Events Guide 1 - 7 May

Welcome to this week’s event guide!

There’s an exciting one this week just for the girls – No Lights No Lycra is teaming up with ‘Girls Make Your Move’ to host this freestyle dancing-in-the-dark event in Kambah this Tuesday, 2 May at 6.15pm. I’ve attended this event once, when it was held at Carriageworks in Sydney, so I can tell you the concept is executed really well. This inaugural event is free so you should check it out – make sure you wear comfortable clothes, take a water bottle and expect the unexpected.

At the same time on Tuesday, the Australia-China Youth Association (ACYA) ANU will lead a specialist panel made up of ANU’s renowned Professor Hugh White, Dr Amy King and Associate Professor Jane Golley, as well as ADFA’s Associate Professor Jian Zhang through an update on the Australia-China relationship. The panel will discuss whether we are heading towards cooperation or competition through an analysis of current world affairs.

On Thursday from 12 – 2pm in Manning Clarke Lecture Theatre Six, there is going to be a panel discussion titled ‘Diversity in the Media’. The panel has been organised by the Ethnocultural Department and Woroni, and has speakers that you do not want to miss the chance to listen to or mingle with. A free lunch will also be provided.

Head to the GIO Stadium this Friday to catch some of the greatest international rugby league stars do battle in preparation for the 2017 Rugby League World Cup! The Harvey Norman Jillaroos will take on the Kiwi Ferns in a much-anticipated clash of the best female Rugby League players in Australia and New Zealand, followed by the men’s mid-season ANZAC Test Match: Australian Kangaroos vs New Zealand Kiwis.

The ANU Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs is also hosting a presentation on Friday, 5 May, this time by David Envall – a research fellow in the Department of International Relations. ‘Leadership and Japanese Grand Strategy: is there an Abe Doctrine?’ will examine the way Shinzo Abe, elected prime minister for the second time in 2012, has aimed to remould the fundamentals of Japanese strategic thinking and their national security posture so the country can play a more active role in international affairs.

As I’m sure many of you know, Groovin the Moo Canberra is on this Sunday from 10.30am till late at the University of Canberra! This year’s lineup is hard to ignore, with a plethora of fresh new sounds from Allday, Tash Sultana, Thundamentals and more, as well as childhood favourites the Wombats and Violent Soho. If you didn’t get a ticket, I hope to still see you afterwards, groovin at the official Cube afterparty from 11pm onwards.

In partnership with the ACT Writers Centre, Noted Festival is hosting a discussion on Saturday, 6 May called ‘Art: What is it good for?’ A panel of artists will discuss the ever-present perception of art by some people as completely inaccessible, whether that be sue to luxury, price, or intellectual elitism. Head to Smiths Alternative, enjoy a coffee and engage with people regarding the purpose, accessibility, and value of art.

Another event hitting Canberra for the first time this week is CraftAlive – Australia’s biggest craft series, featuring craft supplies and trends, as well as local and interstate experts. Running this weekend 5 – 7 May from 9.30am – 4pm, the event is dedicated to all things craft, including patchwork, stamping, scrapbooking, quilting, jewellery and homewares. Get involved in the workshops and demonstrations to pick up some skills, or just spend the day watching world-class exhibitors while enjoying food and wine!

If you’ve ever found yourself walking through the streets of Canberra admiring the lush, green landscape and quiet serenity – I’m sure we all have at least once – head to the M16 Artspace sometime in the next few weeks and check out three exhibitions that take their inspiration from the bush capital. Martin Paull’s Recent Small Paintings, is exhibiting miniature impressionistic oil paintings of Canberra and the surrounding region. Each landscape is chosen because of the lasting impressions of place, identity and feeling they made on the artist. A group volunteer guides at the NGA are exhibiting Together Apart, a piece that celebrates diversity and artistic collaboration. And finally, Thea Katauskas is presenting Green Space – Scenes from the Bush Capital. This work records Canberra’s historic buildings and iconic architecture from the past, as well as the quiet suburban streets and old neighbourhoods, to celebrate the historical living spaces of Canberra, both public and private. Opening 4 May, all exhibitions explore different thematic concerns while sharing a mutual love and appreciation for our city.

We acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Ngambri people, who are the Traditional Custodians of the land on which Woroni, Woroni Radio and Woroni TV are created, edited, published, printed and distributed. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and emerging. We acknowledge that the name Woroni was taken from the Wadi Wadi Nation without permission, and we are striving to do better for future reconciliation.