Ghenoa Gela

Bio

Koedal (Crocodile) and Waumer (Frigate Bird) woman Ghenoa Gela is a proud Torres Strait Islander woman. She has had a lifetime of learning Traditional Torres Strait Islander culture and over thirteen years of professional artistic practice. Ghenoa navigates the arts across a variety of industries: Dance, Theatre, Comedy, TV and Film as a: Storyteller, Director, Writer, Choreographer, Movement Director, Dancer, Actor, Comedian, Host, Facilitator, Teacher and Mentor.

Some of her recent screen credits include:  Time Bandits (Dir: Jemaine Clement, Iain Morris, and Taika Waititi) Apple TV+, Story Time (Liarbird) Playschool (ABC Kids), feature film Nude Tuesday  (Dir: Armağan Ballantyne), and Series Host on Are You Tougher Than Your Ancestors for ABC TV Australia.

Recent live shows include Gurr Era Op (Sydney Festival, Melbourne Rising Festival, Brisbane Festival), Straight from the Strait Musical (Brisbane Festival, Opera Queensland), Dangerous Goods (Polytoxic), The Return (Malthouse Theatre Melbourne), and Demolition (Polytoxic, Brisbane Festival), as well as My Urrwai  (Performer/Writer) Directed by Rachael Maza, Julius Caesar (Performer) Bell Shakespeare Company,  You Animal, You (Performer)  Force Majeure,  Mura Buai – Everyone, Everyone (Choreographer/Co-Director) with Artistic Director Danielle Micich;  Nothing to Lose (Force Majeure) additional choreography with Kate Champion;  Move it Mob Style (Choreographer and In-Studio Host); Top 100’ So You Think you Can Dance Australia 2014; Dance Site Booraloola NT (Facilitator); Hot Brown Honey– Hot Brown Honey;  Fragments of Malungoka – Women of the Sea , Keir Choreographic Award Winning show of 2016.

Ghenoa was also the winner of the 2017 National ‘Deadly Funny’ Championships at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Ghenoa also facilitates dance workshops in urban, regional and remote communities. She has worked in programs such as Young, Black & Deadly, ARMTour and Vibe Alive just to name a few. Ghenoa has also conducted dance workshops at the inaugural Boomerang Festival, as well as facilitated dance workshops for other regional and remote festivals. One of her highlights was helping to facilitate a program that helped an Aboriginal community to embrace new ways of creating new songs and dances for the future of their community.

Ghenoa’s arts practice is inspired by her family stories and her passion to share her Torres Strait Islander culture.

She aspires to inspire.