Submission 667
info@restlessdance.org https://restlessdance.org/
195 Gilles Street
Adelaide South Australia 5000
+61 (0) 8212 8495 26 May 2026
RE: Feedback on the Securing the NDIS for Future Generations Bill 2026
Dear Hon Mark Butler, Senator McAllister, Minister Bourke and Special Envoy to the Arts Susan Templeman,
Restless Dance Theatre welcomes the opportunity to contribute to discussions regarding the importance of NDIS support for arts participation, professional development, education and social inclusion for people with disability.
For more than 30 years, Restless Dance Theatre has been a national leader in disability-led contemporary dance practice, creating meaningful artistic, educational and employment pathways for artists with disability. Through training, mentorship, creative development and performance opportunities, our programs support participants to build independence, communication skills, confidence, leadership capacity and workforce readiness within an inclusive and highly collaborative environment.
Restless supports approximately 80 enrolled participants across metropolitan and regional South Australia, with 68 participants accessing programs through NDIS funding arrangements, including both self-managed and plan-managed participants.
Our programs include:
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supported weekly studio participation
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youth development programs
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emerging artist pathways
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company training and mentorships
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creative capacity building
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regional participation programs
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professional rehearsal and performance opportunities
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leadership and teaching development pathways Attendance data from 2025 and early 2026 demonstrates the scale and consistency of engagement across our programs:
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2,144 public program attendances recorded in 2025
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316 company and emerging artist attendances in 2025
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668 participation attendances recorded by March 2026
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112 company and emerging artist attendances recorded by March 2026 NDIS funding currently supports participation across categories including:
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Increased Social and Community Participation
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Capacity Building Supports
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Improved Daily Living Skills These supports enable participants to engage consistently in:
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professional dance training
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collaborative creative practice
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mentorship and peer learning
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communication and teamwork skill building
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emotional regulation and confidence development
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increased independence and self-advocacy
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pathways toward employment and professional artistic practice 1
Submission 667
info@restlessdance.org https://restlessdance.org/
195 Gilles Street
Adelaide South Australia 5000
+61 (0) 8212 8495
Participants also experience measurable development across multiple wellbeing and learning outcomes including:
- improved physical fitness, coordination, sensory integration and body awareness
- emotional regulation and confidence building
- increased interpersonal and relationship skills
- creative and artistic development
- strengthened working memory, imagination and sequencing skills Our programs are not simply recreational activities. They provide structured, outcomes-focused environments where participants develop transferable life and workforce skills including reliability, collaboration, problem solving, resilience, leadership and professional communication.
Restless Dance Theatre also creates genuine paid employment pathways for artists with disability through professional company contracts, creative development opportunities, touring, teaching and mentorship pathways. Company artists can engage in paid professional practice for up to 32 weeks annually.
Approximately 90% of Restless’ professional company artists have progressed through the organisation’s public programs, demonstrating the direct relationship between sustained arts participation and long-term professional development opportunities.
Our programs also support important educational outcomes for participants by strengthening communication, collaboration, confidence, self-advocacy and independent learning skills. For many young participants, engagement with Restless improves school participation, social confidence and long-term aspirations for employment, further training and community leadership.
As Artistic Director Michelle Ryan notes, Restless has seen young people arrive experiencing social isolation, low confidence and limited expectations before developing into strong communicators, performers and leaders within their communities through sustained creative engagement.
One parent of a participant with Down syndrome shared that through involvement with Restless, “he now has a purpose in life,” fundamentally changing the family’s perception of what their son’s future could hold.
One artist reflected that through participating in Restless programs they developed confidence, communication skills and professional experience they never believed were possible. Consistent access to training and mentorship through NDIS-supported participation enabled them to work collaboratively, build independence and identify as a professional artist within Australia’s contemporary arts sector.
We are concerned that proposed changes to NDIS interpretations may narrow the understanding of arts participation by categorising it solely as recreation rather than recognising its measurable contribution to wellbeing, independence, education, workforce readiness and community participation.
Without these programs, many disabled and neurodivergent artists would lose access to one of the few inclusive environments available for professional artistic development, mentorship and social connection.
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Submission 667
info@restlessdance.org https://restlessdance.org/
195 Gilles Street
Adelaide South Australia 5000
+61 (0) 8212 8495 Reduced access would increase isolation, disengagement and barriers to employment pathways while diminishing representation of artists with disability within Australia’s cultural landscape.
Restless Dance Theatre provides far more than creative activity. It provides structure, purpose, identity, community and future opportunity.
We strongly encourage the NDIS to retain flexible funding approaches that recognise disability arts participation as a legitimate and essential pathway for capacity building, social participation, wellbeing, education and professional development.
Participant Feedback
To inform this submission, Restless Dance Theatre invited members of the Restless ReMix program to share their experiences of disability arts participation and its impact on their lives. Participants in this program have been involved in the Restless Public Classes, Emerging Artists and Company Dancer programs. They were asked to reflect on how involvement in disability arts contributes to their wellbeing, independence, skill development, cultural participation and employment aspirations. The following themes emerged consistently across participant responses and reflect the lived experience of disabled and neurodivergent artists engaged in the program.
The ReMix team identified several key outcomes from their participation.
ReMix is a career development program created by Restless Dance Theatre to support school leavers with disability to build skills, confidence and pathways into creative and professional employment.
Participants consistently identify wellbeing, independence, social connection and professional development as key outcomes of their involvement in the program.
Members of the ReMix team describe the program as providing purpose, routine and motivation. Several participants have spoken about having “a reason to get out of bed in the morning” and the opportunity to pursue their creative interests within a supportive and professional environment. For many, ReMix provides an important community of peers, reducing social isolation and creating meaningful friendships and connections.
Participants report increased confidence in navigating everyday life and professional environments. Through regular attendance and participation, they develop practical skills including time management, communication, independent travel, workplace etiquette and self-advocacy. Being treated as artists and colleagues within a professional creative setting supports autonomy, confidence and personal growth.
ReMix participants also identify significant skill development through their involvement in rehearsals, performances and creative projects. They develop teamwork, collaboration, memory, problem-solving, adaptability and communication skills that are transferable to a range of employment settings. Creative practices such as movement, mindfulness and embodied learning also support emotional regulation, resilience and wellbeing.
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Submission 667
info@restlessdance.org https://restlessdance.org/
195 Gilles Street
Adelaide South Australia 5000
+61 (0) 8212 8495 Participants recognise disability arts as a pathway to employment and professional identity. Through mentoring, networking, teaching opportunities, performance experience and engagement with the broader arts sector, participants gain valuable industry experience and access to opportunities that may otherwise be unavailable.
Participants have also highlighted the importance of contributing to South Australia’s cultural life. Being part of performances, creative projects and public events enables disabled and neurodivergent artists to be visible contributors to the community while building confidence, expanding social networks and engaging with diverse audiences.
The Restless ReMix program demonstrates that disability arts participation is not simply recreational. It creates meaningful outcomes across wellbeing, independence, workforce development, social participation and cultural contribution. Through sustained access to professional creative environments, participants build the skills, confidence and connections necessary to pursue long-term employment, leadership and active participation within their communities.
Additional participant/artist stories and reflections demonstrate the significant impact:
Participant One
Participant Two
Meet the Company Dancers
Recommendations
Restless Dance Theatre recommends that the Australian Government:
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Retain flexible NDIS funding arrangements that allow participants to access disability-led arts programs under Capacity Building and Social and Community Participation supports.
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Recognise disability arts participation as a legitimate capacity-building support where programs demonstrate outcomes relating to independence, communication, confidence, employment readiness, social connection and wellbeing.
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Ensure NDIS guidance and implementation frameworks distinguish structured disability arts programs from purely recreational activities.
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Maintain participant choice and control in accessing community-based creative and cultural programs that support individual goals and developmental outcomes.
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Recognise professional disability arts organisations as important providers of social inclusion, skills development, leadership and employment pathways for people with disability.
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Consult directly with disability-led arts organisations and participants before implementing policy or interpretive changes that may restrict access to creative and cultural participation supports.
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Submission 667
info@restlessdance.org https://restlessdance.org/
195 Gilles Street
Adelaide South Australia 5000
+61 (0) 8212 8495 Programs such as Restless also contribute to broader government objectives relating to social inclusion, preventative mental health, employment readiness, community participation and reduced long-term support dependency. Early and sustained engagement in structured arts participation can reduce social isolation while strengthening transferable skills that support education, employment and independent living outcomes.
Sincerely,
Julie Moralee Michelle Ryan
Chief Executive Officer Artistic Director
Please note: this submission was compiled with the assistance of AI drafting tools to support formatting and consolidation under significant time constraints. All content, statistics, reflections and organisational statements have been reviewed, verified and approved by Restless Dance Theatre board and accurately represent the organisation’s programs, participants and professional practice.
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