Melbourne is set to pulse with extraordinary energy this winter as the inaugural Australian Dance Biennale joins RISING festival, transforming the city into a vibrant canvas of movement, innovation, and shared joy. From 27 May to 8 June 2026, this groundbreaking new program places dance firmly at the centre of RISING’s city-wide celebration, with more than 100 events featuring 376 artists across theatres, town halls, railway ballrooms, civic squares, galleries and public spaces.
At the start of winter, these venues will be reimagined as sites of shared experience, welcoming artists and audiences from Australia and around the world to gather, move and encounter new ideas at scale. Across venues large and small, the program pulses with music and movement, boasting major international names alongside bold new Australian works and expansive free events. The Australian Dance Biennale forms the heart of RISING 2026 as a major new platform showcasing the strength and diversity of Australian and international dance. Presented by RISING every two years, it extends beyond the theatre, unfolding across stages, club nights, dance classes and public spaces in a city-wide invitation to unlock new joys on the dance floor and embrace sculpted moments of movement from leading choreographers.
Highlights include Oona Doherty’s powerful Hard to Be Soft: A Belfast Prayer; Lucy Guerin Inc.’s world-premiere: The Forest; the landmark revival of Chunky Move’s interactive masterpiece Glow after two decades; electrifying appearances by the Royal Family Dance Crew with their unique Polyswagg style; and many more explorations of forest witchcraft, high-fashion hypnotism, Aotearoa vogueing and beyond.
The biennale also re-opens the iconic Flinders Street Station Ballroom to the public for the first time in decades, where participants of all ages can glide the night away in classes learning steps directly from Victorian dance legends and international stars. A dedicated National Dance Summit will foster cultural exchange and artist amplification, while a delegate program connects local creators with national and global presenters, ensuring Melbourne’s dance ecosystem thrives and evolves.
RISING Artistic Director and CEO Hannah Fox captured the spirit perfectly, “Melbourne is a city shaped by music and movement, always moving forward and reinventing, remixing and birthing new sounds and styles from dolewave to bounce, from traditional Wurundjeri dance to the Melbourne Shuffle. Music and dance are universal ancient languages and remain the most loved way we gather as a community – from folk dance to the rave, and from sticky carpets to arenas.”
Parliamentary Secretary for Creative Industries Katie Hall MP added, “Alongside a roster of incredible local and international artists there are plenty of free experiences on offer and opportunities for people of all ages to unleash their inner artist thanks to the first ever Australian Dance Biennale which will offer classes for all ages alongside incredible performances.”
With free experiences, workshops for all ages, and hundreds of artists across RISING 2026, the inaugural Australian Dance Biennale represents a bold new chapter for contemporary dance in Australia. Tickets are now on sale, promising an unforgettable season where bodies, communities, and ideas collide in spectacular, inclusive motion. Book now at https://2026.rising.melbourne/
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