Australian Dance Theatre, BlakDance, and Adelaide Festival are thrilled to announce Caleena Sansbury and Rikki Wilson as the recipients of the 2025 Blak Futures Residencies.
Caleena Sansbury will develop Mullamar, a cross-disciplinary work combining movement and projection to tell the story of Caleena’s great-grandmother, Mary Cooper’s life, highlighting the personal and systemic challenges faced by First Nations people in the 1940’s.
Caleena is a distinguished First Nations artist and cultural leader, with Ngarrindjeri, Narungga, and Kaurna heritage. Her work spans choreography, performance, and arts management, drawing from her cultural roots to explore identity and storytelling through contemporary performance. Trained at NAISDA Dance College, she has collaborated with artists like Vicki Van Hout and Thomas E. S. Kelly, and performed in works such as Saltbush and The Man with the Iron Neck. Currently, she coordinates the First Nations Dance Program at The Mill, fostering Indigenous storytelling and mentoring emerging dancers.
Beyond performance, Caleena is a producer and arts leader, having contributed to the Melbourne Fringe (2018) and toured with works like Jacob Boheme’s Gurranda (2024) and Taree Sansbury’s Mi:wi (2019).
After a short presentation during the ADT:RAW choreographic season, Rikki Wilson will continue creating I AM PIRBILYA – an investigation of Wirangu bloodlines and the links between past and present. A bold and personal celebration of the Matriarch that explores connections to country, culture, and ancestry.
Rikki is a proud Narungga, Adnyamthanha, Wirangu, Kokotha woman with a foundation rooted in her cultural heritage, who has honed her craft under the mentorship of a diverse range of established dancers, composers, and cultural authorities within her community. Her experience includes Tjarutja Dance Theatre Collective, Dance Rites, and ADT:RAW. Her work reflects her identity and inspires future generations.
United by an ambition to bring untold stories to the stage, both Rikki and Caleena will receive $10,000 and access to studio space to further explore their works. Throughout the Blak Futures residencies, both artists will have access to mentorship, Cultural Eldership, and support from ADT and BlakDance to help take their ideas to the next level.
To learn more, visit adt.org.au
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