Rachael’s artistic practice has spanned three decades, with her artistry contributing to arts in schools, teacher education, the community arts sector and arts activism.
Dance and Aerials
Rachael is a proud Indian-Australian and South Asian dancer. Originally trained in Hip Hop and contemporary styles, Rachael developed her practice in Indian dancing in the early 2000s, and has since gone on to lead three dance companies and work for several other reputable organisations. In Brisbane Rachael founded Bollyfunk Dance and Bollywood Connections, two companies that specialised in making Indian dance forms accessible to a diverse range of community members. At the time these companies were the largest Bollywood dance organisations in Queensland, and they performed at venues such as QPAC, the Ekka, The Old Queensland Museum, The Brisbane Powerhouse, The Judith Wright Centre and more.
After returning to Sydney Rachael founded Sydney Bollywood, her own company specialising in contemporary Indian dance practice for all members of the community. Rachael has always with the Indian community in Brisbane and Sydney to curate and perform at cultural festivals. She has a diverse skill set, combined with teaching expertise that makes her practice highly engaging and welcoming to all diverse learners.
Sydney Bollywood website: bollygolightly.wordpress.com/
Sydney Bollywood facebook: facebook.com/SydneyBollywood
In 2017 Rachael joined the aerial studio, Sky Sirens, originally as a student, then later joined the team of instructors. Under her stage name, Bolly Golightly, Rachael teachers lyra (aerial hoop) and aerial sling to beginner and intermediate aerial students. Rachael also pioneered Bollywood Lyra and Bollywood Sling, combining her love of South Asian dance with aerial practice. This unique style has developed a niche but dedicated following. Rachael has instructed aerials at Nikki Webster’s dance studio and has also studied at studios in Brisbane, Hong Kong, Dublin and New York.
Sky Sirens website: https://www.skysirens.com.au/bolly-golightly
Community Arts
The majority of Rachael’s artistic practice has been in the Community Arts sector. Rachael has conducted dance and drama programs in migrant and refugee communities, hospitals, women’s refuges, to name a few. From 2017-2019 she was a teaching-artist with Sydney Theatre Company, delivering the Connected program that teaches languages and literacy to newly arrived migrants and refugees in Western Sydney.
Rachael has worked on programs dance designed to reduce recidivism in prisons and juvenile detention. She has been a board director Drama NSW and Drama Australia, the peak bodies for Drama Education. She is currently a board director of children’s arts organisation Wide Eyed Wonder, and a consultant to Ausdance NSW and ACARA (the Australian Curriculum and Reporting Authority) on cultural diversity and racial justice in arts education.
Current projects:
IEC Transitions: Working with Hannah Grant of Collective Impact Arts, IEC Transitions uses drama pedagogies to assist newly arrived migrant and refugee students transition to mainstream high schools. This program develops language, social and academic skills through drama
ITAC Climate Collaborative: ITAC has newly commissioned five teaching artists from around the world to design and deliver projects in their local communities that change beliefs and behaviours in relation to climate change. Rachael will be working in West and South West Sydney facilitating arts projects that address the issue of rising surface temperatures in outer Sydney suburbs. More information here https://www.itac-collaborative.com/projects/chill-the-heat
Sydney Opera House: Using skills in pedagogy, dance education and arts integration, Rachael will work with the Sydney Opera House in 2021 as a teaching-artist, helping to design and implement a program that uses dance to teach maths and engineering skills, as they relate to the history and building of the Opera House.
Deep Harmony: In 2021 Rachael received a grant from the Australia Council for the Arts to develop anti-racist programs in NSW schools, taught through the arts. Combining cultural diversity and anti-racist education with Bollywood dancing, Deep Harmony offers an alternative to traditional ‘Harmony' Day’ or ‘Multicultural Day’ celebrations. Rachael works in schools to engage students in cultural learning and deep reflection on community through the colour and joy of Bollywood dancing.
Context is Everything: Working with Dr Rachael Dwyer of University of the Sunshine Coast, a set of guidelines for decolonising arts education and creating anti-racist approaches to arts education is being produced.
Arts activism
Rachael’s political and artistic work frequently combine to take action or make statements on issues close to her heart. Some previous projects include:
Dance for Your World: A dance festival and series of flashmobs pioneered by Rachael to raise money for Oxfam and bring attention to Australia’s international obligations with regard to foreign aid (2010-2013)
Discobedience: choreography and leadership of a street action in Newtown in support of climate action (2020)
Mardi Gras: Choreography and coordination of float for support group Free Gay n Happy (2006 – 2019) and choreography for the Greens float (2017-2019)
Dance for Love: Dance actions at Equal Love rallies in support of Marriage Equality
No Johnny No: Dance and cheerleading action at Unions’ Your Rights at Work protests against Work Choices (2005)
Formation: Dance action at International Women’s Day rallies (2018)
I Will Survive: Halloween themed protest dance for Xtinction Rebellion (2019)
Arts Education
Rachael has devoted her adult professional life to arts education. She initially started her own piano tuition studio in 1997, then graduated with a B. Education in 1999. Rachael initially worked as an arts teacher (Dance, Drama and Music) in Sydney and Canberra, before moving to Brisbane to take a position Lecturing in the Faculty of Education at Australian Catholic University. While in Brisbane, Rachael produced a range of dance and drama performance and founded two Bollywood dance companies. She facilitated arts programs in migrant and refugee communities, hospitals, women’s refuges, while maintaining a growing record of arts research. Rachael undertook her PhD on Senior Secondary Assessment in Australian States and Territories and is now an authority on arts and creativity assessment. Rachael has published research on arts and creativity practice in teacher education courses, as well as creativity in schools and arts for social change. From 2017 she became a lecturer in Arts Education at Western Sydney University and collaborates with arts researchers and practitioners all over the world. Rachael founded Sydney Bollywood in 2018, teaching Bollywood dancing to all members of the community.
From 2017-2019 she was a teaching-artist with Sydney Theatre Company, teaching language and literacy through drama to newly arrived migrants and refugees in Western Sydney. Rachael has also conducted storytelling workshops for migrant and refugee youth in Ireland as part of Trinity College’s SORGENTE project, led by Dr Erika Piazzoli. In 2018 she decided to pursue aerial arts and now teaches lyra (aerial hoop) and aerial sling at studios in Sydney.
Rachael is a passionate advocate for arts education and makes frequent media commentary on the importance of the arts in schools and the community.
