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Warumungu and Janganpa Dancers with Algerian Indigenous Berber hosts. |
Dancers wow the Algiers desert people festival crowd
Issue 121 - 25 Jan 2007
Issue 121, January 25, 2007: The first-ever Indigenous traditional dance group to visit Algeria was greeted with overwhelming enthusiasm at the third International Festival of Desert People held in December.
The Festival brought together Indigenous and desert cultures from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Sudan, Chad, Senegal, China, India, Canada, Mongolia, North America, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Australia.
The ten day festival included daily performances from all the countries in a vibrant expose of Indigenous music, dance and culture. The festival was hosted in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, a city of 3-4 million people nestled on the Mediterranean between Morocco and Tunisia.
Artback NT Touring Arts presented the Warlpiri and Warumungu Dancers at the festival.
The Warlpiri dancers included Johnny Possum Japaljarri, Charlie Brown, Jimmy Collins and Albert Morris. They represented the Janganpa " Possum" dance group managed by long time Centralian Mr Peter Yates.
The Warumungu dancers included Mr Jimmy Frank, Mr Mark Johnny and Mr Banjo Johnny representing the Nyinkka Nyunyu Art and Culture Centre in Tennant Creek and supported by Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation.
The dances performed included Possum Dance, Emu Dance , Two Men Fighting Dance and Flying Fox Dreaming.
Many Algerians had never met Indigenous Australians and were very welcoming.
The Australians were very popular throughout the festival and featured regularly on Algerian television throughout the festival, including a visit to meet the Algerian President.
All the dancers experienced an amazing festival and shared cultural knowledge and practices with elders and performers from desert cultures throughout the world.
The highlights of the festival included the opening ceremony in which all countries performed together, a performance parade through the crowded streets of Algiers and a day trips to perform in the desert at Ghardaia and the Roman ruins at Tipasa.
The Festival was sponsored by the United Nations International Year of the Desert, the Foundation Deserts Du Monde and the Algerian Ministry of the Environment.
Next year's festival will be held in Southern Italy and all members of the dance groups are looking forward to re-connecting with the friends they made in Algeria from around the world.
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