Bangarra Dance Theatre’s latest work explores light in the Kimberley through movement.
By Ara Jansen
The light and night sky of the Dampier Peninsula is the focal point around which Bangarra Dance Theatre has created their latest work.
Titled Illume, it is the world premiere of Australia’s leading Indigenous performing arts company’s first-ever visual arts collaboration. Illume will be staged at the Heath Ledger Theatre from July 10-13.
Illume’s WA connection is that it’s a collaboration with Goolarrgon Bard visual artist Darrell Sibosado, who hails from the Djarindjin/Lombadina community on the Dampier Peninsula. Darrell is known for his prints and installations, including large scale LED light works.
Illume draws together music, visual arts and dance to explore the ways light has captivated and sustained Indigenous cultural existence for millennia.
Alongside Bangarra artistic director Frances Rings, the company worked with Darrell exploring this theme alongside how artificial light has disrupted ecosystems and obscures the darkness of the night sky, devastating First People’s connection to sky country.
Bangarra dancer Maddison Paluch says it’s the biggest show the company has ever staged and one that the whole company has been involved in from conception through to the first performance.
“Darrell has done dance and has a beautiful understanding of and a care for us as dancers,” Maddison says. “He worked with us, and it has been special to hear his point of view and how important he believes our role is in the space.”
While creating Illume, the company’s rehearsal room was covered in research – photos of Lombadina, notes, drawings, writings. Maddison says this helped connect with country as they worked on the other side of Australia.
“It helped us see and feel all these different elements, get a new sense of the world and a feel on country while exploring different stories from a different part of the country.”
The sets and images from Illume are a fiery red, which Maddison says pay homage to our pindan red dirt, sometimes echoed in the sky at sunset.
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“I’ve always had a sense of country on stage with the designs because there are always elements of it. With this show the light is really impactful in telling the story and connecting to Darrell’s artwork which draws us into country, taking us to a whole new level.
“It has been interesting to watch him interpret things to show us how country has its own rhythms and that human forms should adapt to that rhythm rather than trying to change it. We just kept going back to that as the work is evolving.
“Light can be harsh or healing. There’s a section in the piece called Light Pollution and it explores the impact on the rhythm of country when the light isn’t clear.
“As a dancer it was exciting to connect with different mobs and hear their stories and to find places we could connect.”
A life-long dancer, Maddison says one of the joys of dancing with Bangarra is that she is constantly learning and connecting with new aspects of culture and country.
“It has challenged me on perspective and has opened my eyes to a wider view. I’ve been inspired to continue growing and keeping my eyes wide open to be educated and understand better.”
Illume is at the Heath Ledger Theatre from July 10-13. Tickets from www.artsculturetrust.wa.gov.au
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