Zahara Dance Company is a multicultural dance company located in Midland, Australia. Established in 2014 by Tabetha Vagliviello, the company consists of a group of talented and hardworking women of various ages who share a deep passion for dance and movement from around the world. Zahara Dance Company, also known as ZDC, aims to entertain, educate, and inspire audiences through their performances, promoting multiculturalism and tolerance.
ZDC incorporates a wide range of dance styles, including Middle Eastern Dance, Australian Indigenous dance, Hip Hop, Ballet, Contemporary, Greek, and more. They also occasionally feature guest performances from highly skilled cultural performers in Western Australia, such as Cossack dancers, Highland dancers, and Irish dancers. By combining different dance forms and creating themed or story-lined ballets, ZDC aims to showcase the diversity and similarities of various cultures, encouraging a greater understanding and appreciation among their audiences.
The company has several key objectives. Firstly, they strive to foster and promote an interest and understanding in multicultural performing arts among urban and rural communities. This includes conducting lectures, demonstrations, and workshops at primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions. Additionally, ZDC aims to create and maintain an information and reference system where the multicultural performing arts community can access resources, including a library and a register of multicultural performers and groups.
ZDC also takes a proactive approach to ensure ethical standards and behaviour for both performers and employers. This includes addressing occupational health and safety (OSH) issues, ensuring fair wages, and providing appropriate insurance coverage. The company facilitates conferences, theatre performances, and workshops that incorporate multicultural performing arts and are accessible to performers and the public at all levels.
Another important aspect of ZDC's mission is to create employment opportunities for dancers and associated technical and artistic workers. They also maintain collaborations with multicultural bodies abroad for the exchange of ideas, information, cultural references, music, and performance styles. Exhibitions featuring various art forms, such as painting, sculpture, crafts, costuming, and dance, are also part of their cultural exchange initiatives.
Zahara Dance Company Inc. aims to contribute to the tolerance of multiculturalism by sharing the beauty of each culture represented within the company. Through their performances and community engagement, ZDC seeks to promote cultural understanding and appreciation.
The dancers of Zahara Dance Company have garnered media exposure as Raqs Zahara, being featured in various publications that showcase their talent and dedication to their artform. They continue to strive for excellence and represent the vibrant multicultural dance scene in Midland, Western Australia.