Our Programs

Past Programs

Since 1998, Incite has delivered many diverse programs from music and dance, song-making, textile and visual arts engaging young people in unique, creative experiences. Both remote and local area schools included were Harts Range, Ntaria, Kintore, Papunya, Tanami, Braitling Primary, Ross Park Primary, Gillen Primary, Centralian Middle School, Sadadeen Primary, Bradshaw Primary and Yipirinya.

A person stands on old concrete pylons that have graffiti on them, set into a desert hill covered in grass. The pylons are stacked with tall speakers and a person stands in the centre of the image with their hands pointed towards the ground, fingers in the metal symbol, arms bent as if mimicking a rock and roll star.

Meeting Place 2018

Meeting Place was the signature event of Arts Access Australia, the national peak body for arts and disability in Australia.

Held at the Araluen Arts Centre in Alice Springs from 24-26 September, Meeting Place 2018 shone a spotlight on local and NT artists, Indigenous artists, and artists with learning disability.

Image of young people standing in a room with green walls and white doors, the floor is timber. They stand in front of a keyboard and microphone.

Red Sand Culture

Incite delivered a long-term program of music and dance for young people in the very remote Warlpiri communities of Yuendumu, Willowra, Nyirrpi and Lajamanu. Called Red Sand Culture, the program began in 2007 and continued through to 2016. Artists who specialised in Hip Hop music and dance conducted workshops in these remote Warlpiri communities.  

Strong trust relationships were developed between the artists and workshop participants, fostering quality program engagement and the consistent creation of new songs and dances reflecting the lives, experiences, feelings and thoughts of these young people as they negotiate their way between two worlds. 

Red Sand Culture produced and released two compilation CD’s, Red Sand Culture Volume I & II which are a selection of the culmination of five years’ worth of songs; all conceived, developed and recorded as part of the project.  

<a href="https://redsandculture.bandcamp.com/album/red-sand-culture-volume-1">Red Sand Culture (Volume 1) by InCite Youth Arts and the Mt Theo Program</a>

<a href="https://redsandculture.bandcamp.com/album/red-sand-culture-volume-2">Red Sand Culture (Volume 2) by InCite Youth Arts and the Mt Theo Program</a>

A group of mainly young persons of mixed abilities are on a stage after a performance, smiling and clapping. They are wearing blue and black outfits.

Acacia Hill School

Incite worked with Acacia Hill School from 2005 until 2018 facilitating disability-led music and movement programs. Some of the students are current members of the stArts with D Ensemble who are still collaborating with Incite. These programs saw incredible talent from the participants, mentors and collaborators.

The extensive and notable outcomes from the Acacia Hill School programs included ‘Acacia’s Got Talent’, an end-of-year performance that led to many more programs with skills development, community awareness and inclusion. These include leading to a first-time performance by students with disability at the Centralian Eistedfodd. Acacia’s involvement by performing on stage with dance groups from other schools, colleges, town camps and remote communities broke new ground for inclusive performance opportunities for groups with mixed abilities.

Another highlight was the 2011 ‘Close to Me’ performance at Araluen Theatre. 68 participants, aged 5 – 50 years of age, and their support workers, created and performed this original new work to sell out audiences over two shows. This project saw Incite reach new professional standards in delivery and quality outcomes that showcased the talents of people with a disability to great community acclaim and laid strong foundations for further work. This is regarded as a seminal achievement in the Alice Springs arts and the disability community.

In response to the ‘Close to Me’ program outcomes and performances, the stArts with D Performance Ensemble was created. The ensemble have created significant works including ‘Somebody Everybody’, components of Unbroken Land and most recently, Strong Feelings.

Two people hold a cardboard sign that reads ‘dance carwash this way’ with an arrow pointing to the left. They are standing in front of petrol station, the sky is blue and the sun is bright. One person is wearing sunglasses.

Sprung Youth Dance

For over a decade, Incite Arts fostered the development of grassroots programs through partnerships with schools, youth sector organisations, dance groups and individual artists, to provide inclusive opportunities to engage young people in dance activities.

One of these programs was Sprung Youth Dance. The project began in 2012 as an initiative of Incite, Dusty Feet Dance Collective and Artistic Director Miriam Nicholls. The project was based on the belief that young people are artists in their own right with the potential to express and communicate complex ideas and issues through the body in the form of dance. The aim of the group was to extend beyond dance training, into the development of creative and collaborative work. The group went on to create site-specific works: ‘Graffiti – Make Your Mark’, ‘Living on The Line’ and ‘Big Smoke’ to great community acclaim.  

Your Voice, Strong Voice – Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa)

In 2015 and 2016, Incite collaborated with young people living in Ltyentye Apurte (Santa Teresa) to create a mural installation and a music video. This community arts project supported the expression of thoughts and feelings and communicates a strong message about valuing the importance of strong family relationships, with care and respect for culture as a part of their lives now and the future. 

The mural installed on the wall of the town pool is a high-quality artwork in a prime location on the main street offering maximum exposure. 

Utilising the beautiful mural and other significant locations in and around the community Santa Teresa’s young people performed their original song ‘Speak Up’ to create the music video. 

A group of young people all jumping up with their arms outstretched above their heads, smiles on their faces. They are in a room with lights on.

Alice Springs High School/ANZAC Hill High School Performing Arts Program

In 2009, Incite collaborated with ANZAC and ASHS to offer a program of performing arts (dance, music, theatre and multimedia) skills. With the scheduled merger of the two schools, the project facilitated the trialling of a performing arts model to be put in place in 2010 to meet the needs of middle school students in the unique context of Alice Springs. Incite provided access to specialist artists and coordinated the arts team. 

The program structure allowed for an intensive taster of each art form and then students selected one particular medium to concentrate on. The team of vibrant young artists and mentors proved a vital contributor to the quality engagement and the success of the program with three songs recorded, two dances choreographed and performed at a showcase at Anzac Hill High School.

Youth Culture

2011 saw the culmination of the 2010 exploration of this multi youth arts project. Skill development workshops were undertaken to create original hip hop music and dance pieces that were showcased at two youth focussed performing arts events as part of Youth Week 2011. A compilation CD of original music was produced and promoted.

Diverse groups of young people collaborated to create tailored youth performance outcomes, setting new benchmarks for quality youth arts presentations in Alice Springs. Access to NT and nationally acclaimed mentors helped immensely with this.

Incite also developed and implemented a range of programs with schools and remote communities over many years. This includes at: Harts Range, Ntaria, Kintore, Paypunya, Mt Liebig and Town Camp communities

2010 Yarrenyty Arltere Learning Centre- Larapinta Valley Town Camp

Youth Aerosol Art

From 2007 to 2016, Incite Arts undertook numerous Aerosol art installations in Alice Springs. Incite pioneered this opportunity, otherwise not available in Alice Springs, through a constructive, preventative and creative alternative to the usual punitive approach currently perpetuated to deal with the issue of “unwanted graffiti” in our community. 

The series of projects offered strong mentoring and skills development and legal graffiti art practice, while promoting positive lifestyle choices and alternate recreational opportunities and appreciation of high-quality youth arts engagement and expression. These were created in collaboration with Gap Youth Centre, Alice Springs Town Council, Power and Water and Central Australian Aboriginal Congress. 

2010 Aerosol Art Mentoring project

Mosaic Program 

From 2006 to 2009, Incite collaborated with established Arrernte artists at Hidden Valley Town Camp to mentor young Arrernte women to create mosaics installations at Hidden Valley, Tangentyere Council and Incite. The mentoring component of the program aimed to facilitate pathways towards professional practice. These works created include enduring works with a path at the Hidden Valley Community Centre and paving at Tangentyere Council. 

Agnes Abbott, Senior Arrernte Artist, Cultural Consultant Traditional Owner and Jane Young, Senior Arrernte Artist Mentor: “We are the mentors involved in this project. We have been doing mosaics for a couple of years and doing dot painting for a long time. We like the mosaics, they are something different, no one used to do those things before, they use to just do dot painting. It’s good to teach the young women something different, instead of doing dot paintings all the time.” 