About Blak Nite
BLAK NITE is the largest Indigenous youth arts showcase in Australia. The event is associated to Come Out Festival every two years. It is a creative meeting ground for young South Australian Nungas who through creative expression participate in both artistic and cultural workshops, explore their dreams and imaginations and contribute to the general well being and social health of the broader community.
A series of artistic and cultural workshops are held in the lead up to the event and extend beyond the metropolitan region. The workshops seek to develop new work with young people in regional areas and in 2007 they included the APY Lands, Ceduna, Port Augusta, Pt Lincoln, Pt Pearce and Murray Bridge. Young Nungas created new work through a constructive creative development process enabling them to engage with skilled professional Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists and event managers. The culmination of these workshops formed a core part of the event. The showcase included a music stage, a dance stage, catering, fashion parade, multi media and visual arts exhibition. Each Blak Nite is themed and in 2007, three young people formed the artistic directorate Benjamin Bayliss, Chantal Henley, and Taree Sansbury. Each were appointed to creatively drive the overall vision for the event as well as to focus on the area of programming they wish to experience and develop further. Benjamin was charged with designing the logo and leading the merchandise; Chantal and Taree led the Fashion Show. Chantal a staff member of Tandanya is an up and coming young fashion designer and launched her first line of clothing at the 2007 event.
Blak Nite ’07 was an enormous success. Over 150 young performers participated from regional and metropolitan areas. An extensive crew including volunteers worked in the lead up and during the event. Audience attendance on the night exceeded 2,000 people.
The Blak Nite program strongly reflects contemporary Indigenous culture, through cultural practice, song, dance, film, fashion, hip-hop and visual arts.
Blak Nite Volunteering
If you would be interested in volunteering for Blak Nite please contact Renee Johnson at Carclew on (08) 8267 5111. We would love to hear from you.
