Heartdancers

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Heartdancers

Empowering the world through arts and culture! Heartdancers Charity is based in Sydney, on the Gadigal and Bidjigal lands and waters of the Eora nation.

Recently we have opened our programs on the Guringai land of Central Coast too. We work with a broad range of Schools, Communities, Councils, Organisations and Business across Sydney to deliver accessible and inclusive Arts and Culture programs, workshops and events that celebrate the diversity of our community and cultivate connection, belonging, respect and unity to contribute to Australia's rec

onciliation. We welcome you to walk with us on an uplifting and exciting journey of personal and collective healing through cross-cultural dialogue, education and empowerment through the arts. We create platforms for First Nations, Refugee, Asylum Seeker and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Artists to thrive. We do this by providing them with employment, engagement and capacity building opportunities. Through innovation and design thinking we have created and are implementing the following program:

****Cultures of the World: making culturally diverse arts education, festivals and events accessible for all ages, stages, levels of mobility and walks of life.
****Youth Music Education Programs: aiming to transform the lives of children through music.
****Rhythm Is Life, a customisable and inclusive program transforming lives of older people through the power of dance and culture.

21/08/2026

‘Living Culture: Exploring Our Ancestral Self Through Artist’s Creative Practice’

Join us for an intimate panel discussion facilitated by renowned artivist ꆛ ⫷ Oroana ⫸ ꆜ on how culture is embodied, carried, adapted and celebrated through creative practice, everyday ritual and relationships to Country, ancestry and community.

This panel brings together First Nations and diasporic artists in a conversation centred on the vitality of living cultural practice. Rather than framing identity through histories of dispossession or asking artists to compare experiences of oppression, this panel intentionally shifts the conversations from what has been lost to what continues to live.

Grounded in joy, reciprocity and embodied knowledge, this discussion stems from the recognition that artists living on Indigenous lands in Australia hold a unique opportunity - and responsibility - to build respectful relationships across cultures.

⚡️About Oroana⚡️

Oroana (she/her) of the Muisca Nation (Colombia) is an artivist, cultural worker, multimedia artist, and Indigenous practitioner. Her practice sits at the intersection of cultural revitalisation, artistic expression, and Indigenous governance, where she has established herself as a leader across both the Indigenous governance and cultural arts sectors.

Her recent work involved supporting a cross-national podcast that connects First Nations voices from around the world, fostering dialogue, storytelling, and knowledge sharing across Indigenous communities.

For the past eight years, Oroana has led the transnational project Mami Guata , collaborating closely with traditional artisans from the Embera Chami tribe and supporting intercultural exchange while honouring traditional knowledge and craftsmanship. Her artistic practice is deeply intertwined with her personal journey of cultural reclamation and reconnection with the legacy of her Muisca ancestors.

Come and be part of this immersive, cross-cultural exploration of ‘Rituals’ on Sunday 13 September at Machine Hall + Vault 💡

Sunday 13 September • 2-8pm • RSVP Essential

Free • All Ages • Everyone is welcome

Join us.

🔗 in bio

20/08/2026

Lady Chika (Angelica Osuji) is a Brazilian-born, Sydney-based DJ and dancer of Nigerian heritage known for her bold cross-cultural sound, blending Afro, Disco, House, Hip Hop, Afrobeats and beyond.

Those who have experienced the irresistible pulse of her dancefloor can testify to the power of her high-energy sets that inspire connection, celebrate tradition and invite audiences into the heartbeat of the African diaspora.

Lady Chika has lit up countless stages, from Vivid Festival, the FIFA Women’s World Cup and Motherland Festival, while also DJing for brands including Vans, Crocs, ELF, and HeyDude. Her music has reached global audiences through London’s Reprezent Radio and Sydney’s vibrant nightlife scene.

Join us on Sunday 13 September as she fires up the Machine Hall dancefloor with a ritualistic soundscape, sharing rhythm, roots, storytelling and cultural expression in her ever-expansive style. Get ready! ⚡️

Sun 13 Sept• 2-8pm • Free Entry • All Ages   RSVP Highly recommended. 🔗 in Mandy Linktree
 We acknowledge that Rituals will take place on Gadigal Land and Waters. Always was and always will be.   Rituals is proudly supported by City of Sydney Machine Hall + Vault M.PWR series  Presented by Heartdancers as part of Sydney Fringe First Nations program

17/08/2026

Get ready to find your rhythm in Lady Chika's ritualistic soundscape on Sunday 13 September as Machine Hall is transformed by her high energy blend of Afro, Disco, House, Hip Hop and Afrobeats. ⚡

Everyone is welcome !

Sept 13 • 2-8pm • Free Entry • All Ages ��RSVP Highly recommended.

www.sydneyfringe.com/events/rituals/

We acknowledge that Rituals will take place on Gadigal Land and Waters. Always was and always will be.

��Rituals is proudly supported by� City of Sydney, Machine Hall's M.PWR series �

Presented by Heartdancers as part of Sydney Fringe Festival's First Nations program.

16/08/2026

Sophia Ndaba is a Zulu Australian dance artist and co-artistic director of the upcoming Rituals event at Machine Hall.

Known for her varied skill set and eclectic dance vocabulary, Sophia draws on an enduring fascination with our shared human experience, one that has shaped the development of her craft over many years of practice, from Boorloo to Berlin, and back to her birthplace on Gadigal land.

Sophia has an extensive portfolio in contemporary and commercial styles across theatre, TV and film, from solo work ‘In The Light of a Shadow’ for Berlin theatre Balhaus Naunynstrasse to TVCs for Virgin Australia.

Notable highlights also include performing for Shaun Parker & Company, La Fura Dels Baus & Opera Australia, Force Majeure and Ensemble Offspring, as well as choreographing ‘The Veil of Separation’ for Sydney Dance Company’s New Breed season in 2022. She is a founding member of the Dance Makers Collective and the KDV Ensemble.

Currently, Sophia is a contemporary dance trainer at NAISDA NAISDA and Sydney Dance Company Youth Ensemble and a Pilates mat instructor on Darkinjung Country in the Central Coast.

Join us for an immersive cross-cultural exploration of ritual pluralism on Sunday 13 September at Machine Hall, featuring ‘Innate’, Sophia’s journey into the depth of braiding and connection to her Zulu heritage.

All ages ⚡️Free Entry ⚡️2-8pm

RSVP via link https://sydneyfringe.com/events/rituals/ 🔗

Rituals is presented by , as part of Sydney Fringe

Rituals is supported by M.PWR Series, of Sydney , and Sydney Fringe Festival’s First Nations Program, .

14/08/2026

Body poetry in motion.

Dive into an immersive world of Rituals with the spellbinding movement of dancer, choreographer and co-artistic director Sophia Ndaba ⚡️ on Sunday 13th September.

Known for her captivating fluidity and nuanced choreographic language, Sophia invites us to experience ‘Innate’, an exploration of braiding and connection to her Zulu heritage.

Sept 13 • 2-8pm • Free Entry • All Ages

RSVP Highly recommended. 🔗 https://sydneyfringe.com/events/rituals/

We acknowledge that Rituals will take place on Gadigal Land and Waters. Always was and always will be.

Rituals is proudly supported by
City of Sydney Machine Hall + Vault M.PWR series
Presented by Heartdancers as part of Sydney Fringe First Nations program

13/08/2026

Step through the doors of Machine Hall with us…

On Sunday 13 September this former substation will be powered by an electric line-up of First Nations and diasporic artists, artisans and thought leaders weaving together an immersive exploration of ‘Rituals’.

Everyone is welcome.

Join us from 2-8pm for this free all ages event, featuring:

Live Music ⚡️ Panel Discussion ⚡️ Artisan Stalls ⚡️ Dance

SOPHIA NDABA • OYOBI • LADY CHIKA • GAMBIRRA MOB • SHYAMLA • GABZAK AND A DANCE OF WORLDS • TOMOKO OKA • MORE TBA

We acknowledge that Rituals will take place on Gadigal Land and Waters. Always was and always will be.

RSVP Highly recommended 🔗 httpMandyydneyfringe.com/events/rituals/

MusicGambirraf Mankind - Gambirra ❤️‍🔥

Rituals is pCity of SydneyedSound NSWof SyMachine Hall + VaultMachine Hall + Sydney Fringeeries

Sydney Fringe

03/08/2026

“Ritual is the living that remembers. The convergence and harmony of the ancient, the archetypal, and the architectural. As the First Nations Cultural Lead for the upcoming RITUALS event at Machine Hall, I carry a deep reverence for the energy we are about to weave into this space. Get ready for a profound energy exchange.” – Gambirra (Mama G) ⚡️

Machine Hall Machine Hall + Vault
Sunday 13th September
From 2pm
Free entry
RSVP via https://sydneySydney Fringeents/rWanagi Zable-Andrewsable-Andrews

Rituals is proudly sCity of SydneytySound NSWy, SouMachine Hall + VaultHall + Vault M.PWR

31/07/2026

♾ RITUALS ♾ Machine Hall • Sunday 13 Sept•
2pm -8pm • Free entry • All ages • RSVP: Sydney Fringe •

⚡️GAMBIRRA MOB ⚡️Led by the soulful presence of Yolngu songstress Gambirra Illume (Mama G) and her daughters Gutiwoy and Gitjaki singing in Yolngu Matha and English, Gambirra MOB is a powerhouse ensemble with an electrifying world fusion of psychedelic roots, reggae, soulful funk and dub.

Gambirra is the First Nations Cultural Lead for the upcoming Rituals event at Machine Hall and this will be a special occasion to hear this accomplished multi-disciplinary artist speaking to the role of ritual and ancestral knowledge in her creative practice as part of our Panel Discussion;

Immerse yourself in the latest creations from House of Bäru (a matriarchal art house collaboration between Gambirra and daughter Gutiwoy) featuring wearable and sculptural works shaped by land, sea and lineage, and;

Fire up the dancefloor with Gambirra MOB to close the night with a heart-pumping set featuring debut tracks from the upcoming EP. 🔥🔥🔥

It's going to be an unmissable night.

Stay tuned for the full video of Gambirra's reflections on 'Rituals' - launching Monday.

🎥 Wanagi Zable-Andrews

Rituals is proudly supported by
City of Sydney and M.PWR series

07/04/2026

🎨🥁✨ Introducing: The Art of Us ✨🥁🎨

We are SO excited to launch The Art of Us – Culture, Connection & Wellbeing on the Central Coast! 🌏💛

This is more than a program — it’s a movement. A community-led arts and wellbeing initiative that brings people together through dance, drumming, storytelling, visual arts, and so much more — celebrating our diversity and building belonging for ALL.

We’re kicking things off in partnership with our wonderful friends at 🤝, bringing the magic to their playgroups and connecting with the incredible CALD families in our community.

Our first event is THIS Thursday! 🗓️ 📍 Blue Haven Public School – 37 Colorado Drive, Blue Haven 🕙 10am – 1pm | FREE entry 🎭 Featuring , .da.silva_ & .music

Here’s what’s in store 👇 🎉 10:00am – Doors open + DJ Set 🤡 10:30am – Clowning with Alicia Gonzalez 💃 11:15am – Dance workshop with Marina Da Silva 🥁 12:15pm – Drumming, Sax & Spin with Brazilian percussion + audience participation!

This is a free, all-ages, all-cultures celebration — bring the kids, bring the grandparents, bring everyone! 🌈👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

The Art of Us is for First Nations families, CALD communities, children, seniors, people with disability, and anyone seeking joy and connection through the arts. You belong here. 💜

💙 This program is made possible thanks to through its Community Development Grant Program — investing in the people, cultures, and communities that make the Central Coast such a special place to call home. We are deeply grateful for their support! 🙏

See you there! 🎶

Address

Sydney, NSW

Telephone

+61 449954065

Website

http://www.heartdancers.org.au/

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