Luke Currie-Richardson is a descendant of the Kuku Yalanji and Djabugay peoples, the Muunjali Clan of South East QLD, the Butchulla clan of K'gari and the Meriam people of the Eastern Torres Straits Islands. He aspires to be a role model for young people both Indigenous and non- Indigenous to show them they can be and do all things.
Luke began storytelling in 2000 learning and performing traditional dance with Gerib Sik Torres Strait Islander Dance Group with his family in Canberra. His first introduction to contemporary arts came as a member of the youth dance ensemble QL2 in their 2007production Unspeakable.
Luke studied dance at NAISDA Dance College in 2008, 2009 and in 2010 commenced a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Dance Performance) at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). In 2012 Luke appeared in Wesley Enoch's I Am Eora for Sydney Festival and later that year joined Bangarra Dance Theatre.
From 2012 to 2018 Luke was a company dancer in Bangarra showcasing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island contemporary culture around the world. His highlights include performing in remote communities (Yirrkala, Thursday Island and Mer Island) for Indigenous peoples of Australia. Since 2018 he has continued dancing with companies and choreographers such as Marrugeku, Ghenoa Gela, Joel Bray and Stephanie Lake which has seen him tour both nationally and internationally.
Luke has an interest in exploring different avenues as a storyteller to represent and showcase his culture. In 2019 Luke was the host of ‘Pay the Rent’, a short documentary about reparations in Australia produced by Buzzfeed Australia. In 2020 saw him the host of a 3 part mini series for Lonely Planet. He has had the honour of working with Ghenoa Gela in Mura Buai touring to Turtle Island/Canada and collaborating with First Nation Turtle Island artists.
In 2021 he was commissioned to write and perform his first spoken word titled ‘Social Media’ which was a part of The Vigil in The Sydney Festival. Following that has continued to explore his writing and was a part of the Poetry Month hosted by Red Room Poetry.
As a photographer, Luke is passionate in capturing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander existence in contemporary Australia. His photography has been published in Rolling Stones magazine, Vogue, Marie Claire & Sydney Morning Herald, just to name a few.
In 2019 he starred in his first onscreen acting role in Deborah Browns short film Balas and in 2022 saw him a part of the Kalaga Atu ensemble performing in his first theatre acting role.
Luke has a passion for collaborating with Indigenous talent. He co-directed the music video for I CAN’T BREATHE by DOBBY ft. Barkaa. He has modelled for Indigenous designer Grace Lillian Lee as a part of Reigning Men: Fashion in menswear at the Powerhouse Museum, First Nation Fashion + Design and as part of Darwin Aboriginal Arts Fair 2019 and AfterPay Australian Fashion Week 2021 & 2022.
Luke’s photography can be found on Instagram @bl_snaps and his video collaborations on YouTube /BALALUKE.