A woman with long dark hair poses outdoors in a grassy field during sunset, wearing a red and green polka dot top and a patterned skirt.

Alfira

Artistic Director

Alfira O’Sullivan is the Artistic Director of Suara Dance, a leading Indonesian-Australian arts platform connecting traditional cultural knowledge with contemporary creativity, education and intercultural exchange.

The cultural foundations of Alfira’s practice began in 2001 while she was at university. She and other young Indonesian-Australians gathered informally in her lounge room to teach one another dances passed down by their mothers and aunties. During these early years, Suara Indonesia Dance operated as a voluntary grass-roots community group, creating space for cultural connection within the limited formal pathways then available for Indonesian-Australian dance.

A dance artist and educator specialising in traditional and contemporary Indonesian dance, Alfira studied at the Institutes of the Arts in Yogyakarta and Surakarta, and trained and conducted research with master practitioners in Aceh. She holds a Bachelor of International Studies from UNSW and an Honours degree in Indonesian Studies from the University of Sydney.

Following sustained study, training and cultural exchange in Indonesia, Alfira transitioned from community-based practice into professional artistic practice in 2011. Her educational work has reached hundreds of Australian schools and created professional opportunities for Indonesian-Australian artists.

Alfira’s practice now brings embodied Indonesian cultural knowledge into contemporary choreography. Over the subsequent years, her contemporary practice has developed under Suara Dance, into an established platform for performance, education and exchange between artists and communities in Australia and Indonesia.

Alfira performs nationally and internationally as a solo artist and with Suara Dance, and is a sought-after educator and facilitator, presenting workshops and artistic research across Australia, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Europe, Palestine, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea.

A strong advocate for inclusion, cultural safety and social justice, Alfira is committed to bringing Indonesian arts into regional and remote communities and creating meaningful intercultural exchange. Her collaborations include long-term work with Yolŋu communities in Yirrkala, East Arnhem Land, where historical connections between Indonesia and Yolŋu communities predate European settlement through trade.

Alfira is a Board member of the Australia-Indonesia Institute bringing an artist’s perspective to national conversations on cultural exchange and Australia–Indonesia relations.

A man sitting on the floor with his knees drawn up in a dance studio, smiling. In the background, a woman in red workout clothes looks into a mirror near ballet barres and chairs.

Murtala

Choreographer

Murtala, originally from Aceh in North Sumatra, is a highly experience choreographer and performer, who joined Suara Indonesia Dance in 2010 when he migrated to Australia. Murtala trained under traditional teachers in Banda Aceh from the age of 11. He was one of the last generation to practice sitting body percussion dances as a Sufi practice, as well as a performing art. Murtala holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts (Institute of the Arts, Padang) and a Masters in Dance (Institute of the Arts, Surakarta).

Murtala specialises in Acehnese body percussion and sitting dances and is frequently interviewed as a scholarly reference regarding these forms. He has also trained extensively in other traditional Indonesian dance styles.

In the immediate aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Aceh, Murtala returned to his homeland, where he took part in the emergency relief effort. He then established a local NGO, which focused on using traditional dance to support tsunami and conflict victims.

Murtala continues to create and perform across Indonesia and Australia, passing on his traditional knowledge and using it to inform new contemporary works.

The Suara Dancers

We are very proud of our talented family of dancers. Our dancers are a close knit crew who support each other in work and play.

Many of the team began learning Indonesian dance in Suara kids classes and have since gone on to their own careers in the performing arts as well as working with Suara.

And we are excited to be welcoming new generations to the Suara dance family, as students bring their own kids to join our classes.

A group of about 16 people in red or black Suara t-shirts pose. Kids are sitting at the front.
  • Woman in traditional black, gold and red costume, wearing golden headpiece

    Aletta

  • Woman in patterned batik costume, red scarf and gold necklace looking up

    Danii

  • A woman with long dark hair, hoop earrings, and dark lipstick posing against a light background.

    Jemma

  • A man in traditional attire holding a microphone and smiling on stage.

    Josh

  • A young woman with dark hair styled in a bun, wearing colorful flowers on her head, gold earrings, and a vibrant orange embroidered dress outdoors on a sunny day.

    Lauren

  • Dancer in casual clothing dancing or performing a pose against a plain background.

    Poppin Jack

  • A woman with black hair and a sleeveless patterned top standing outdoors near a body of water, with overhanging tree branches and green foliage in the background.

    Putrika

  • Tiara

  • A woman dressed in traditional attire holding a yellow fan, standing outdoors with trees and a clear blue sky in the background.

    Amelia

  • A young girl wearing a traditional colorful headdress with intricate gold, red, and green decorations, and a black embroidered garment with floral designs.

    Cahaya

  • A young boy with curly hair wearing black Acehnese costume and yellow costume pants

    Damai

  • A woman in traditional Mexican dress holding a pink fan in an outdoor park setting with green trees and a clear blue sky.

    Kiara

  • Young woman dressed in traditional Asian attire holding a red paper umbrella outdoors on a sunny day with green trees in the background.

    Paquita

  • A woman with dark hair styled in an elegant bun, adorned with yellow and blue flowers, wearing a purple lace dress with embroidery, standing outdoors in a park with green grass and trees, during sunset.

    Zahra