A group of Indigenous teenage dancers will make their debut at the Sydney Opera House as part of the city's New Year's Eve celebrations.
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Seven teens from Redfern's Brolga Dance Academy, the youngest 14 and the oldest 19, will dance alongside rapper Kobie Dee and singer Akala Newman to their new track My Home, My Country.
"We're just so ecstatic and excited, New Year's is a spectacular event and it's on the global stage as well," Brolga Academy founder Jodie Choolburra-Welsh told AAP.
"It's a great opportunity for our young kids to actually get up there and be on that platform and share the stage with amazing artists."
The dancers created a new piece to go with the music track, with costumes by Aboriginal designer Matthew Stegh.
Choolburra-Welsh said the piece is best described as Aboriginal contemporary with an infusion of other genres mixed in.
The Gamilaroi/Murrawarri woman founded Brolga two years ago, and in that time it's grown to 65 students and half a dozen teachers and choreographers.
"It's exceeded my expectations ... I was quite overwhelmed with the fast growth but I'm embracing it and loving it," she said.
The dance school concentrates on providing Aboriginal students with strong cultural foundations and a platform to tell their own stories.
"To see us dance is to hear our ancestors speak," Choolburra-Welsh said.
Australian Associated Press
