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DISCOVER
THE PRYCE CENTRE STORY
IT’S YOUR STORY

Our Pledge

Every person deserves to live a life where there is hope, care and happiness. They should feel free to develop without judgement, in an environment that is safe and supportive.

 

Our team at the Pryce Centre, will work hard to provide a place like this so that you can look forward to getting active and learning new skills whilst having lots of fun.

Pryce Centre for Culture and Arts is where creativity and culture intersect to inspire innovation at a whole new level. Come and be part of our family. 

Eso gar in advance for your support.

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Ms Rita Pryce

The Founder

To have a dream,  is to have a future. 

– Rita Pryce

A Message from Rita Pryce

 

If you asked me 10yrs ago whether or not I thought my dreams would come true, I probably would’ve laughed.

Let me tell you, dreams really DO come true!

My name is Rita Pryce and I belong to the Kulkalgal and Kawrareg people, as well as the Wagadagam tribe of Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait Islands).

 

I have been in the Performing Arts industry now for over 20yrs. I am based in Cairns but still visit my home in the islands regularly and have maintained connections with my family and the communities there.

As a young child, I never got asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. So I never thought about it. And living in a remote community on an island without a TV, didn’t allow for our imagination to go much further than the waters edge.

But being born into a community where our culture is a lifestyle, I was always surrounded by creativity and innovation from a very young age. I owe my life as a dancer and choreographer to my people – the First Peoples, and our beautiful ancient cultures.

My life experiences, professional skills and global networks are what I’ve combined to ensure that you are guided in the Arts and given opportunities that sometimes seem out of reach...as I know each of you also  has a dream. I want to share with you what I’ve learnt along the way, and show you that you too can achieve much more than you imagine.

Ms Rita Pryce
Artistic Director | CEO

     

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About the Pryce Centre

Born out of two decades of dance excellence from the roots of the Baiwa Dance Theatre, the Pryce Centre builds upon a strong legacy of traditional guidance and technique. It recognises the deep connection between protocol from keepers of cultural arts legacy and the development of form, innovation and style that is built on and extended to create new contemporary expressions. In taking such great care to guarantee our stewardship does not culturally appropriate our rich first nations legacies, we strive to ensure the next generations walk with their ancestry on solid ground.

Our commitment is four-fold:


Pathways: Address the gap between young people their entry into a career in the arts. Often Indigenous youth come into technical training at a later age than non-Indigenous. This sets up a difficult journey of equity and opportunity which we recognise. Equally, for those who have excelled or trained earlier than the trend, we seek to proactively talent identify and support them on their journey of excellence in a way that positions them for acceptance and opportunity not only within Australia, but worldwide.

Research: Partnering with academic and specialists, we are developing a body of research, investigation and enquiry into understanding our style, techniques, health and social emotional wellbeing impacts, economic benefits and such, so that we have the ability to contribute to a toolkit of knowledge around culture and the arts. 

Innovation: The Pryce Centre has a big vision and we look towards being a point of difference within Australia and the world. We do not look at technology as adjunct to our operations, but have embraced the now platforms, such as blockchain technology, web3.0 and ai to seek to continue to do business better, smarter and more productively. Recognising this is relatively new to Indigenous businesses, we hope to encourage others to see the power and potential of stepping out from inherited and often outmoded practise so that we disrupt the cycle of struggle within our sectors and communities. Our innovation doesn't stop there, we are committed to transitioning to a centre that operates sustainably and holistically so that it is more than bricks and mortar, but experiential and immersive.

Global: While being physically located in Cairns, Queensland Australia, the Pryce Centre sees itself competitively edged within a global footprint. This affords us an unique advantage in opening up remote and regional communities to an access point few can only dream. We have in place international staff, a team of Aboriginal arts specialists who represent and uphold our ethics based overseas to continue to ensure opportunities and visibility for our faculty and students through touring, global pathways, study tours and exchange.

For Culture & Arts
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Rita aged 4, St. Joseph’s Mission on

Keriri/Hammond Is, Torres Strait.

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Actor Wesley Snipes sat with us after we performed for him. — with Pauline Scott Terare, Peggy-joy Paiwainmisi, Smilar Sinak, Norina Gibuma, Lesley Cockatoo, Jacob Boehme, Deon Hastie, Cherie Johnson, Ethel Anau and Rodney Graham Turner.

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 Choreographing our youth company Baiwa Kazil

OUR ROOTS 
OUR CULTURE
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