Bangarra Dance Theatre Sandsong: Stories from the Great Sandy Desert

Darwin Entertainment Centre presents

Under the vast Kimberley sky, the red pindan dust stretches across the desert homelands of the Walmajarri, where the ancient knowledge of People and of Country is preserved through Songlines that have endured for hundreds of generations.

At the heart of this land is the Living Water – Jila – that resides in desert waterholes across the region and is the basis of cultural beliefs and practices. SandSong tells the unique story of this Place and the survival of its People.

Between the 1920s and 1960s, Aboriginal people were removed off their Country and onto pastoral stations where they were forced into hard labour, usually for no wages and only minimal rations. Despite this displacement and cultural disruption, the Traditional People of the Western Desert have maintained unbroken connection to Land and Country – keeping songs, stories and kinship strong.

SandSong is a journey into ancient story systems framed against the backdrop of ever-changing government policy and of the survival of people determined to hold strong to their Culture.

SandSong is created by Bangarra Dance Theatre in consultation with Wangkatjunga/Walmajarri Elders from the Kimberley and Great Sandy Desert regions, drawing on the stories, knowledge and memories of the past to create a new narrative for our Indigenous futures.

Perfomance warning
This production contains political and social themes, including aspects and depictions related to traumatic events suffered by First Nations Peoples. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that the following program contains images and voices of deceased persons. The performance contains haze, smoke effects and elevated sound levels.

DATE/TIME
Friday 25 Nov 7:30pm
Saturday 26 Nov 7:30pm

DURATION
1 hour 15 minutes

VENUE
The Playhouse

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