Dancing to her own beat

As a performer, Taryn Beatty has travelled to all corners of the globe. She was part of the Bangarra Dance Theatre’s performance at the Atlanta Olympics, has danced for the United Nations in New York City, and has toured far and wide with her family dance company, sharing her culture in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and many other parts of the world.

But it was at an intimate performance in Sydney that she had an encounter that would change her life.

It was NAIDOC Week in 2017, and Taryn’s dance group Beatty Clan Crew (formerly known as InDidgDance) was performing for ACU’s Yalbalinga Indigenous Higher Education Unit, the on-campus hub that provides support to Aboriginal and Torres Islander students.

“We had arrived so we could dance for the students, and I was surprised to see so many of our mob there, all these Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people,” says Taryn, a Wuthathi and Torres Strait Islander woman.

“I was told that they were studying to be primary school teachers, and I thought to myself, ‘Oh wow’.”

Teaching had long been at the back of Taryn’s mind as something she’d like to do, right back to her school days on Gimuy Country in Cairns. Intrigued, she asked for more information.

“I had a yarn to the staff and some of the Indigenous students and asked them about the program, and before I knew it, the following year I started a teaching degree,” she says.“I just thought, ‘Why not give it a go?’”

Six years on, she is on the verge of graduating with her Bachelor of Education (Primary) at ACU. 

“I’m so happy that I’m nearly across the finish line,” says Taryn, who currently works as a casual teacher at Guildford Public School in Sydney’s west.

“It’s been a real journey and quite challenging at times, and I think the support I’ve had from Yalbalinga has been key. It’s not just the academic support, it’s being around other mob, always coming together, always pushing each other. The beauty of it is that we’re different ages and we’re from all over Australia, but there’s always some connection there and always support when you need it.”

Sharing knowledge

Years ago, when Taryn graduated from high school, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were vastly underrepresented in higher education.

“To be honest,” she says, “at that time, I never thought I’d go to university. I didn’t think I had the capacity, and there wasn’t much support back then.”

With a passion for music and dance, she forged a career as a performer, moving to Sydney in 1993 to study at NAISDA Dance College, Australia’s leading arts training organisation for Indigenous performers. Since graduating, Taryn has danced and taught extensively and is among a group of esteemed NAIDSA alumni including Stephen Page and Christine Anu.

“The great thing about NAISDA is that you learn modern and Western-style dance like jazz and ballet, but you also learn Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance and cultural practice,” she says.

“I see dancing as movement that can be therapeutic, but even more than that, it’s sharing culture and sharing knowledge. It gives us a way to tell our stories.”

When she first started her teaching degree, Taryn worked as a cultural facilitator with the Ted Noffs Foundation’s Street University, and as an Aboriginal education officer at Plumpton High School.

She was able to combine study with work through ACU’s Away from Base (AFB) program, which enables Indigenous students to blend online learning with intensive residential blocks twice a semester.

“I have a family at home, and I’ve kept working and performing all the way through my degree, and that’s really suited both my learning and my lifestyle,” says Taryn, who is one of four Torres Strait Islander performers in the Force Majeure production of Gurr Era Op.

“It helps not having to be on campus all the time, and then you get to immerse yourself during the residential blocks, which is really exciting because you come together with your peers and see everyone again.”

Always learning

While teaching is now Taryn’s main gig, she has no plans to stop dancing any time soon.

“As long as my body still allows me to move and nothing’s broken, I’m going to keep going, keep moving and keep sharing,” says Taryn, whose children have in recent years taken the mantle.

“My kids are teachers in their own right, sharing our culture through dancing, and they’re excellent ambassadors.”

While Taryn has already secured a job as a schoolteacher as she nears the end of her degree, she says it’s “not the end of the story” when it comes to her education. 

“There’s always more to learn and more to offer, and there’s something in me that thinks this might be a stepping stone to the next thing,” she says.

“Don’t get me wrong, this whole university thing has been a rollercoaster, but it’s been a fun ride. I didn’t think I could do it, but here I am – a teacher. Still dancing, still moving and still learning.”  

Want to keep moving and learning with career in teaching? Explore the options.

Learn more about the Away from Base program and ACU’s Indigenous Higher Education Units.