About a dozen young Indigenous people have spent two weeks choreographing and rehearsing their routine in honour of Isaiah Spearim.

They performed for more than 100 special guests at the Aboriginal Cultural Showcase pre-launch on Tuesday afternoon and will dance on the showcase’s first evening on Wednesday.

The tribute has been in the planning since Isaiah lost his life when struck by a train in Wentworthville in the early hours of December 15, just days after turning 21.

At the pre-launch at Binaalba learning centre, emcee Patrick Strong said that, for the young man they called Spiz, “dance was pretty much his life, he loved it so much”.

“Hopefully his legacy will live on within our kids,” Mr Strong said.

“I thought I could dance, but watching Spiz do some of the Michael Jackson stuff, I would actually step back and be amazed at how great he was at moving on the dance floor.”

Read also:

Isaiah’s childhood friend Jermain Walford said it was a fitting way to pay respect to him, as well as continue his passion for sharing culture and knowledge.

“He did a lot for the younger generation; a lot of the younger kids are still looking for him and don’t understand what’s going on,” he said.

He, Janaya Lamb and Michael Sampson-Price have been leading the group of youngsters from 6 to 20 years through their paces.

“We’re going to be dancing our hearts out for him,” Jermain said.

They will perform on the opening evening of the Aboriginal Cultural Showcase at 6.15pm on Wednesday, after a welcome to country from Yvonne Kent and a smoking ceremony from Len Waters and Mark Atkins.

The showcase will run from 6pm to 10pm on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights on the Fanzone stage at the corner of Peel and Fitzroy streets.

Among the special guests will be NSW Aboriginal Land Council chairman Roy Ah-See; two-time Sydney Blues Society Performer of the Year Buddy Knox with his band; Kooriana Boney and dancers; and X Factor winner and 2017 Eurovision contestant Isaiah Firebrace.