Welcome to Global Indigenous Voices at RISE 2026.
This year Dance North’s annual festival of contemporary dance and performance honours global Indigenous artists whose work connects land, story and movement.
Guided by cultural respect, environmental consciousness and care, RISE 2026 offers a welcoming gathering of global Indigenous creativity, offering moments to witness, reflect and come together.
Our extended two-week programme (Sat 23 May to Sat 6 June) spans intimate solo performances, cross-cultural creations and intergenerational storytelling.
We still have our core RISE Festival Weekend at The Park Ecovillage, Findhorn, from Fri 29 – Sun 31 May, with additional performances over the fortnight coming to Caithness, Inverness and Glasgow.
At each we invite you to encounter bold, original practices rooted in kinship, belonging and deep relationships between people and place.
By listening intently, sharing space, and moving together, we hope to create moments for new connections and collective understanding – deepening our sense of belonging while honouring land and one another through story and movement.
Join us. Experience the vitality of contemporary performance shaped by land, culture and connection – and be inspired by the stories carried in every body.
Karl Jay-Lewin, Creative Director, Dance North Scotland
RISE 2026 is a welcoming and inclusive gathering of global Indigenous creativity.
This edition celebrates the powerful relationships between land, body, and story. It foregrounds cultural respect, ethical collaboration, and Indigenous leadership, guided by a commitment to cultural safety.
RISE 2026 honours the sovereignty and identity of participating artists, ensuring that all communications and festival experiences are grounded in reciprocity and care.
Featured artists include Oji-cree artist Lara Kramer (Turtle Island Canada) with Gorgeous Tongue and This is the Place Where We Pray in Findhorn (29–31 May) and Gorgeous Tongue at Tramway (6 June); Daina Ashbee’s Serpentine in Findhorn (29–31 May) and Tramway (3 June); award-winning theatre maker and choregrapher Jacob Boehme (Narungga and Kaurna Nations, South Australia) adapting GUURANDA X in Findhorn (29–31 May); and Larrakia choreographer (Northern Territory Australia) Gary Lang’s The Other Side of Me at Lyth Arts Centre (23 May) and Eden Court (27 May).
Through these encounters, audiences are invited to explore themes of belonging, kinship, environmental consciousness, and intergenerational knowledge.
RISE 2026 is presented in partnership with: BlakDance, Creative Scotland, Eden Court, Lyth Arts Centre, Tramway, Creative Australia, British Council of Australia, Gary Lang NT Dance Company, Northern Territory Government, Northumbria University, AANT Centre, Québec Government Office in London (DGQL), Goethe Institut, The Work Room, Touring Network and Highland Archive Centre.
Dance North welcomes local communities, students, families, global majority audiences, and people of all abilities into a festival shaped by place and people. It continues Dance North’s commitment to decolonial practice, inclusive programming, and bold contemporary performance rooted in land, culture, and connection.
RISE 2026 Programme
Dance and Performance
Workshops, Lectures & Talks
We Are the Land - A’nowarà:ke & AbyaYala perspectives - with Barbara Diabo and Martha Hincapié Charry* More Info
Living Landscapes led by Lara Kramer* More Info
Movement Based Participation Workshop led by Paige Shand Haami* More Info
Dance North Conversations… hosted by Paige Shand Haami* More Info
GUURANDA X RISE Cloakmaking Workshop More Info
Parties and Gatherings
RISE Festival Opening Night Party with DJ Butterscotch and KTB* More Info
RISE Family Friendly Picnic with DJ Butterscotch and KTB* More Info
Post GUURANDA X RISE Gathering from across the territories*
Regional Artists Networking Gathering* More Info
*Part of RISE Festival Weekend (Fri 29 - Sun 31 May) More Info