Wulgurukaba Walkabouts

The Partnership is a natural next step in a deepening reciprocal exchange first forged in 2020.

Wulgurukaba Walkabouts’ dancers, led by Traditional Owner Ashley Saltner Jnr, are long-form artists in residence at Dancenorth; and the two organisations remain open to opportunities for arts and cultural exchange, co-creation of dance work and experiences, and a shared sense of community stewardship in whichever ways it may unfold. In these creative exchanges we are afforded the time for reciprocity, learning and deep listening.

Rather than work towards prescribed outcomes, the partnership creates space for:

+ self-determined creative process and enquiry

+ skills development across all aspects of arts practice

+ identifying future creative projects for development between the two companies

+ identified cultural mentoring (traditional/ contemporary) with key industry professionals

+ true cultural grounding and cultural capacity building for the whole of the Dancenorth team.

Dungarri Nya Nya Ngarri Bi Nya (2020-2021), the first work co-created by Dancenorth and Wulgurukaba Walkabouts, was a groundbreaking celebration of First Nations culture from across the region. Also involving dancers from Big Eye Theatre, Sambo Productions, Komet Torres Strait Islander Arts and Culture, Heatley State School, Townsville Multicultural Support Group, Danecnorth’s youth community, and award-winning multilingual rapper Baker Boy, the work united traditional and contemporary dance and music beneath a starry sky. Dungarri Nya Nya Ngarri Bi Nya received an IMPACT Award in 2022 for its role in elevating First Nations stories and culture, while fostering social cohesion and community.

In 2023, Dancenorth and Wulgurukaba Walkabouts partnered again to develop and present Bambarra-ma Dariburu. The outdoor work was a mesmerising spectacle of movement, sound, and storytelling celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the Wulgurukaba people and highlighting the power of collaboration and togetherness.

In 2025, Wulgurukaba Walkabouts spent four weeks working full-time at Dancenorth to assist in the co-creation of A Live Moment. The work celebrated Dancenorth’s 40th Anniversary, acknowledging four decades of the Company and 65,000 years of continuous dance on Country. The collaboration was the partnership’s most holistic yet, with the Wulgurukaba Walkabouts invited to expand their dance practice from cultural to contemporary.

Ashley Saltner Jnr said the experience was one of genuine mutual exchange.

“I think that spirit of everyone being equally involved will spill out of the performers and into everyone who comes along,” he said.

“I truly believe we’re leading by example for our community and for the nation to demonstrate what can happen when we work together on meaningful, impactful projects.”