People

Christine Anu

Dance Artist (Alumni)

  • Saibai Island, Torres Strait Islands, Mabuiag Island

Christine Anu was born in 1970 in Cairns, Queensland. Studying dance meant a move away from her family in Cairns to inner-city Sydney as she trained in dance at the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA).

Christine performed with Bangarra as a Dance and Vocal Artist in Praying Mantis Dreaming and Best of Bangarra, and has been a Guest Presenter and Artist for the company throughout the years.

Her illustrious career spans music, theatre, dance film and television.

People

Heritage

Christine Anu is a descendant of her mother's people from Saibai Island, just off the south coast of Papua New Guinea, and her father's people from Mabuiag Island, closer to the center of Torres Strait.

People

Bio

Christine Anu is a national treasure and Australia’s most iconic female Indigenous Entertainer. Trained in dance at the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA), her illustrious career spans music, theatre, dance, film and television. Christine performed with Bangarra as a Dance and Vocal Artist in 1993 in Praying Mantis Dreaming and Best of Bangarra and has been a guest presenter and guest artist for the company throughout the years.

Christine has made widely-acclaimed appearances in Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge, The Matrix Reloaded and Dating the Enemy; on television in Wildside, The Alice, East West 101, Playschool, Outland, Dance Academy and was a judge in Channel 7’s Popstars. Christine’s success on stage includes Bad Boy Johnny and the Prophets of Doom, Little Shop of Horrors, Kissing Frog, Rent, Rainbows End, Parramatta Girls and The Sapphires for which she received the Judith Johnson Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical at the Sydney Theatre Awards.

Christine is a multi-award winning recording artist, including ARIA Song of the Year for My Island Home, ARIA Best Female Artist for Stylin Up, ARIA Best Video for Bazmark’s Now Until The Break of Day with David Hobson and many Deadly, Green Room and Sydney Theatre Awards.

More recently, Christine’s 1995 version of My Island Home was added to the National Film Sound Archive’s Sounds of Australia registry.

Christine has toured nationally and abroad, including to Vietnam, North America, China, the Middle East and Papua New Guinea. Christine has also performed at many momentous events, including Sydney 2000 Olympics Closing Ceremony, Women of APEC, G’Day Australia, 50 Years of Television, APEC Cultural Performance, Sydney Paralympics, FINA World Swimming Championships, 25th Anniversary of Carols in the Domain and flicked the switch to launch National Indigenous Television in Australia.

Christine is an exceptional keynote speaker who resonates with people and provides a real community focus while delivering key messages in all kinds of arenas and platforms, including charity, community, education, entertainment and politics.

For Stylin Up Entertainment, Christine is the Co-Creator of the ARIA- and Deadly-nominated children’s brand Chrissys Island Family and the successful concept shows Ladies of Jazz and Women of Soul.

Christine is currently hosting the national radio show Evenings across Australia on Friday and Saturday nights on ABC Radio, and was recently the first recipient of the Australian Songwriters Associations inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to Australian First Nations Music.