BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE Education Kit

BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE
Education Kit
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Contents:
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Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 8
Page 9
Page 11
Page 13
Page 15
Page 17
Page 20
Page 24
Page 27
Page 32
Page 33
How to use these notes
Company Vision
Company Profile
Company Chronology
Key Aspects of Aboriginal Spirituality
Message from Stephen Page Artistic Director
Ochres
Fish
Skin
Corroboree
Walkabout
Bush
Unaipon
Production Credits
Suggestions for Study
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How to use these notes
These notes are designed to enhance studentsʼ knowledge about, and responses to,
performance experiences. They provide information about the performance and suggest student
activities.
The notes will give you the ability to prepare your students for the process of reading and
interpreting a performance whether that be through performance themes, form and style, or
design elements. This material will help you lead students to discover information, to explore
processes, and to respond in critical and creative ways.
More information on the company is also accessible through Bangarraʼs website
www.bangarra.com.au
If you would like to be kept up to date with Bangarra news and performances please join our
mailing list via our website.
Bangarra Dance Theatre
Pier 4/5, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay, Sydney 2000
Ph: 61 2 9251 5333
Fax: 61 2 9251 5266
Email: bangarra@bangarra.com.au
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“… a mature, distinctive, contemporary dance ensemble with a sophisticated sense of
theatricality and a unique repertoire” THE AGE
Bangarraʼs logo represents:
- a flame
- the headdress of a Torres Strait Island warrior
- the point of a spear used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island hunters
ʻBANGARRAʼ MEANS ʻTO MAKE FIREʼ IN WIRADJERI LANGUAGE OF NEW SOUTH
WALES
Vision
Bangarraʼs aims to maintain a link between the traditional Indigenous cultures of Australia and
new forms of contemporary artistic expression with respect and integrity, and giving voice to
social and political issues that affect us all.
Objectives
- To create and produce innovative contemporary dance theatre works of excellence.
- To respect, maintain and nurture artistic and cultural links with Australiaʼs Indigenous peoples.
- To provide an environment which supports artists in the creation of innovative forms of artistic
expression.
- To continue to develop a dance technique unique to Bangarra Dance Theatre.
- To reach the widest possible audience and to act as cultural ambassadors, nationally and
internationally.
- To inspire Australian youth.
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COMPANY PROFILE
“Thereʼs a wonderful trust and exchange with the audience at a Bangarra performance. We
guide you on a journey. It is a meeting of the urban, the traditional and pure abstract dance
– we speak to all people. Passion, emotion and respect – this is what we need to survive”
Stephen Page
Artistic Director
Bangarra Dance Theatre was established in 1989 as a dance company that embraces,
celebrates and respects Australiaʼs Indigenous peoples and their culture. Under the Artistic
Direction of Stephen Page since 1991, Bangarra Dance Theatre has emerged as one of
Australiaʼs most unique and innovative dance companies, taking its unique work to audiences
across Australia and the world.
The company bases its creative spirit on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditions and
stories producing a powerful new language which combines the traditional and the
contemporary. This electrifying and distinctive style tells the stories of Aboriginal and Torres
Strait Islander peoples everywhere in a modern day Dreaming which fuses the sacred myths
and traditions of the past with the present.
Bangarraʼs influence continues to resonate throughout the world, with the company earning a
prominent place on the international touring circuit. A 16-city sell-out tour of the USA in 2001
established the company as a global dance phenomenon. Since then, the company has
performed in Monaco, returned to the US twice performing in New York and in Washington,
visited Japan and New Zealand and in 2006, toured the UK, performing at Londonʼs prestigious
Sadlerʼs Wells theatre. In 2008, the company travelled to London, Paris and Canada and this
year, mounted a highly successful tour of Hungary, Austria and Germany.
Bangarra travels the world, performs in regional Australia as well as capital cities annually,
whilst always maintaining its connection with the communities and people which remain its core
inspiration.
In 2009 Bangarra Dance Theatre celebrates 20 years of bringing Australia and the world its
unique, exciting and inspirational dance theatre and eagerly anticipates the possibilities of the
next twenty years!
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COMPANY CHRONOLOGY
1989 Bangarra Dance Theatre founded by Carole Johnson
Tour to Japan and New Zealand
1991 Stephen Page appointed Artistic Director
Up Until Now by Stephen Page (Sydney, North Coast NSW, Brisbane, Indonesia)
1992 Praying Mantis Dreaming by Stephen Page (Canberra, Central Western NSW,
Melbourne, Brisbane)
Bangarra tours to China and Hong Kong
1993 Praying Mantis Dreaming (Sydney, Cairns, WA, North East Arnhem Land)
Bangarra tours to New York, Los Angeles and London
1994 Ninni By Stephen Page (Sydney, NT, QLD)
Best of Bangarra (Adelaide Festival)
Ochres presented as a ʻwork in progressʼ at the ʼ94 Nambundah Festival at Belvoir Street
Theatre
1995 Ochres by Stephen Page and Bernadette Walong-Sene (Sydney, Canberra, Perth,
Melbourne, Adelaide, Arnhem Land, Berlin, Tokyo, Noumea)
1996 Ochres (Berlin, Japan)
Bangarra tours to Hong Kong, India and Indonesia
Flag hand over ceremony, Closing Ceremony Atlanta Olympic Games
1997 Fish by Stephen Page (Premiers at the Edinburgh International Festival for the Arts,
Edinburgh, South Korea, Festival of the Dreaming, Sydney)
Rites with The Australian Ballet (Premiers at the Melbourne International Arts Festival,
Melbourne, Sydney)
1998 Fish (Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Canberra NSW, VIC, Noumea)
Bangarra tours to Korea, Taiwan, Italy and Germany
DanceClan
1999 The Dreaming (New Zealand, USA, UK)
Fish (QLD, NT, WA)
Womad (Adelaide, Johannesburg, Rivermead, Seattle)
Rites with The Australian Ballet (Sydney, Melbourne, New York, Washington, Toronto)
DanceClan 2
2000 Skin by Stephen Page (Premiered at the Sydney Opera House, Sydney, Melbourne,
Brisbane)
Awakenings (Sydney 2000 Olympic Games)
The Dreaming (Hawaii, Fiji)
DanceClan 3
2001 Corroboree a triple bill (Roo, Turtle, Brolga) by Stephen Page (Sydney, Brisbane,
Melbourne, USA16 City tour)
The Dreaming (Noumea, NSW)
2002 Walkabout A double bill Rations by Frances Rings and Rush by Stephen Page
(Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane)
Skin (Adelaide)
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Corroboree (Beijing, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Monaco)
The Dreaming (VIC, SA)
2003 Bush by Stephen Page and Frances Rings (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane)
The Dreaming (NSW, NT, QLD, ACT)
2004 Clan A double bill Unaipon by Frances Rings and Reflections by Stephen Page
Bush (Washington, New York, Hawaii)
Spirit (QLD)
2005 Boomerang by Stephen Page (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane)
Spirit (QLD, VIC, TAS, NSW)
Bush (Japan, New Zealand)
2006 Gathering with The Australian Ballet (Melbourne, Sydney)
Clan (NT, WA, QLD, NSW)
Bush (UK)
Spirit (Hobart)
2007 True Stories A double bill Emeret Lu by Elma Kris and X300 by Frances Rings
(Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Newcastle, Canberra, Wollongong)
Clan (SA, VIC, TAS, NSW)
2008 Mathinna by Stephen Page (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Newcastle, Canberra,
Wollongong)
True Stories (SA, NT, QLD)
Rites with The Australian Ballet (London, Paris)
Awakenings (Washington, New York, Ottawa)
2009 Fire – A Retrospective by Stephen Page (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Newcastle,
Canberra, Wollongong)
True Stories (NSW, WA)
True Stories (Hungary, Austria, Germany)
“This is compelling, enriching dance that takes us all to a deeper place and a stronger
connection” Herald Sun
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KEY ASPECTS OF ABORIGINAL SPIRITUALITY
Aboriginal people lead a spiritual existence, where land and society are seen as mutually
dependent. The land is both mother and father; it nurtures and provides shelter. The land is
much more than economic good. It is a mystical phenomenon which forms the heart of
Aboriginal religious beliefs and practices. To travel in Aboriginal countries is a religious
experience because the landscape pulsates with power left by the Dreamtime beings as they
performed their wondrous deeds.
The Dreamtime is at the very core of the Aboriginal belief system. This is the time of the
ancestor, the mythical period when the totemic Ancestral Beings appeared and transformed the
world. The Dreamtime is transmitted through story telling, paintings and dance. They recount
the ancestors wanderings across immense territories, modifying the landscape, creating flora
and fauna, and humankind and teaching people their ceremonies.
The Dreamtime came to an end when the Ancestral Beings left the earth but their departure did
not mean the loss of this mystical past, for it can be periodically recovered through ritual. Thus
the Dreamtime is not a static mythical period. It is once again present through the practice of
rituals and customs.
When the rituals are performed, the performers become the Dreamtime beings and are able to
tap into the power of the land and the Ancestral Beings. Song men and women praise the
abundance and beauty of their countries, they chant the names of various places, the location
of water holes, swamps and rich food places. They recount the journeys of their heroes and the
sacred story sites. In this way young people become familiar with all aspects of their country.
By these songs and rituals, performers express their emotional connection to their land. It is
their right and responsibility to sing the songs, relate the myths and perform the sacred dances.
Other people may do so only if they are invited to participate.
It is in dances and special ceremonies called corroborees that much of the religious beliefs and
practices about the Dreamtime is given expression. In dreams the fantastic occurs and the
Dreamtime beings sing and show themselves as they really are. A dreamer who has slipped
into Dreamtime sings in his sleep, but it is really the Dreamtime beings singing through the
dreamer. From what the dreamer sees in his dream a dance is made up. Anyone who was at
the camp when the dream occurred has a right to participate in the dance.
David McKnight “People, Countries, and the Rainbow Serpent” (Oxford University Press, 1999)
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MESSAGE FROM STEPHEN PAGE, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Recently Bangarra was able to return to country, to pay our respects, and to listen and learn.
We performed for the elders and, even though we’d performed in places like New York, this
performance was daunting. Our audience changed from high excitement to quiet
thoughtfulness as they watched following the shifts from traditional to contemporary.
There’s no better way for cultural development than to spend time in rural communities sharing
the songs and dances. As we joined the men hunting and the women yam digging, we
experienced the labour and the process that brings life to our dance form.
My dream has been to take the dancers back to the source of our traditional culture, something I
have been fortunate to experience through my friendship and creative collaboration with
Djakapurra Munyarryun. The Munyarryun, Marika and Yunupingu families have always been
generous and welcoming, enriching Bangarra with their endorsement of our work.
In portraying the strength and resilience of indigenous culture we are acutely aware of its
ephemeral nature and the need to respect and nurture such treasures. The depth of feelings
and insights from being with traditional communities reminds us all of the privilege we have to
share the spirit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Australia.
Underlying Bangarra’s work is the cross-over of traditional and contemporary cultures. Bringing
together the heritage of thousands of years of traditional culture, with new contemporary forms
of theatre, we hope to express the timeless spirit as well as the tensions and frustrations of our
social world.
I have had the great honour and privilege to lead Bangarra since 1991 and wish to thank and
pay my respects to the founders of this great company. Over the past twenty years, Bangarra
has been the focus for over 100 artists from the raw works like Praying Mantis Dreaming and
Ochres to the highly produced contemporary works like X300 and Mathinna.
Without the efforts of many, Bangarra would not be here today. The vision of our founder Carole
Johnson and Cheryl Stone to establish a professional company for graduates of the Aboriginal
& Islander Dance Theatre has well and truly been realised. And, for all those artists who have
moved through Bangarra, there are many new initiatives and creative ventures informed by that
experience right across Australia.
Bangarra is about ‘making fire’ – a release of energy in the form of light and heat. Our creativity
has been inspired by a release of energy in our creative processes and collaboration with cocreators
in performance, music, design and choreography. I have drawn strength from my
brothers David and Russell who have been a core part of this journey. David’s rich and textured
music for works like Fish and Bush, and my late brother Russell’s extraordinary presence on
stage as a dancer and choreographic muse have been instrumental to the success of Bangarra.
Frances Rings has been, and continues to be, at the core of Bangarra’s creative energy. We
have co-choreographed on a number of Bangarra works, and Frances has Rations, Unaipon
and X300 to her credit as an outstanding and individual choreographic contribution.
The Torres Strait Islander culture was reflected strongly in Bangarra’s early years with
traditional consultants Jensen Warusam and Pinau Ghee, and later with artists Albert David and
Peggy Misi. Elma Kris, one of our senior artists, has built our cultural ties with traditional Torres
Strait culture creating her own blend of traditional and contemporary dance in Emeret Lu,
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inspired from old stories from Mer Island.
The clever creative inputs of Peter England in set design, Jenny Irwin in costume design and
Steve Francis in music have produced exciting dimensions to our stage productions. It would
take an entire book to mention the valuable contributions of everyone who has made this
company ‘great’ so I will simply say ‘thank you’ to the dancers especially veteran Sidney
Saltner, the rehearsal directors, the choreographers, the photographers, the production and
technical people, the management, and the board of Bangarra.
I would especially like to thank Aden Ridgeway for his leadership as Chairman of Bangarra and
the dedication of board members over the years, in particular Danny Gilbert. It’s remarkable
that over these two decades we have remained resilient, despite misfortune and, at times, the
overwhelming challenges before us. The foundations of Bangarra have certainly been forged in
fire. A special mention must also go to friend Catherine Baldwin for her tireless support and
energy.
The process of putting together this 20 year retrospective called Fire has been a time for
reflection, for remembering the extraordinary artists who have made Bangarra what it is, and for
reassessing our role as a cultural messenger and teller of stories.
This mixture of excerpts from our repertoire shows how the cross-over of traditional and
contemporary forms was seeded with Ochres. Djakapurra Munyarryun and I worked closely to
ensure that the new was created with respect for the old. Regular contact was made between
inner-city Sydney and remote Yirrkala to check cultural protocols, and it was this process that
laid the foundations of Bangarra’s creativity. We embedded the connections to traditional
kinship into the way we worked and from this found the direction we would take over all these
years.
Excerpts from Fish have been included to honour the powerful fusion in David Page’s music and
the beginnings of a lasting collaboration with designers Jennifer Irwin and Peter England. Our
capacity in the theatre to express the social issues facing both rural and urban communities is
evident in our choice of excerpts from Skin, Corroboree, Unaipon and Bush.
Over the last two decades as we have traveled Australia and the world, and taken up
opportunities like the Sydney Olympic Games Opening Ceremony and major arts festivals,
Indigenous Australians have struggled to gain a strong foothold in the mainstream and have
suffered from the translation of modern ways on traditional life. I hope that Bangarra, through
successive generations of creative leaders, will continue to bring energy through light and heat
to our cultural and spiritual being, well into the future.
On a personal note big love to my gorgeous families, my children and especially my mother and
father, without them I would have no belonging.
Stephen Page 2009
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Ochres 1995
THE SHOWS
Ochres is a work in four parts which explores the mystical significance of ochre, inspired by its
spiritual and medicinal power: Prologue, Yellow, Black, Red and White.
Notes from the Artistic Director:
Ochres plays an essential part in traditional life. Working with cultural consultant/dancer
Djakapurra Munyarryun has provided us with valuable insight into the presentation of traditional
paint up and preparation.
As a substance ochre has intrigued us. Its significance and the myriad of purposes, both
spiritual and physical has been the driving force behind this collaboration.
The portrayal of each colour is by no means a literal interpretation, but the awareness of its
spiritual significance has challenged our contemporary expressions.
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Sections of Ochres Featured in Fire:
Yellow:
I believe the landscape to be mother. Its flowing rivers she cleanses in, the yellow ochre she
dresses in, the sun and the seasons she nourishes - gathering, nesting and birthing along her
travels.
Black:
An ash storm has blown over. The call and pain of the initiation can only be viewed from a
distance... Men's Business.
Red:
Youth, Obsession, Poison, Pain
Custom, Law and Values placed on the relationships between women and men have been on a
path of change since time began. In each of these relationships - the youth, the obsession, the
poison, the pain - there is struggle.
White:
At dawn Mother Earth yawns, her call engulfs the white ochre spirits to spiritually bathe them in
preparation for the day's journey.
Notes from the critics:
"... something momentous has occurred that has radically changed our thinking about
contemporary dance... _"it's impossible to overestimate the importance of Ochres."_
The Age July 11, 1995
"... a potent expression of a distinctive choreographic talent at last finding its voice... _" it's that
sense of the spiritual within the actual that marks Ochres out as unique and marks it as a
watershed in Australian choreography."
_The Australian November 10, 1995
"Vibrantly alive... _"vivid body language... _" the choreographers skilfully combine, completely
free from inhibition, the traditional with modern, so radiatingly fresh and powerful... "_
Berliner Morgenpost August 13, 1995
"Bangarra in one of the most exciting dance companies in Australia today. Ochres is a perfectly
constructed piece: powerful, gripping and marvellously performed. The spiritual focus is never
lost."_
The Age March 31, 1995
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Fish 1997
Notes from the Artistic Director:
Fish is Bangarra's second major work.
Fish continues the story of the earth and the power of the elements, which began with Ochres,
taking the journey to the vast bodies of water. As disparate, as diverse, as Aboriginal identity
itself, Fish celebrates the seas, the rivers, the swamps, and the wealth of life and mystery they
contain.
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Sections of Fish Featured in Fire:
Traps _
Traps juxtaposes Western ways with the ancient, challenging the notion of hooking and gutting
with the slow lure and catch of old. Inspired by the craft and the intricate workmanship of the
grand fishing traps from Ramingining, this most contemporary of ballets traces the fishing cycle
- the drawing of fish from the water, to the restoration of remains to the earth. Stark
consequences flow from disruption to such a cycle, to tradition born in the time of the Dreaming.
Without the ritual of return the soul is lost in time and place, grasping after stolen memories, no
way of getting home.
Reef
Inspired by the Torres Strait, the vibrant blues, the rich purples, the deep dramatic greens of
Reef evoke the clash and contrast of culture and colour found at the water's edge. The salt in
the air and the strength in the waves, the breath of the wind and the beat of the earth merge into
one majestic whole. The exhilaration and energy of life and love are blended in a rich simplicity,
as Australia's two Indigenous people celebrate the windswept tenderness of the reef.
Notes from the critics:
"It's the relationship between old and new - the tensions and the possibilities for change - that
lies at the heart of Bangarra Dance Theatre's work and courses through this visually ravishing
new piece..."_
The Glasgow Herald, August 13, 1997
"We get a flavour of centuries old experience mixed with contemporary energy..._" Bangarra is
a dance company with a language like no other."_
The Guardian, August 14, 1997
"Fish is spellbinding. The character of the dance, theatricality of its presentation and the
cohesive spirit that runs through it make it absorbing and thoughtful entertainment."_Sydney
Morning Herald, September 19, 1997
"... drawing on and sharing tribal truths (Bangarra) are unbeatable, a spine-shivering, deeplychallenging
group of performers." _
The Australian, September 22, 1997
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Skin 2000
As the audience walks into the theatre they should feel they are entering a sacred space,
timeless and unspecific. Skin is divided into two separate parts. The first is shelter, the second
is Spear.
Notes from the Artistic Director:
For Skin I went back to kinship and family and said, I want to respect both genders. I want to lay
down the foundation of the spirit – and of the black communication. My first inspiration was
family kinship. I have seen how remote traditional families live. I have watched urban aboriginal
families live. I have watched my professional family – Bangarra – live, and my immediate family.
I have been inspired by the traditional family kinship – about the way it respects the gender of
men and women.
I have always believed the dreaming is led and seeded by the mother earth and that male
energy is the son of the mother earth – that is the spirit in the mother earth is what makes the
male energy. Thatʼs why I felt with shelter that we put down the foundation of the spirit of the
mother will always be there. I believe this comes from my sisters, watching my child with his
mother. Itʼs from inspirations of Emily Kngawarreyeʼs paintings, to contemporary heroes of the
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day like Banduk Marika, Fiona Foley, Tracey Moffat, Frances Rings – to the myriad of aboriginal
women, urban and traditional, who have influenced my life.
We have to wear many survival totems. We have to have tough goanna skins so that we can
evolve through this next century. Skin is about the complexities of our kinship: about accepting
and respecting it – and that it is still thriving.
Sections of Skin Featured in Fire:
Shelter is an abstract portrayal of the traditional hunting and gathering process, inspired by
living off the land. It begins with women hunting small animals, gathering berries and bush
medicines, using the digging sticks to get nutritional roots from the ground. Mothers and
daughters live off the land. A daughter conceives a spirit through to the grief of a stillbirth and
the cleansing of the spirit that follows. The modern world invades their lives through mining
projects that bring toxic pollution to their desert homeland. Shelter shows how the spirit
overcomes this new kind of invasion, chemical invasion.
Spear explores the problems aboriginal men face in urban and remote communities, starting in
childhood. Spiritual forces are represented by an elder spirit, who has worked through so much,
that he is cleansed by his efforts and a new spirit in the body of a child. Interlaced with jokes
and yarns, a series of social concerns and issues are addressed. The first is aboriginal deaths
in custody, followed by an initiation ceremony for a young man being given his totem. Finally, a
male ceremony led by an elder spirit cleanses the effects of these modern influences and the
new spirit of the child offers hope for the future.
Notes from the critics:
"an extraordinarily simple yet evocative piece... _"...eloquent simplicity..."_
Sydney Morning Herald, September 21, 2000
"The power of the imagery is so strong... _"...the skill and the individuality of the performers are
exciting"
_Sydney Morning Herald, September 21, 2000
"Bangarra turns another leaf... _" it is impossible to look away..." _
The Australian, September 21, 2000
"...a free and fluid mingling of the ancient and the contemporary..."_
The Australian, September 21, 2000
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Corroboree 2001
A rich visual feast and a return to the purity of dance and tradition, this triple bill embraces the
dreamtime, a time when animal spirits occupied the land without the influence of humans.
Corroboree is a sensual journey through the songlines of three dreamings that are central to the
lives of indigenous peoples: brolga (gudurrku), roo (garrtjambal) and turtle (waru).
Notes from the Artistic Director:
In Corroboree I wanted to explore the transformation of the human spirit, the relationship
between aboriginal people, creatures and the land and what it is that unifies us as one.
Corroboree is about challenging, awakening and cleansing the spirit.
I think the Olympics affected me a lot. Working with a thousand indigenous people, all the elders
trusting me to take their stories and put it on that ground, bringing black clans together,
gathering in our own backyard. I think we, as a black nation, need to get together and work
sacredly to develop a new language that speaks to the 980 different clans around the country. I
believe thatʼs what Bangarra is committed to doing - building a foundation, a strong spiritual
philosophy that people can work from to tell whatever dreaming they want, in whatever medium.
The Bangarra family is always inspiring me, as well as my peers doing work in other mediums,
like visual art, film and theatre that has a strong aboriginal consciousness. Thereʼs a good clan
of us, weʼre the next elders - us mob that come together, we talk and inspire each other. Itʼs a
great medicine, as it has been for thousands of years.
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There's a wonderful trust and exchange with the audience of a Bangarra performance. We
guide you on a journey. Itʼs a meeting of the urban social, traditional dreaming and pure abstract
dance – thatʼs why we can speak to all peoples. Passion, emotion and respect - this is what
people have to have to survive, its got to be part of the human immune system. If you are
honest to the process it will naturally attract those people who want to listen.
Corroboree is a conscious awakening of the spirit, it's challenging the political arena and it's
about just being good young artists that take on the responsibilities and disciplines of
maintaining this evolving storytelling. Bangarra is living the Dreaming; it's the Dreaming
becoming in front of our eyes.
Sections of Corroboree featured in Fire:
Brolga (gudurrku)
Brolga is inspired by an ancient dreaming. Itʼs about a young girl who goes to a sacred ground
and transforms from human to brolga. Itʼs the original swan lake. I was inspired by a visit to a
brolga plain with Djakapurra in Dhalinbuy, in North East Arnhem land where the fresh water
meets the saltwater – itʼs a place from which i draw my vivid creativity. The story also has david
and steveʼs music and their work with djakapurra with traditional songs at its heart.
In Brolga, we start with two figures, one is a traditional spirit and the other is a young girl. She
enters the sacred ground that belongs to the brolgas, she plays, she mimics, and she discovers
the sensuality of the brolga. But she has to learn to respect the secret brolga knowledge. The
traditional spirit guides and protects her on this journey. It could be that he has set her a
challenge for her journey to initiation as a woman.
And then he sings her to sleep, he calls her back to another realm in her dreaming, another
time, and prepares her spiritually for the ritual painting. She emerges with the totem markings of
the brolga. She is transformed.
Roo (Garrtjambal)
In Roo I wanted to develop on themes we explored in Spear from Skin. Roo deals with urban
men who have had their social and religious values taken away from them and theyʼve survived.
Men who are victims of social dilemmas - whether itʼs part of the stolen generation, child abuse,
domestic violence, substance abuse.
We see a line up of men who are about to be convicted; they are being interrogated about who
they are. Thereʼs a lot of strong language and violent outbursts. What we want to do through the
next twenty minutes is cleanse them before their exterior selves go into confinement, give them
the tough skin to service out their punishment. The mist is their state of cleansing, they wash off
the stolen generation X painted across their chests and their spirits are called back to the bush,
to the Red Kangaroo meeting ground.
In the next section called Hunt we explore the energy of the hunt, the difference between
Aboriginal and white ways of hunting, the relationship between hunter and prey. Joeʼs lighting is
a character in itself and so is the music; the sweep and stab of the 4WD spotlight, the fear, the
startled creature, the music pounding like a heart, like an engine, a killing machine. This is
followed by a section called Skinned which is partly about the raw meat and what it means to
the people but itʼs also about being tortured, being burnt, things being taken away from you, that
pain and woundedness. Today we live in a society where no one can hide, we are all hunted,
and everyone is identified whether we like it or not.
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Turtle (waru)
Turtleʼs my favourite. This is my tribute to the Torres Strait peoples and the beautiful, melodic
water that surrounds this country and what the Pacific means to people in general.
Turtle is also a tribute to the founding Torres Strait Island members of Bangarra – Jensen
Warasum, Pinau Ghee, Percy Jakonia and Albert David whose work has always been an
inspiration. And Peggy Misi who is with the company now, sheʼs the next generation, my Torres
Strait Island consultant creatively. I talk to Peggy about a myriad of stories, about the island,
about the water and she just laughs at me and says “you just dream and weʼll see what
happens”. Torres Strait Island people celebrate differently to Aboriginal people. Aboriginal
stories are quite earthbound, whereas Torres Strait Islander song and dance is obviously
inspired by the water.
In Turtle we start with this wonderful visual of sand pouring from the roof onto three bodies that
represent the mother turtle. She goes to her sacred territory and digs to lay her eggs. All the
choreography is close to the ground.
This is followed by a section called Hatch, which captures the energy of the baby turtle. Some
survive and some donʼt and there are thousands of them, racing down to the water. Kasa Kab is
a traditional play dance that celebrates the turtle.
Then comes Aigudau Tonar, where the dancers are all oiled and they slide to the music. This
represents the meat, the delicacy of the turtle and the egg which is great bush medicine. We
explore the sensuality of food, the gourmet, the feast.
Aigudau Tonar is followed by a Torres Strait rhythm dance, using seed pods as rattles. This
percussive dance depicts the thriving energy of the Torres Strait people. Koi Maluya is a
beautiful song that celebrates the wind and the sea and the different patterns on the turtle
shells. Turtle ends with the death of the elder mother turtle, but it is almost like she is newborn,
we cleanse her spirit to awaken again – the cycle continues.
Notes from the critics:
"Djakapurra Munyarryun's charismatic presence transcends genre and style to reach a shared
transcultural dance space: he dances alongside the world's greatest_…Roo is a stabbing
critique on our national failure to find reconciliation."
_ The Australian, June 22, 2001
"Bangarra's telling of stories has reached a fresh level of stylised beauty and poignancy…A
sensual mating ritual between Frances Rings and Russell Page is rivetingly performed…Brolga
is danced with the strength of iron under a soft, feather clad surface to create a dreamlike
atmosphere."
Sydney Morning Herald, Jill Sykes, September 14, 2001
_"Corroboree challenges, but also unites us on the common ground of the Australian spirit"_
Courier Mail, June 22, 2001Olivia Stewart,
"The showering of water, the dropping of sand, the sliding of oiled turtle bodies and the ochre of
the traditional spirit all create a surreal natural playground"_
_Herald Sun, Stephanie Glickman July 25, 2001
19

Walkabout 2002
What leads us to walk away from what we know best? Sometimes there is no choice. The
hardest journey can often be to rediscover the steps of the original walkabout. Bangarra's
double bill, Walkabout, traces an extraordinary history of Indigenous struggle and survival from
the early missions and stations of outback Australia to the neon soaked streets of our modern
day cities.
Rations, choreographed by Frances Rings, pulls at the treads of hand-me-downs. Lured from
their homelands, clothed in cast offs and fed an alien __diet of flour and sugar, the people find
themselves trapped in a cycle of dependency.
Rush – choreographed by Stephen Page captures the energy and resilience of youth. The
struggle to reconcile the old ways with the new and cleanse the pain of the past. Fresh
songlines are being drawn in the ancient soil. The rush of survival.
20

Notes from the Artistic Director – Choreographer of Rush
There is a myriad of issues I explore in Rush but at the core of it is a statement about the
strength and spirit of our culture, it is too powerful to be crushed. Rush is very sparse and
abstract - it's a beautiful contrast to Rations. You get given the history lesson in Rations and
then in Rush you get the Bladerunner version. It touches on religion, it touches on substances
and poisons, confinement, the stolen generation - but the themes are universal - they apply to
any culture in the world.
How do we live in both worlds? How do we survive and move forward? How do we cleanse the
pain of the past? We have to take our cultural values with us. These tracks and songlines, the
cyclical patterns of the walkabout, they all come from such ancient and powerful myths - you
can get pulled off those tracks and you get influenced, but there's something in your gut, there's
something calling to put you back on that track. It's the stories and the culture that is your
grounding, your medicine. In that way Rush is like a spiritual wake up call. Walkabout is the call
and response of two generations.
When you look at Rations and Rush you have to ask whether things have really changed?
There's many examples of kids coming down to the city and getting caught up in that corruption
- it becomes their priority rather than maintaining culture. A lot of kids don't want to do culture
anymore or they are ashamed of it - they're into hip hop and pop culture as well as a lot of the
social dilemmas like drugs and alcohol and violence. That's what is so great about Bangarra
and works like this - we are this young, sassy, urban company who can hip hop with the best of
them but are so proud of culture. Bangarra is the foundation that inspires us. It allows us to work
with people like Djakapurra and now Ningali who bring so much knowledge. We can still live in
the city, we can still wear deadly clothes - but there's always that wanting - wanting knowledge,
wanting language, wanting to learn about and express our culture. We take the audience on
that journey with us. In that way it is also important for us not to spoon feed the Bangarra
audience - we want them to bring their own dreaming to our shows, everyone has their own
emotional reaction to the journey.
Walkabout is about reclaiming identity, culture, and language - in white society the word
'walkabout' has always been derogatory but it has this ancient spiritual significance. It's like
Aboriginal art - it's not just for museums and tea towels, it has a life. Western culture focuses on
the external - pigeonholes, institutions, fences, confinement, half caste, quarter caste, clean,
unclean - who defines what is civilised and what isn't? I explore all these issues in Rush against
a stark white set and lights that either look sharp, soft, cold, wet. It's abstract, poetic and
philosophical.
21

Notes from Frances Rings – Choreographer of Rations
Rations is set in colonial outback Australia and explores issues of dependency and assimilation,
station and domestic labour – I havenʼt really gone into the stolen generation because that
deserves its own moment, you wouldnʼt be able to scratch the surface doing a ten minute piece
on it. All the pieces in Rations flow into each other - they are all pretty much the one songline.
In my research I focused on South Australia, where my family is from, and the influence of the
ration system there. The traditional walkabout ceased once we got rations. I want to look at the
reasons why it stopped and the songlines didnʼt continue. I want to ask the question – what
makes us stop doing what weʼve always done? How did the culture disintegrate? We went from
a fully mobile lifestyle - travelling, hunting, moving with the seasons and the food supply to all of
a sudden being stationery, sedentary and dependent.
Rations were used by white colonists to lure, entice and blackmail. For the Aboriginal people at
first, there was the novelty of it all - the novelty of clothing, tobacco, flour and sugar but also the
deceptive ease of it. Not having to hunt for your food every day to survive. There were also
traditional counterparts for each ration which made it more enticing – there was native tobacco
(ʻpiturukiriʼ) and a type of flour made from wild seeds.
Initially the rations were accepted and welcomed because it was seen as a giving gesture, it
was sharing – a big part of indigenous culture is sharing amongst each other so when these
other people came in offering these things, it was welcomed. “These fellas are good to us, they
are helping us” - it was embraced.
A lot of it may have been well intentioned but the settlers didnʼt truly want to share. The settlers
wanted to give the rations but not share the land. They took advantage of the indigenous
peoplesʼ naivety I guess and had them work for them or took priceless artefacts in return for
flour, water, sugar.
Aboriginal people would come in from the bush and be given the rations and then the settlers
would say “You have to stay here now, you canʼt go beyond those boundaries, you canʼt go
back out bush, you have to leave that and live in town and be like us”. These people had
ceremonies and rituals they had to perform and as soon as they were prevented from doing so,
it caused conflict. They couldnʼt go onto their land to hunt because all the land was being taken
up, the wildlife was being driven further out. They couldnʼt hunt the sheep. They were trapped.
They could apply to the Protector of Aborigines for a certificate of exemption but that would
prohibit them from going to see their family and theyʼd be stuck in this white world where they
werenʼt accepted. They couldnʼt go into a pub let alone a child go into a school. They werenʼt
allowed to partake in any of their own rituals either. They were in this limbo zone, like a dead
person walking between two worlds.
The whole ration system had an addictive quality, the addiction suffocated everyone and kept
them there as well. And the diet, it was a big difference in what they were used to eating – the
heaviness and the weighing down, the addictiveness of sugar. But also the flour was poisoned
with strychnine and arsenic, the blankets were laced with smallpox. There was that other
sinister level which always exists in Australian history.
Researching Rations has been an intense experience for me - its great because Iʼm learning all
this history but I also feel bad because Iʼm finding out all these things I feel I should have
known. It makes me understand my mother, my aunties and uncles so much more. It makes me
22

understand the way they are and why we are what we are today. It makes it so much clearer,
the transition they had to go through – its like the walkabout, you have to walk through it, you
canʼt jump over it, you have to acknowledge all those things that have happened so you can
move on and cleanse it.
The next generation that comes after us - they can achieve more greatness. Weʼre just here to
pave the way for them. Theyʼre the ones that are going to be the prime ministers and going to
make the changes. Our parents have given us the inspiration through their strength and ability
to survive. I want to recognise that this is what happened, it is a tribute to them. Its often up to
the next generation to tell the story of the one before, thereʼs too much pain for them to do it, its
up the next generation to cleanse it for them.
Sections of Walkabout featured in Fire:
Rations
Blankets:
The smothering of traditional culture and introduction of diseases like smallpox.
Rush
Veins: The poisons of western culture._
The Call: The effects of western Christianity on Indigenous beliefs. A spiritual struggle in
response to a calling.
Notes from the Critics:
“The stories of Walkabout are unravelling across the city at this moment”
The Age
“Eerily beautiful and unnerving…a characteristic of this company”
Courier Mail
23

Bush 2003
They sang the songs and danced over the land,_
They struck the ground with their walking sticks and created fresh water,_
Created the different land marks, animals, sacred sites,_
Created all living things.__
From the traditional song 'Two Sisters' (Wirrkul Manda),
Dhuwa language group.
Bangarra Dance Theatreʼs work Bush is a lush and contemporary celebration of beauty, ritual
and music inspired by the Dreamtime creation stories of Arnhem Land. From the last breath of
sunset to the first finger-light of dawn, we enter a mysterious and secret space to witness
natureʼs sacred poetry- reptilian creatures slither from dark caves, a moth emerges from its
cocoon, the land erupts pushing up mountains and carving waterholes.
24

Notes from the Artistic Director:
The main inspiration for Bush is really my relationship with Arnhem Land over the years. My
traditional mothers from Arnhem Land like Kathy Marika have supported and inspired me
ceremonially and spiritually for a long time now. Bush reflects the poetic experience and beauty
I have enjoyed over my fifteen years of being linked to Arnhem Land - its magic, its sacred
grounds.
The more I hear all of these creation stories and the older I get, the more I digest. Itʼs the
longest university degree you can ever have. It is a great honour to be accepted and given this
gift, to put these stories in a public domain in an abstract way – thereʼs a wonderful trust there.
In Bangarra, we bring these stories to a western context and present them with integrity. Our
work is similar to the development of Indigenous visual art, from painting on rocks to painting on
canvas. It is a modern way of presenting traditional stories - placing them in a live theatre
experience. Bangarra has worked with these traditional stories and land inspirations for a long
time now – we are celebrating our own ritual over the past 13 years. We have come through our
first life cycle. I wouldnʼt say we are ʻmasteringʼ it but we have been initiated and respect our
experiences of the journey.
With Bush it is a wonderful thing for us, the Bangarra creative clan, to rejoice in the cycle. There
is my traditional family on the one hand and my creative professional family on the other - Peter
England, Jennifer Irwin, David Page, Steve Francis who have all worked with me now for ten
years. And of course Frances Rings, who has collaborated with me on pieces within this work.
An integral part of the Bangarra life cycle is Franʼs emergence as a choreographer. She has
such a powerful presence she is impossible to ignore! Fran has been the sister muse through a
long journey – from being a student, then dancer and now choreographer. She brings a different
spirit to the work but at the same time she has a beautiful intuitive understanding of what it is to
create that unique Bangarra theatrical experience. She also brings an incredible feminine
energy to this work as Kathy Marika does as well obviously. Bush is very much about respecting
the role of women in our tradition – they are the nurturers and the keepers.
This work is a bush galaxy of poetic imagery and stories that make up our history – ranging from
the comic mimicry of stick spirits, to the power of rocks and land formations, to the ritual and
medicine of fresh water, the transformation of a caterpillar into a moth. Bush embraces all those
diversities and inspirations that come from living from the land.
I do consciously try to nurture an optimistic spirit. Even when I get angry at the world and the
way society is going, and I do quite social frustration works as a result, I always try to inject a
sense of optimism and hope out of those experiences. I think with Bush its purely about letting
the audience into the spiritual glory box of what is sacred, communicating how special this land
is to us through certain specific inspirations such as Arnhem Land, my traditional familyʼs stories
and my relationship to them. It is a personal endeavour. It is also about maintaining an honest
respect for land creations and peoples.
25

Notes from the Co-choreographer Frances Rings:
To me Bush feels like coming home. Itʼs a cleansing and it is the rituals you go through in the
process. There is something old and ancient about it or like when you have been doing things
throughout the day and reflections of a dream keep coming back to you. We are tapping into a
spiritual dimension that is comforting and nurturing. Bush in some ways is similar to Ochres –
each piece had its own songline but ultimately it is all for the one purpose.
Working with Kathy Marika is wonderful, especially for me as a choreographer to have a
traditional woman who is caretaker of the stories passing on all this knowledge. It is almost like
a female version of the creative relationship Stephen Page had with Djakapurra Munyarryun.
Being a black woman myself I can tap into that energy and that gut knowing – it is what I always
try to rely on as my source of inspiration and drive. Kathy carries all of that wealth with her. It is
an honour for all of us at Bangarra to be working with her.
Creating Bangarra works is always a collaborative process. Stephen teaches me so much
because I still feel quite young in terms of choreography. He gives me the freedom to express
ideas and appreciates another point of view. And this is the first time I have worked with David
Page in terms of the music and I have really been enjoying the process, he is such a great
storyteller. Then of course working with the new young dancers, passing on some of the things
that I have learnt as a Bangarra dancer, those key things that make us unique among the dance
world. I am really interested in sharing that knowledge and pushing it to another level. I believe it
can still grow, especially with this fresh bunch. They are so excited and full of energy– they are
passionate about learning and that is so inspiring.
Sections of Bush featured in Fire:
Creation (Wirrkul Manda)
“They sang the songs and danced over the land…Created all living things”
Life Cycle - Moth (Dhumar)
Metamorphosis, rejuvenation and the passing on of knowledge.
Stick
Nganuk or Mimi spirits appear as spiritual messengers – they can come as good or bad signs.
Ceremony - Water (Gapu),
The cycle of rituals in the celebration of death and rebirth.
Notes from the Critics:
“Ingenious…potent…remarkable”
New York Times
“Bangarraʼs interpretive power has never been on more amazing and mesmerising display than
in Bush”
The Sunday Age
26

Unaipon 2004
Unaipon (pronounced you-nigh-pon)
Inventor. Philosopher. Writer. Storyteller. Unaipon celebrates the remarkable journey of David
Unaipon (1872-1967) from the shores of South Australiaʼs Lake Alexandrina to his place on the
Australian $50 note.
Unaipon is inspired by the mind of a man fascinated by science and the great philosophies and
cultures of the world. Unaipon is credited with being the first Aboriginal writer to be published,
inventing the modern shearing shears and making the connection between helicopter
aerodynamics and the flight pattern of the boomerang. Significantly Unaipon also made the
connection between his own cultural traditions and those of all the great cultures of the world.
Through her own unique dance language choreographer Frances Rings intricately weaves a
tale which conjures the life and inspirations of a great Indigenous pioneer.
Unaipon was first performed at the 2004 Adelaide Bank Festival of the Arts and has received
great critical and popular acclaim.
27

Notes from the Choreographer Frances Rings:
Most Australians recognise David Unaiponʼs face from the Australian $50 note but know little
about this extraordinary man. He was a Ngarrindjeri man of the Warrawaldi clan, born in 1872,
the fourth of nine children, at Point McLeay Mission in South Australia. He died in 1967, shortly
before the referendum ʻyesʼ vote that included Aboriginal people in the national census. He was
an inventor, philosopher, writer and storyteller.
Unaipon grew up on the mission. His father became the first Aboriginal lay preacher which was
to have a strong influence on him later in life. However, he grew up learning how to hunt, how to
look for birds and possums and how to climb trees- he knew the cultural ways, the old ways.
Then as a young man he was taken to Adelaide to live with the white family of CB Young who
gave him a classical education. He was taught everything from literature through to how to play
Bach on the organ and how to speak Latin and Greek. He studied all the great philosophers and
cultures of the world. It was at this time he also developed his passion for Science. From an
early age up until the day he died, he had an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
Through his studies, Unaipon put his own culture on the same platform as all the other great
cultures of the world. It was quite an incredible thing to be doing in that time and age. He argued
that even though we live very simply in harmony with nature, our culture is just as complex and
amazing as any of the other great ancient cultures. He studied Egyptian and Inca cultures and
compared them to Aboriginal culture, he studied Aboriginal carvings and symbols and compared
them to Egyptian hieroglyphs. He compared Greek and Aboriginal myths. He studied astronomy
and made connections to the myths and legends that existed about the stars within his own
culture. He mapped the flight pattern of the boomerang and that fed into his inventions and
explorations of aerodynamics.
At the same time he was a very spiritual man. His two great passions and influences were
science and religion. He says that the greatest books he ever read were Isaac Newtonʼs ʻLaws
of Physicsʼ and the Bible. In a white society where he could find no place, whenever he felt
rejected, demeaned or hurt by someoneʼs attitude to him or his race, he would always open up
the Bible. He found that there was a place in the Bible for him, a place for all people with no
prejudice against colour or race. He said you may call the greater spiritual power by different
names - Jesus or Allah or Narroondarie, etc but it was all the same - the lifeline from the
moment our spirit is conceived in the womb, that continues with us throughout our life and
beyond. It was almost as if he was saying ʻWe all breathe the same air and have blood and
bones and we have a greater power, why canʼt you look at me in the same way and hold my
hand or let me stay in your hotels- why is there this prejudice?ʼ He was always striving to break
down those walls. This is a man who was not even considered a citizen- yet people dubbed him
the ʻLeonardo da Vinci of Australiaʼ. White society at the time was always trying to say Unaipon
and people like Albert Namatjira were ʻexceptionsʼ. In quite a few of the old articles Iʼve looked
at they will be on the same page, mentioned in the same breath. But as much as they would try
to pull down Unaiponʼs race, he would continue to bring them with him and say ʻIf I am capable,
they are capable. I am no exceptionʼ. He would always be citing examples of the unique and
wonderful things about his culture. He retold his ancient myths and legends in a language that
romanced people – maybe then they would fall in love with this culture, respect it a bit more and
maybe want to explore it for themselves.
28

Unaipon was always trying to find the perfect place for himself and his people within a society
that was changing very quickly. In a way, he embraced assimilation and that was controversial
at the time because it was quite different from what Aboriginal activists were pushing for.
Unaipon was saying ʻI donʼt think we should mourn, I think we need to be educated and move
forward.ʼ
Visiting his family and the land of his traditional community in Raukkan was crucial in the
development of the work, it is about respect and doing things the right way. The people who
welcomed me and taught me so much about this man as well as the land where he came from,
are an incredible inspiration. It is a very powerful part of the world, you can feel it. Where the
fresh water comes to meet the salt water, it has always been sacred. The Murray spills into
these two massive lakes and theyʼre teeming with birds and wildlife. There are huge mussel
shells on the shores and it is just so fertile. It is one of the most amazing and beautiful
communities Iʼve ever been to. Their culture is quite distinctive- nobody in Australia or the world
weaves like the Ngarrindjeri weavers. Tragically the community was decimated by small pox as
it travelled down the Murray system - people all along the river starting dying before they even
saw white man. All these stories, itʼs like a midden uncovering each layer, the history is still alive
and layers are still being set down.
The challenge is to translate all of this extraordinary material into dance. The process has been
like putting together a jig saw puzzle of this complex man. At this stage, there isnʼt a central
Unaipon character – the dancers represent his energy, his contributions and his spirit.
The initial section of the work is inspired by his traditional land and his childhood. In terms of
imagery I am really attracted to the intricacies of weaving. In Ngarrindjeri culture both men and
women partook in weaving. Weaving also represents the life line or bloodlines, the threads that
tie you to your ancestors and your country. The umbilical cord was very sacred to the
Ngarrindjeri accordingly. Its representation of the connection to the mother through which life is
transferred is honoured through ritual and ceremony.
The next section transforms into another world, the world of science – formulas, motion, energy
and power. As a dancer one of the things that you do is to apply each of these elements to
make movement. I am excited about scientific formulas and applying that to dance. Iʼve never
done anything like it before and neither has Bangarra but I reckon weʼre ready for it.
Personally I was attracted to Unaiponʼs life and story because I have always been interested in
who came before me and what the ground was like that they trod on, the obstacles that they
encountered. I guess history informs us of how we turn out to be. My sister first told me about
Unaipon and I thought his story would be a great subject for a dance work. The more I found
about him the more I wondered why no one talks about his man? Why is nothing being done?
People like Unaipon, Namatjira, Bennelong and Truganinni have always fascinated me - they
were people that were ʻin betweenʼ, they straddled Aboriginal and white culture, their spirits
walked between two worlds with dignity and grace. They were brave enough to walk in a land
that had no track and they made a track for us to follow. I really just wanted to honour that. Also
the fact that I am from South Australia like Unaipon. It is fitting that this work is premiered at the
Adelaide Festival, a festival directed by an Aboriginal man.
29

And I am hoping that this work will mean that Australians will understand more about Unaipon,
more than seeing his face on the $50 note. Unaipon was a strong advocate of education just as
I am passionate about educating people through art. He educated through his pursuit of science
and his thirst for knowledge. I can educate through the beauty of dance and art. This is our
history, itʼs not just my history, it is a shared history, shared by all Australians. To deny that
would be wrong. It is my responsibility as a dance maker, as an Aboriginal woman, as an
Australian. I have my obligations and responsibilities and I know this is the right thing to do.
Sections of Unaipon Featured in Fire:
Strings
West Wind
Power
Notes from the Critics:
"Exciting dance, great visuals, bold theatricality and persuasive themes”
"An outstanding exploration of physicality."
The Sydney Morning Herald, June 28 2004
"A resonating work of depth and clarity."
"Another brave step in the development of this inspiring company."
The Age, June 15 2004
"It is bursting with ideas and invention."
Herald Sun, June 14 2004
30

BIOGRAPHY DAVID UNAIPON (1872-1967)
David Unaipon (1872-1967) was a Ngarrindjeri man from Raukkan (Point McLeay) Mission in
South Australia. He is renowned as the first Aboriginal person to have become a published
author.
In 1885, at the age of 13, Unaipon moved to Adelaide, where his interest in literature,
philosophy, science and music was encouraged. Returning to Raukkan five years later, he
continued to read books and journals sent to the Mission, and began to study mechanics. He
also began to conduct experiments in perpetual motion, ballistics and polarised light.
Unaipon had many influential supporters who financed his works. One of these was his friend
Herbert Basedow, a former Protector of Aborigines for South Australia. They exchanged many
letters, which are now contained in the State Library of NSWʼs Basedow Collection. Unaipon
sent a handwritten patent diagram of his modified handpiece for shearing to Basedow in 1914,
as a supporting document for financing its development. The handpiece was originally patented
in 1909.
Between 1909 and 1944, Unaipon made patent applications for nine other inventions, including
a centrifugal motor and a mechanical propulsion device, but all his patents lapsed due to lack of
funds. Many of his ideas were picked up and improved upon by other scientists, however, and
are still in use today.
During 1924-1925, as he journeyed through southern Australia, Unaipon compiled a booklength
manuscript that he called Legendary Tales of the Australian Aborigines. While on this
odyssey, he travelled on foot and relied upon the kindness of strangers for food and lodgings.
He frequently slept under the stars and had no money in his pockets. This led to him being
arrested for vagrancy during this time.
Unaiponʼs stories describe religious and spiritual similarities between Aboriginal and European
cultures, with a focus on Creation stories. Over time, he submitted this material section by
section to Sydney publishers Angus and Robertson, who paid him a sum of £150. The sections
were then edited and joined into a book. A typescript copy was made, and Unaipon even
submitted a grand photograph of himself for the frontispiece and wrote a foreword, but the book
was not published in his name at that time.
The copyright for Unaiponʼs work was sold to anthropologist and Chief Medical Officer of South
Australia, William Ramsay Smith, who edited the work slightly and published it under his own
name in London in 1930, under the title Myths and Legends of the Australian Aboriginals. It is
not known why Angus and Robertson decided to sell the copyright for the manuscript rather
than publish with Unaipon as principal author. It is also not known if Unaipon knew about the
sale of his work. There is no record of him having anything to do with Angus and Robertson or
Ramsay Smith after 1925. No acknowledgment of Unaiponʼs work on the manuscript was made.
The book was finally published in Unaiponʼs name, using his original title, in 2001.
Unaipon married in 1902, and he and his wife had one son. In 1995, when the
new $50 note was issued, the image of David Unaipon was included on one side of the note.
Earlier, in 1988, the national David Unaipon award for Aboriginal writers was established, in
recognition of Unaiponʼs outstanding achievements.
Melissa Jackson, Indigenous Services Librarian, State Library NSW
31

FIRE - A RETROSPECTIVE PRODUCTION CREDITS
Artistic Director
& Choreographer
Co-Choreographers
Composers
Set Designer
Costume Designer
Film Editor
Original Lighting Designers
Cultural Consultants
Rehearsal Director
Guest Performer
Stephen Page
Frances Rings
Bernadette Walong-Sene
David Page
Steve Francis
Peter England
Jennifer Irwin
Rochelle Oshlack
Jo Mercurio
Mark Howett
Karen Norris
Trudy Dalgleish
Nick Schlieper
Djakapurra Munyarryun
Kathy Balngayngu Marika
Jensen Warusam
Issac Waia
Sidney Saltner
Kathy Balngayngu Marika
Dancers
Sidney Saltner, Elma Kris, Yolande Brown, Patrick Thaiday, Deborah Brown, Jhuny-Boy Borja, Leonard Mickelo,
Tara Gower, Waangenga Blanco, Daniel Riley McKinley, Jasmin Sheppard, Katina Olsen, Perun Bonser, Ella
Havelka
Production Manager
Technical Manager
Stage Manager
Head Mechanist
ASM / Wardrobe Supervisor
Production Coordinator
Production Assistants
Set Construction
Scenic Artists
Props Maker
Costume Makers
Aaron Beach
Neil Fisher
Kate Williams
Kayne Johnson
Emma Howell
Erin Daly
Chrissy Norford
Jacob Nash
Phoebe Collier
Planet Engineering, Gorilla Constructions
Scenographic Studios
Traleen Ryan, Peter Owens
Emma Howell, Millie Adams, Mandy Nichols
32

Suggestions for Study
Bangarra encourages teachers to read through all the notes, particularly Choreographer Notes,
to assist with the creation of suitable questions and activities. High School students should also
be encouraged to read the background material contained within this study kit.
Bangarra Dance Theatre advises that local Indigenous communities (especially elders and
Indigenous dance practitioners) should be consulted to advise and assist with the study of
Indigenous dance and culture. Local Land Councils and Aboriginal Liaison Officers within
schools are often good contact points.
Any cultural material within this Study Kit can be used for study purposes only and should not
be used in a performance, recording or any other context.
Suggested Questions About Dance
What are your initial impressions of the work?
What aspects of the dance impact on you first?
What do you like/dislike about dance? Why?
How does the work use space (levels, direction, shape, dynamics, dimensions and floor
patterns)?
How the body parts of the dancers are articulated within both locomotor and non-locomotor?
How are speed and duration of movement manipulated in each section of the work- include the
use of beat, tempo and rhythm. Provide examples of how this affects the mood/atmosphere of
the work?
Describe in your own words what is unique about the style of Bangarra Dance Theatre.
What do you think are the main inspirations in the creation of the work?
What messages is the choreographer trying to communicate?
Within the choreography are there any recurring themes/issues?
Write your own dance review of the work (as you would see in a newspaper).
Do you feel that a company such as Bangarra Dance Theatre is an important part of Australian
dance culture? Why?
How does Bangarra Dance Theatre performance differ from other dance in terms of
choreography, emotional response from the audience, spatial issues, music and theatricality?
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Suggestions for Primary Students
What shapes and sizes do the dancers make with their bodies and hands?
Develop a dance or song from a dream you have had or about the environment around you eg.
trees, leaves, rivers, the sea, birds etc.
What is your favourite native animal or bird? What is its Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island name
(teachers to investigate)? Create a short dance based on this animalʼs movements using rhythm
instruments.
Discuss how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people lived before white settlers arrived?
Why is the land so important to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people?
Oral history: ask someone from an older generation to relate a story from his or her time, share
it with the class.
What are the main Aboriginal language groups in your area?
(Help: http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/aboriginal_studies_press/aboriginal_wall_map/map_page)
How did Aboriginal people live in your area before white settlers arrived?
What words of David Unaiponʼs are written on the Australian $50 note. What are some of David
Unaiponʼs inventions?
What are rations?
What is your favourite native animal or bird? What is its Aboriginal name? Create a short dance
based on this animalʼs movements.
Suggestions for High School Students
Research Indigenous Australians and the national census, as well as the ʻyesʼ vote in Australia.
Find out about the impact of Christian missions on Indigenous people in early Australia and in
the present day.
Frances Rings talks about Aboriginal figures that were ʻin between,ʼ who ʻstraddled Aboriginal
and white cultureʼ. How was David Unaipon like this? Who were Namatjira, Bennelong and
Truganinni and why were they ʻin betweenʼ?
Research the use of Aboriginal girls and women as domestic labour – what were their
conditions? Were they paid? (Recommended Resource: The documentary film “Lousy Little
Sixpence” www.roninfilms.com.au)
What is the significance of the section called “Blankets”? What do the blankets represent?
Discuss the impact western Christianity had on traditional Aboriginal culture.
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What was the Aborigines Protection Board?
Discuss the impact of rations on traditional Aboriginal culture.
Research the use of smoke in the religious ceremonies of Aboriginal, North American Indian,
Eastern and Christian cultures.
Research the man David Unaipon, the Ngarrindjeri area in SA and its people.
What was the role of the Aborigineʼs Friendʼs Association?
Who were its members and how was David Unaipon involved with them?
Why was David Unaipon known as the ʻblack Leonardo da Vinciʼ?
Identify both traditional and contemporary sounds and instruments in the score.
Compare examples of traditional and contemporary Indigenous art.
Interpret images and objects from a variety of cultural and historical perspectives.
Research and evaluate images and objects of Australian artists/designers/ craftspeople from a
variety of historical and contemporary contexts.
The ochre used in Fire comes from the community in Bremer Island, near Nhulunbuy/Gove
Peninsula. Explore the use of ochre, clay or mud by diverse cultures as a material for visual
arts.
Find a press review of the production and write about whether you agree with the review or write
your own review.
Research the primary uses of fish scoops/traps in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island culture.
Explain the scientific principles upon which it is based.
Research 3 different types of traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island ceremonies and
explain their purpose and origins.
What are totems? And what do they represent in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island culture?
Further, find out about other indigenous people from other countries, and whether totems are
significant to their culture, and how?
Research the history and current information about Arnhem Land. Where is it? What are the
main industries there? How is the national park maintained? Who owns the national park?
How many square kilometres of the Northern Territory is National Park?
Research the history and current information about The Torres Strait Islands. Where are they?
How many islands are there? What is everyday life like In the Torres Strait?
In Indigenous culture, what role does the elder take? Is there are difference between male and
female elders? Can you find examples of this role in other cultures (either Indigenous or non-
Indigenous?)
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