Rising Arts Festival 2026: Ballroom Dance Classes & a City Reclaiming Its Cultural Space

The Rising arts festival, running from May 27 to June 8, 2026, will feature public dance classes in the historic Flinders Street Station ballroom. The festival also includes theatre, visual arts, dance performances, art trams, guided tours, and talks—many of which are free.

Ballroom Revived for Public Use

The Flinders Street Station ballroom, designed in 1899 and opened in 1910, originally served as a multi-functional space for Victorian Railways Institute staff, hosting lectures, meetings, and dance classes. The space deteriorated by the 1960s and closed to the public in 1985 due to leaks and structural damage.

Following a $100 million station refurbishment completed in 2018, the ballroom became accessible again. Rising previously used the third floor for art installations, including works by Patricia Piccinini (2021), Rone (2022), "Shadow Spirit" (2023), and "Swingers – The Art of Mini-Golf" (2024).

The ballroom's upper levels are now safe and functional, though not fully restored to their original condition. Rising artistic director Hannah Fox stated that temporary uses for events and exhibitions help keep the building active.

Dance Programming

The ballroom will host dance classes in ballroom, breaking, boot-scooting, and the Melbourne Shuffle, priced at $29 per session. A free mass dance class is also scheduled at Federation Square. The classes are designed for participants of all skill levels.

"Over time, I am seeing a growing sense of ownership from Melbourne and that's the ultimate goal. This needs to be owned by the city."
— Hannah Fox, Rising artistic director

Hannah Fox, serving as solo artistic director for Rising this year, noted that the program was inspired by dance's role in Australian culture and social gathering. Gideon Obarzanek, co-director since 2020, is now leading the Australian Dance Biennale, which will feature professional dancers and be presented as part of Rising.

Festival Details and Background

Fox has a background in music programming, having worked at Melbourne Festival (2008–2013) and as associate creative director at Dark Mofo (2013–2019). She identified the 1996 Adelaide Festival as a formative influence on her career.

The festival was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It opened for one night in 2021 before closing again.

Programming Decisions

The festival program includes Austrian performance artist Florentina Holzinger, whose work has been presented at the Venice Biennale. According to Fox, Holzinger's work attracts a different audience demographic.

A show by journalist Cheng Lei, originally scheduled for the festival, was removed from the program. Lei cited censorship, while the festival cited financial reasons for the decision.

"Every single time, the thing that I thought was going to be a no-brainer is really difficult. And the thing that I thought was going to be a challenge goes beautifully."
— Hannah Fox, on programming challenges