Street Dance in Focus: Practices, communities and futures in Australia examines how street dancers train, work and build communities, their aspirations and the challenges they face.
The findings will be discussed at the On & On Festival in Melbourne this week (19-22 February) an event celebrating street dance and the artists shaping its future across Australia and the Asia Pacific.
The research was conducted in a partnership between Creative Australia and Cypher Culture, involving researchers and practitioners from within the street dance community. The report draws on a national survey of 471 participants and in-depth interviews with street dancers across Australia.
Lead Researcher Dr Jason Ng said:
"For a long time, street dance in Australia has been visible on stages, in competitions and online, but the people and communities behind the culture have rarely been properly documented. This report provides the first national view of this community, grounded in survey data and insights from street dancers themselves.
Geoffrey Lim from Cypher Culture said:
"What matters most to us is that this research reflects how street dancers actually train, work and support one another, across different styles, generations and communities. It shows street dance as a cultural ecosystem, not just a performance outcome."
It gives our community a shared language and data to support better access to opportunities, spaces and long-term pathways."
Creative Australia Head of Dance, Sarah Greentree, said:
"Creative Australia is proud to support research that is led by communities and reflects the realities of creative practice on the ground. This report provides an important evidence base to better understand the contribution of street dance and the people who sustain it across Australia."
Key insights:
The report found street dancers are typically:
- Young, female-identifying and living in cities
Almost half of respondents are aged 25-34 (49%) and one third are aged 18-24 (33%).
Women make up 54% of participants, and most respondents live in big cities where community infrastructure is more readily available.
- Culturally and linguistically diverse
Almost two-thirds of respondents identify as coming from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds (64%).
Almost half were born outside Australia (42%), with many participants originating from the Philippines, China, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and New Zealand.
- Highly connected locally and internationally
Street dancers are strongly connected to local and global communities, frequently attending events interstate and overseas.
More than half of respondents attend free or paid street dance events at least once a week (52%).
- Strongly engaged with the arts
Street dancers are avid arts participants, with 89% reporting they attend arts and creative activities outside street dance. By comparison, interest in sport is much lower, with 66% saying they had not attended a sporting event in the past 12 months.
- Digitally engaged
Street dancers are highly engaged in digital content production and sharing. Almost three quarters make and share videos of their dance practice online (74%).
- Learning how to fund their practice
The street dance community is actively learning how to access financial support for their work. While some face ongoing challenges and barriers, the community is adapting quickly and reporting promising success rates.
- Keen to grow their profile and participation
Most respondents want to increase their participation in street dance, either to pursue personal goals or strengthen community connections.
More than half would like to take part in higher-profile street dance events and competitions (56%), and half want to increase their social media presence (50%).
Read the full report on Creative Australia's website.
On and On Street Dance Festival is taking place in locations across Melbourne from 19-22 February. The event includes workshops and talks and culminates with City Sessions, two days of epic street dance battles at Fed Square.
Image: Mario The Unguided at Uni Sessions student battles, presented by Cypher Culture at State Library Victoria. Photo: Namchops
