A dance celebrating the 2025 NAIDOC theme of ‘legacy’ is winning plaudits in the Tweed.

Tweed Heads Public School teachers Jordyn Green and Sophie Cutler coordinated the special dance project with students to celebrate NAIDOC.

“The theme for NAIDOC Week this year is Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy,” Ms Green said.

“Our students explored what the theme means to them, especially the concept of legacy, and considered the kind of legacy they want to leave as the next generation of Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people.

“With the support of local Aboriginal dancer Mariah Cavnaugh-Roberts, they learned about contemporary Aboriginal dance and then used movement to express their stories and ideas with Lily Fleury – dancer, choreographer and teacher.”

Ms Green said students had spent weeks practicing and refining the dance, before performances at the Far North Coast Dance Festival and local eisteddfods.

The dance troupe is made up of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, male and female, from years 4 to 6.

“For many of the students, this was their first time dancing in this style, but they embraced it wholeheartedly,” Ms Green said.

“They rehearsed multiple times each week, always showing up with energy, passion, and purpose.

“They were recognised with ‘highly commended’ awards at both eisteddfods, but more importantly, they danced with heart, pride and a sense of connection to something much bigger than themselves.”

To celebrate NAIDOC Week (6-13 July), Ms Green and Ms Cutler arranged for the dance to be filmed.

“We wanted to have the dance filmed so it could be captured and shared for years to come,” Ms Green said.

“The students performed on Country, beside the Tweed River, which is a strong metaphor in the dance, symbolising legacy, flow, and the passing on of knowledge and culture from one generation to the next.”