The National and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) was an influential indigenous organisation in Glebe throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s.
In the 1970s an African American dancer, Carole Johnson. visited Australia as part of a dance company. After the tour Carole remained in Australia to work with the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Island communities of Sydney and develop contemporary dance. NAISDA Dance College sprang from a six-week dance workshop in Redfern in 1972 which had been modestly funded by the NSW Arts Council of the day.
It soon moved to Glebe where it took up residence in a building belonging to the local church. NAISDA pioneered modern indigenous dance in Australia and resulted in the birth of Bangarra- Australia’s premier professional indigenous dance company.
Today NAISDA is located on the central coast of NSW and the original building are renovated apartments.