Kiarn Doyle is a 27-year-old Indigenous dancer, poised on the cusp of his career.

Raised on the traditional Country of the Dharug and Gundungurra peoples in the Blue Mountains, Kiarn trained at NAISDA before spending five years with Bangarra Dance Theatre: two leading performing arts organisations.

With expert training under his belt, he knew he needed a pathway into the professional world to bridge the experience gap. So he applied for a First Nations internship with the Melbourne-based contemporary dance company, Lucy Guerin Inc (LGI).

“I knew that, to get ahead, I needed to make connections with people in the industry that I was stepping into,” Kiarn says. “I also really wanted to learn how other people created their dance works so that, one day, I can create my own.”

Kiarn was selected for the 2025 internship – just one opportunity that was made possible by a $10,000 grant from the Angior Family Foundation, managed by Equity Trustees. The four-week internship placed the young dancer in two distinct creative environments. Kiarn spent two weeks with LGI in Melbourne and two with Joel Bray Dance.

The experience, he says, was transformative. “I learned how people came up with different dance production concepts. I met a lot of people in the industry and I also got some professional work out of it. It was a really important thing for me to do.”

Kiarn explains that his long-term dream is to create a production company that connects artists and brings creative visions to life. “This internship helped me to move further towards achieving my dream.”

Changing lives, through dance

Kiarn’s story is just one example of how targeted philanthropic funding can create ripple effects that extend far beyond a single opportunity.

At LGI, Artistic Director Lucy Guerin sees these outcomes as central to the organisation’s purpose. “Dance changes people’s lives by bringing people together in a communal experience of new perspectives,” Lucy says. “We all have bodies and we can all relate to physical expression.”

LGI’s First Nations program, funded by the Angior Family Foundation grant in 2025, is a key part of that work. The program offers opportunities at different career stages: a senior First Nations choreographic residency, an internship for NAISDA graduates and short-term secondments for current NAISDA students.

The senior choreographic residency component, delivered with BlakDance, gives established artists the time and space to develop new work across Melbourne and Sydney. Several participants have gone on to present at major festivals including Sydney Festival, Adelaide Festival and Asia TOPA.

“Aboriginal people have been dancing on this land for 60,000 years, and dance is very embedded in their culture,” says Lucy. “It’s important that we can see that work and connect with it.”

The internship and secondment streams, developed with NAISDA and Joel Bray Dance, also broaden pathways for emerging artists and expose them to new creative networks.

For Kiarn, that exposure was invaluable. “The internship got me out of my comfort zone and showed me the many different companies and possibilities that are there,” he says. “It’s such a beneficial program. If more foundations or grants could support it to continue, that would really help mob to build something special that lasts.”

As Kiarn now looks ahead, he remains focused on building his own path in the industry, supported by his internship experience.

“You never know but you might see my work on stage in a few years’ time. Or, someone else who comes through the internship program could become the next big thing. It might just happen.”

“With the support and guidance of the Foundation’s Advisory Board, we are honoured to continue Leonard Angior’s legacy and uphold a culturally rich heritage through a range of professional development opportunities, including residencies, internships and short term placements for emerging and established First Nations artists.” Natalie Chan-Lei (Trustee Representative)

“Dance changes people’s lives by bringing people together in a communal experience of new perspectives.”.”

Photo Credit: Photo of Kiarn Doyle by Steven Vandervelden.