Celebrate Pacifika culture with supper and dance

By DOUGAL TSAKOLOS-STEWART

Arts & Culture Exchange (ACE) will bring their popular ACE at Dusk series to a grand climax with a night of feasting, music, dance and arts when they present Treasure Islands Supper Dance.

The event, sponsored by NSW Government’s Culture Up Late Program, will celebrate the cultures of Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, and Kiribati. 

Event producer, Victoria Harbutt, has been in charge of this project since 2021. It began with a series of web videos called Treasure Islands in which performers from selected Oceanic countries would perform and speak on cultural traditions. Treasure Islands Supper Dance aims to combine all of these cultural performances into one night.

The performances representing each nation will feature an artist born in or with strong ties to that nation. The performers will explain the importance of their culture through spoken word as well as through dance and song. 

Performances will be accompanied by a sit-down meal featuring authentic cuisine from the various nations in an island-style environment, with food supplied by iconic Pacific Islands supermarket, Palms Pacific in Bidwill.  

 “The Treasure Islands Supper Dance is not just a celebration of the Treasure Islands series but a testament to the vibrant and diverse cultures of the Pacific Islands and their communities here in Australia,” said Executive Director of ACE, Anne Loxley. 

Host for the evening will be Leo Tanoi, presenter of Koorai Radio’s The Black President Show. To top it off, after the show concludes the floor will be open for a dance session, with music provided by HI BMI, a funk electronic islander band well known in Western Sydney.

April 6, 7pm

Arts & Cultural Exchange, 8 Victoria Rd Parramatta

https://aceinc.org.au/