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The Dreaming
Issue 82 - 09 Jun 2005
Over the June long weekend a new event will be launched in Queensland: The Dreaming - Australia’s International Indigenous Festival.
Directed by the widely respected Rhoda Roberts, known for her artistic direction in events such as the 2000 Sydney Olympic Opening Ceremony and her work in the Australian media and Indigenous arts, and presented by the Queensland Folk Federation - producers of the highly acclaimed Woodford Folk Festival - The Dreaming will engage and tantalise audiences with a feast of the traditional, the spiritual, the contemporary and the diverse.
“The Dreaming is about the past, the present and the future. It will ignite age old stories, revitalise ceremony and create an experience through the eyes and hearts of Indigenous artists both nationally and internationally,” Ms Roberts said.
The Dreaming has commissioned and engaged artists, cultural custodians and companies from local, rural and remote areas as well as urban and international first-nations performers to present ever-changing works from an Indigenous perspective, while challenging and changing the existing stereotypes.
“The Dreaming will present a world-class international event celebrating and showcasing Indigenous arts and culture from across Australia and around the world,” executive director Bill Hauritz said.
With over eight venues, restaurants, bars and speciality stalls, the festival offers a great diversity for audiences including interactive workshops and talks, national and international theatre, traditional and contemporary dance, film festival, comedy programme, seven galleries including national and international works, and a hip hop programme.
Situated just 5kms from the picturesque town of Woodford in Queensland, The Dreaming will be held on the 340 acre Woodford Folk Festival site, only one hour north west of Brisbane, or 45 minutes south west of the Sunshine Coast.
“The Dreaming will set benchmarks for contemporary collaborative works, creating an iconic event on the Australian calendar and attracting new audiences to Queensland by creating an Indigenous experience with a programme that observes Indigenous protocol and reflects integrity and authenticity. The Dreaming offers all this while remaining true to its vision as a premier quality cultural event,” Mr Hauritz said.
• For ticket enquires and programme details log on to: www.thedreamingfestival.com
SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DREAMING
The Inaugural program for The Dreaming presents a feast of Indigenous excellence in the arts from across our great country to around the world. Artists and presenters will be delighting audiences through theatre, dance, music, film, workshops, comedy, hip hop and talks and debates. Audiences can engage with the programme through intimate workshops and talks, or be mesmerised by the performers at Dancestry, Blaktracks or Blakdramatics.
Ceremony
Opening Ceremony - Ignite your imagination
From the spiritual to the spectacular the opening ceremony is a time for all to come together, to honour the Dungidau custodians, ancestral creators, the Cherbourg community residents of one hundred years ago, and the ancestral spirits. The opening ceremony is on Friday 10 June at 7.30pm.
Dancestry (Contemporary and Traditional Dance)
Indigenous people from Western Papua representing seven language groups will entertain audiences with songs and music from the North Coast and Central Highlands of the Papua Provence of Indonesia.
The Lardil & Gayardilt language peoples from Mornington Island are represented through the dance company Woomera.
The magnificent headdresses of the Descendance dance group add to the colour and movement of their Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander traditional dances.
The White Cockatoo Performing Group hails from communities across Arnhem Land. The Dreaming is excited to present yidaki player Darryl Brown, former apprentice to the great yidaki man David Blanasi, who taught Australian Rolf Harris. Senior dancer Rex Wood is known for his collaborative works with the non-Indigenous stilt company Stalker and the acclaimed production MiMi.
Red Heart hail from a number of first nations across America and their performance will be a rare taste for Australians to witness the ancient drumming and the voice of Native American dance and song.
Yindinji man Trevor Fourmile’s dance troupe Yindinji Malaway is continuing the tradition of the North Queensland region and the community of Yarrabah. Shields representing each of their eight clans and rainforest peoples are significant to their dance.
With choreographer Kerry Johnson (Wiradjuri) and principle dancer Rayma Johnson (Wiradjuri), the internationally-acclaimed Garrabarra Dance Company brings to The Dreaming their recent production Seedz.
The Movement Hip Hop Crew perform with versatility and freestyle forms of lockin, poppin, break, hip hop, funk, house and RnB.
Theatre
Over the three days and four nights of the festival, audiences can immerse themselves in a full theatre program, including: George Rrurrambu’s one man show Nerrpu Dhawu Rrurrambuwuy; Natives Getting Funny by Ilbijerri Theatre; Windmill Baby, a collaborative work from Wangkatjunk woman Ningali Lawford and David Milroy; Richard J Frankland’s Charcoal Club with Chamber Made Orchestra; Sun Spirits, a show by the dynamic Canadian theatre company Red Sky; Flash Blak by award-winning photographer Merv Bishop.
Music
Some of Australia’s talented singers, songwriters and storytellers will captivate audiences hearts and spirits with their unique sounds and moves.
Includes performances by Christine Anu, Casey Donovan, The Corner Coes, The Briscoe Sisters, emma Donovan, Kev Carmoday, Lexine Solomon,Ruby Hunter, Seaman Dan, Shakaya, Shellie Morris and the Stiff Gins.
Comedy
From Mary G to Blak & Tran 11, The Dreaming is a belly laugh event as well. Comedy is featured throughout the programme in music and theatre as well as Comedy Shows each night at The Little Blak Duck hosted by Tony Briggs and Mandy Nolan.
Galleries
Seven galleries present the works of some of Australia’s leading visual artists including The ProppaNOW Gallery, Mornington Island Gallery, The Brisbane Blacks Exhibition, The Shields Gallery, the Dreaming Gallery and Mowanjum Gallery.
Film
The film programme features national and internationally acclaimed films such as Green Bush (Aus) where David Page makes his big-screen debut as DJ Kenny, the host of a radio show for Aboriginal inmates and their families; Yellow Fella starring Tom Lewis; Endangered - a film about some Aboriginal women’s belief that available, single, Aboriginal men are almost an endangered species; and Goodnight Irene where Irene of the Oklahoma-based Seminole tribe, sits in the waiting room of an Indian health centre and starts chatting to two men.
Talks
The Dreaming program includes a series of forums and talks that tackle major issues facing Indigenous and non Indigenous people in Australia. Some of Australia’s leading writers, poets, community leaders, directors, visual artists and custodians will speak and discuss these issues.
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