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BANGARRA DANCE THEATRE STUDY GUIDE FOR TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY Bangarra Dance Theatre pays respect and acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we meet, create, and perform. We also wish to acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples whose customs and cultures inspire our work. INDIGENOUS CULTURAL AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (ICIP) Bangarra acknowledges the industry standards and protocols set by the Australia Council for the Arts Protocols for Working with Indigenous Artists (2007). Those protocols have been widely adopted in the Australian arts to respect ICIP and to develop practices and processes for working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and cultural heritage. Bangarra incorporates ICIP into the very heart of our projects, from storytelling, to dance, to set design, language and music. © Bangarra Dance Theatre 2019 Last updated September 2019 WARNING Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this Study Guide contains names and images of, and quotes from, deceased persons. Photo Credits Front Cover: Djakapurra Munyarryun, photo by Greg Barrett Back Cover: Tara Gower, photo Edward Mulvihill 2 INTRODUCTION CONTENTS 03 Introduction “Ochres plays an essential part in Aboriginal traditional life. Working with cultural 04 consultant/dancer Djakapurra Munyarryun Using this Study Guide has provided us with valuable insight into the presentation of traditional paint up 05 and preparation. Contemporary Indigenous Dance Theatre As a substance ochre has intrigued us. 09 Its significance and the myriad of purposes, Bangarra Dance Theatre both spiritual and physical has been the driving force behind this collaboration. 10 The portrayal of each colour is by no means Ochres a literal interpretation, but the awareness of its spiritual significance has challenged our 13 contemporary expressions.” What is ochre? – Stephen Page, 1995 14 Creating Ochres 15 The Creative Team 16 Discussion Guide 17 Resources 3 USING THIS STUDY GUIDE Rikki Mason and Rika Hamaguchi in Ochres (2015), photo by Susannah Wimberley This Study Guide has been designed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander to assist teachers and students in communities and language groups CROSS CURRICULUM PRIORITY engaging with one of Bangarra’s around Australia work to maintain Aboriginal & Torres Strait most acclaimed works – Ochres. this knowledge, and ensure its Islander histories and cultures integrity for future generations. When viewing a Bangarra Bangarra plays a vital role in making GENERAL CAPABILITIES performance, the audience is sure that our whole society is aware engaged in a conversation about of, and feels a sense of mutual Intercultural Understanding Australian Aboriginal and Torres responsibility for, maintaining Critical and Creative Thinking Strait Islander cultures, about cultural knowledge, sharing in Literacy contemporary reflections on its richness and recognising its Personal and Social Capability ancient traditions, and about the vulnerability in contemporary times. relationship between cultural inheritance and cultural renewal. We hope that the information, LEARNING AREAS suggested activities, and additional The Arts The audience is granted access to resources provided in this Study (Dance, Music, Visual Arts) the Australian Indigenous world Guide assist in enriching students’ through storytelling and theatrical experiences of contemporary Aboriginal Studies presentation. This access can be Indigenous dance theatre, while History referred to as ‘outside knowledge’ offering a range approaches to English – knowledge that may be shared incorporating Bangarra’s works Science and Technology (as opposed to ‘inside knowledge’ across the curriculum. which by its nature is not be shared outside of a given community). We hope you enjoy Ochres. 4 CONTEMPORARY INDIGENOUS DANCE THEATRE form, and are able to celebrate the Artists and leaders like Carole Y. PERSPECTIVES, resilience of Australia’s First Nations Johnson, Stephen Page, Frances people and their ancestors through Rings, Raymond Blanco, Vicki van VOICES AND the sharing of works that depict Hout, Gary Lang, and Marilyn Miller, Indigenous stories, cultures and are some who have paved the way. CULTURES perspectives. More recently Elma Kris, Deborah The concept of contemporary Brown, Yolande Brown, Daniel Riley, Indigenous dance theatre cannot It is important to consider the Mariaa Randall, Sani Townsen, Jacob be understood as a categorised language we use when talking Boehme, Ghenoa Gela, Thomas genre or a particular form because and writing about Indigenous E. S. Kelly, Joel Bray, and Amrita it exists as part of a continuum that cultures in the context of art: Hepi are contributing to the ever- responds to a diversity of culture when it is made, how it is made and growing critical mass of Indigenous and developing perspectives. Any where the source material comes contemporary dance in Australia. contemporary Indigenous dance from. The general application production that incorporates and understandings of the terms Building a skills base has been music/sound, design and other ‘traditional’ and ‘contemporary’ both a challenge and a significant conventions of the theatre will can be problematic when critiquing contributor to the development of inevitably have a deep purpose Indigenous dance theatre. By fixing Indigenous contemporary dance and and an essential spirit that is, and the term ‘contemporary’ to the dance theatre. The establishment will always be, about Aboriginal form, it could be argued that we are of training institutions like and Torres Strait Islander cultures. implying ‘post-colonial’, ‘modern’ National Aboriginal Islander Skills While drawing on traditional or ‘non-traditional’. Yet with many Development Association (NAISDA) stories and cultural ways of new works sourcing their inspiration Dance College in Sydney, and being, Indigenous dance theatre from the Indigenous cultures that Aboriginal Centre for Performing provides an important platform for have existed since ancient times, Arts (ACPA) in Brisbane, have Indigenous people. It gives voice to what is ‘traditional’ and what is been fundamentally important the experience of living in a modern ‘new’ can exist simultaneously. to increasing technical skills to world that experiences constant This is often expressed by saying support the creation of new works. change, where the threat to cultural Indigenous Australian cultures are Market development initiatives, identityis relentlessly present. the oldest living, and continuous the growth of touring networks, cultures in the world. and a range of strategic programs The growth in availability of to address identified gaps in the technical resources, an increasing infrastructure, have been and number of performance venues, FORM, continue to be critical to the growth and the proliferation of new arts and sustainability of this work. festivals and digital platforms, has ACTIVATION greatly supported the development From the mid-20th Century, of new Indigenous dance theatre, AND PROCESS contemporary forms of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander expression as well as the careers of the many One way of exploring the creative artists involved. As more emerged across all art forms and development of Indigenous dance began to infiltrate mainstream arts new work is created, support for theatre over the last three or four the infrastructure and training that programs that largely drew on decades is to trace the journeys of western cultures and/or western underpins these forms has also some of the artists who have been grown, resulting in a critical mass forms of presentation. By the significant contributors to that 1960s, young black theatre makers, of professional artists involved in development. It should be noted producing high quality productions playwrights, writers and actors were that while many opportunities have creating works that reflected their that increase the demand we been opened up for Aboriginal and currently see from audiences in culture in both the pre-colonial and Torres Strait Islanders to develop post-settlement worlds. Writers Australia and internationally. One in their choreographic work and of the most important outcomes of Kevin Gilbert and Jack Davis, and their leadership roles, the true force actor/directors Bryan Syron and these developments is the fact that behind this development has been more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Bob Maza were among some of the commitment and determination the black theatre makers who islander people are able to see their of the individual artists themselves. cultures reflected in this unique lay the foundation for the strong 5 Indigenous theatre scene that exists and written information is usually The concept of Country and Land for today. Novelist Faith Bandler, and second hand. Indigenous Cultural & Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander poet/artist/educator Oodgeroo Intellectual Property (ICIP) rights are people is extremely different. Noonuccal (Kath Walker) were also variously enshrined both Australian strong voices in the new wave of and international conventions and The spiritual dimension of Country Indigenous writers whose works statements, and are an important cannot be detached from the now form part of Australia’s rich safety net that seeks to ensure physical. Country can mean a and diverse literary landscape. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait person’s Land where they were wave of contemporary Indigenous cultures survive and thrive. born,