Sydney WorldPride performer Eliam Royalness and his crew are using street dance to push back against homophobia

Street dance crew The Pioneers gear up for Sydney WorldPride in Western Sydney.

With a flower tucked behind his ear, Eliam Royalness regularly practises his street dance in public spaces across Sydney.  

Attitudes have improved since he started in 2011, but he still encounters homophobia sometimes.

Last week, a man approached Mr Royalness and his dance crew while they were practising.

The man questioned Mr Royalness for wearing a flower behind his ear, which is a Samoan cultural symbol, then continued harassing him while he trained with his crew. 

Dance has helped members of Eliam Royalness (middle) crew express their identities. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

"[He] just kept on talking about, you know, 'You look stupid, you look silly with a daffodil on your hair'," Mr Royalness said.

"It was just disrespectful to my culture, and then also to my person."

Street dance is an outlet of expression, Mr Royalnes says. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

But by being visible and asserting his identity through street dance, Mr Royalness is pushing back on homophobic attitudes.

He said while attitudes had generally improved, there was still a lot of work to do.

"It's important to do work like this and be seen, especially in the west side," Mr Royalness said.

"Public spaces, like Fairfield and Liverpool and Blacktown, are really popular areas — these are the places where we need to be seen, and people need to know that we are here.

"And, you know, we're not going anywhere."

The Pioneers perform street dance in the context of contemporary dance. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

Mr Royalness directs the street dance crew The Pioneers, which features queer youth from diverse backgrounds based in south-west Sydney.

The Pioneers will be performing at multiple events during Sydney WorldPride, including a series of performances of street and contemporary dance this week, to preview the global LGBTQIA+ event at The Crescent Plaza in Fairfield.

The dance crew have also performed at the Opera House and many corporate events.  (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

Mr Royalness said street dance had helped the group build self-belief and express their identities.

"We've learned being on the streets to stay true to yourself," Mr Royalness said.

"It's helped us build that confidence that I don't think we would have had any other way."

Push for more public spaces

Western Sydney artist Feras Shaheen said dance performances in public spaces exposed people to cultures they didn't normally interact with.

"It grows the arts community within the public as well as provides entertainment," Mr Shaheen said.

"It kind of breaks the barrier between artists, performers and the general public."

Mr Shaheen has worked with Campbelltown Council and Campbelltown Arts Centre to create Forum Q, a public space for dancers in the heart of the city, with softer floors, mirrors for the dancers, and powerpoints for speakers.

He is also leading a research project funded by the City of Sydney Innovation and Ideas Grant, alongside researcher Rachael Gunn, to create more spaces for dance across Sydney.

The project is produced by art development organisation Critical Path in collaboration with Macquarie University.

Dances in public spaces expose people to cultures they might not interact with otherwise, Feras Shaheen says. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

Mr Shaheen said "Dancers Lane" near Darling Square in the Sydney CBD was the perfect example of the kind of dance space every community needed.

"It's one of the bigger spots in Sydney where street dancers go to practice, jam, take lessons, and all that great dance stuff," Mr Shaheen said.

"So we're trying to find more spaces that are similar or different to it, in ways … [that] we can build or reuse to dance in, create, and really make the most out of a concrete-filled city."

The project's focus right now is street dance, but once identified the spaces may be used for other activities like roller skating and parkour.

Dr Gunn speaks to ABC Radio Sydney about public spaces for street dancing

Historically, these spaces were developed organically.

"A community of dancers would meet at a spot to practice and that becomes 'the spot' over time. And word of mouth usually plays a big part of that. Many spots in Sydney were born that way," Mr Shaheen said.

"It's great to have these organic spots, but how can we create more opportunity and space? If we rely on the ability to access dance studios … it shortens the possibilities for dancers."

The Pioneers are performing in Fairfield as a preview to Sydney WorldPride. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

'Be true to who you are'

Street dance — combining the music, the fashion and the way people spoke — was a strong tool for expressing identity, Mr Shaheen said.

"It's not so much just an art form — it's also a community and a culture, coming from a bigger culture," Mr Shaheen said.

The Pioneers want people to be true to who they are. (ABC Radio Sydney: Declan Bowring)

For Mr Royalness, being able to express himself and feel comfortable in public is important.

"I don't want to walk out my front door, and then have to not be who I am," Mr Royalness said.

"The message of Pioneers is just to be true to who you are."

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