringing their work to the world through international tours. The mix include...
Art forms such as dance, theatre, writing, music and the visual arts draw on the creativity and interests of Australians of many abilities. The Australia Council, Arts Access Australia, [formerly Disability in the Arts, Disadvantage in the Arts (DADAA)] ...
Nicola Finetti, Dress of silk georgette, silk chiffon and metallic embroidery on silk organza. Fashion can be defined by colour, cut, cloth, garment type, garment styles and interpretation of looks. Chinese silk embroidered shawls and Chinese surcoats b...
For example, for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders these ceremonies bring together all aspects of their culture - song, dance, body decoration, sculpture and painting. Anny Nungarrayi (centre) with other Warlpiri women perform a traditional dance dur...
Indigenous film either portrays Indigenous people, issues and stories or is film made by Indigenous Australians. The portrayal of Indigenous issues and people in film provides a unique insight into Australia's relationship with its Indigenous peoples and...
It also contains links to sites that may use images of Aboriginal and Islander people now deceased. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are complex and diverse. In Australia, Indigenous communities keep their cultural heritage alive by passin...
Photograph courtesy of the Victoria Racing Club. Melbourne Cup Day is Australia's most famous Tuesday. At 3.00 pm AEST, on the first Tuesday in November, Australians everywhere stop for one of the world's most famous horse races - the Melbourne Cup....
Portrait of Slim Dusty at the Australia Day Concert (i.e. Australia Day Live), Sydney Entertainment Centre, 1984, transparency. Country music, a derivative of folk music, originated in southern and western USA and consisted mainly of rural songs accompan...
Don McMurdo, Fireworks over the Sydney Opera House, Japan Week, 1988, slide. William Lyster set up his own opera company in 1861, giving audiences their first full scale productions of European opera. Opera Australia was created through the merger of Th...
Australian rock music has its roots in the 1950s and '60s when the style of music was growing in popularity around the world. In the 1970s Australian rock bands became well known for classic hard rock. First appearing in the United States of America, ro...
Like other art forms, Australian theatre has built on previous traditions and developed over time, shaped by local and international artistic movements, events and trends. Australian theatre history incorporates the stories of many actors, entrepreneurs,...
Art After Hours is a free events program at the Art Gallery of New South Wales held during extended opening hours on Wednesday evenings. Includes films, talks, and performances, with all exhibitions remaining open. Website includes general information, we
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