ROCK THE BLOCK FESTIVAL A HARMONIOUS AND FINANCIAL SUCCESS

"In the eight years I've lived on the Block this is the best thing that has happened here" - Block Resident

A crowd of between 500-700 attended the Rock the Block festival, on Saturday May 6th, enjoying a day of Indigenous and non-indigenous music and film, and contributing towards a new community dance studio at the Eloura–Tony Mundine Gym.

Sydney-siders, in all their cultural and sub-cultural diversity, happily shared the Block's parkland (owned by the Aboriginal Housing Company) with the local Indigenous community, while enjoying the festivities.

Performers on the day ranged from rock act and organisers, Andorra, to local favorite Wire MC, as well as impromptu performances by No Fixed Address frontman Bart Willoughby, and Richard Green accompanied by children singing contemporary nursery rhymes in Aboriginal language.

Other musicians to entertain the crowd included Ozi Batla, from The Herd, eclectic folk act Shimmer, pop violinist Gisele Scales, Indigenous hip-hop artists Tribal Ashes and Munkimuk, Jesse Morris and the Project, local rock stalwarts The Urban Guerillas and, rounding out the evening, Melbourne act Combat Wombat who've been so inspired by the idea of Rock the Block that they've organised a tour of NSW as a result.

The Blackscreen film series, run by the Australian Film Commission as part of the festival, also enjoyed a large attendance. Blackscreen was introduced by Andre Reese, director of the marvellous 'Sunrise Awakening', which documents the beginning of Black theatre in the 1970's. Sunrise Awakening, which has been restored in order to screen it at Rock the Block, is the first among many archived films which the Film Commission now hopes to revitalise and show at the Block, as the area once again becomes a hub for Indigenous theatre, films and dance.

Aboriginal Housing Company CEO, Mick Mundine, says the community is looking forward, with great enthusiasm, to another event in October this year, which will be a kids day featuring performances from children learning at the dance studio.

The dance studio hopes to open later this month.