Manifesto

We believe in creating an environment where people can be themselves and connect with others around the shared love of Swing music and dance. We believe that people have the right to be able to fully participate and feel safe without judgement. Help us build an amazing and creative event where everyone is welcome.
Brisbane Balboa Weekend acknowledges the Yuggera people and the Turrbal people as the traditional owners of Meanjin, the lands where we live, learn, work and dance. We recognise their cultures, histories, diversity, and continuing connection to the lands, water, and communities. We also pay our deepest respects to Elders, past, present and emerging. We acknowledge the contemporary Queensland Aboriginal community, who have survived invasion and dispossession, and continue to maintain their identity, culture, and Indigenous rights.
Brisbane Balboa Weekend acknowledges that we dance historical dance styles that are from a culture that is not our own. When we dance these dances, which are rooted in and inspired by the foundations of Jazz music, we are guests in the house of Black American culture. We respect and cherish the original Black musicians and dancers who shared their amazing creativity and talent during a time when they were routinely disrespected and mistreated by the society in which they lived.