Seven indigenous dancers have travelled from Cairns to Brisbane at the end of October to perform at the closing ceremony of 4th World Congress on Mental Health and Deafness.

The dancers are, backrow (left to right): Sue Franks, Abui Ware, Alma Waia. Frontrow: Priscilla Seden, Harold Bong and Patty Morris. (Absent: Cliff Johnson).

The dancers are deaf themselves, and spoke, through a translator, to the Torres News at the Tanks arts precinct in Cairns on 27 October.

Sue Franks, whose family is from Badu and Mabuiag, said the Deafness Indigenous Dance Group has been together for the past 11 years, with the members living in, and around, Cairns.

Fellow dancer Patty Morris, who is from Laura, said: "We feel like a family because we are deaf and that brings us together, but dance brings us together to share our different cultures and dances," Patty said.

While the group does perform to music, all the members are completely deaf, and perform by memorising their routines which are based on dances learned from their families and home communities.

Guests of honour at the World Congress closing ceremony last Friday was Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Aboriginal leader Patrick Dodson.

The Group also performed at the Deaf Festival in Toowong last Saturday.

Support for the group to make the trip to Brisbane was provided by Deaf Services Queensland.

Team member Alma Waia hails from Saibai and is dancing with the team while she is Cairns, but says she will return home to the Torres Strait in the near future.

Dancer Priscilla Seden is from Thursday Island, while fellow group member Abui Ware is from St Pauls on Moa.

Aboriginal dancer Harold Bong is from the Atherton Tablelands area.