Indigenous dancers reach for the stars at Opera House

Steven Taylor loves showcasing the world's oldest living continuous culture through dance.

Mr Taylor, a proud Ngemba/Wailwan man, is looking forward to competing this weekend at the Sydney Opera House with his dance group Dinawan's Connection for DanceRites 2023.

“You also pay respect to country, to the animals and all those stories, so you are continuing those stories but also shedding a light on culture,” Mr Taylor told AAP.

DanceRites is Australia's only national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance competition, staged over two big days for a chance to win prizes that total $36,000.

Each group will present a cultural dance and song cycle, representing their local storytelling and language, with many also performing an optional wildcard dance to showcase their unique style.

Mr Taylor founded his dance group in the NSW town of Cowra in 2015 alongside fellow cultural dancers Warren Williams and William Ingram.

“After a 2015 Corroboree in Cowra, the community asked us to teach the local kids dance as well and it has just grown from there,” Mr Taylor said.

There are now Dinawan's Connection groups located in Albury-Wodonga, Dubbo, Orange and Cowra, all teaching dance to community and empowering local kids.

The origins of the dance group's name is connected to the First Nations creator spirit Baiame, who is seen in the sky, and the Wiradjuri word Dinawan which translates to emu.

“The male emu raises the chicks and teaches them everything they need to know before they go out into the wide world,” Mr Taylor said.

He said that Dinawan's Connection is a perfect example of men leading the kids and teaching them everything they need to know before they become adults.

More than 350 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performers from across Australia will participate in DanceRites this weekend, when the Sydney Opera House forecourt is transformed into a spectacular dance ground.

DanceRites is a free event open to the public and will take place over two days, with the heats on Saturday and finals on Sunday.