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AbstractHistoryArchive Description
'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.
'This is the Country of Wangkatjunga woman Ningali Josie Lawford-Wolf (1967 – 2019), a close cultural collaborator of Bangarra whose spirit, stories and artistic contributions have inspired a number of the company’s works and enriched the broader arts landscape.
'The Lawford family has long generational ties to this part of the Kimberley and are current owners of the pastoral lease for Bohemia Downs cattle station, allowing them the stability to continue to care for their Land, Culture and Community.
'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.
'This work honours the legacy of Ningali Josie Lawford-Wolf and her family - past, present and future.'
Source: Bangarra Dance Theatre.
Teaching Resources
This work has teaching resources.
Production Details
-
Set to premiere with a tour of Victoria in 2020.
Production postponed, but not initially cancelled, as a result of the COVId-19 pandemic.
Set to be presented by Bangarra Dance Theatre at the Sydney Opera House (10 June - 10 July 2021); Canberra Theatre Centre (15-17 July 2021); Ulumbarra Theatre, Bendigo (23 and 24 July 2021); QPAC, Brisbane (13-21 August 2021); and Arts Centre Melbourne (27 August - 4 September 2021).
Artistic Director: Stephen Page.
Associate Artistic Director: Frances Rings.
Choreographers: Stephen Page and Frances Rings.
Cultural Consultants: Putuparri Tom Lawford, Eva Nargoodah, Wangkatjunga & Walmajarri Elders.
Composer: Steve Francis.
Set Designer: Jacob Nash.
Costume Designer: Jennifer Irwin.
Lighting Designer: Nick Schlieper.
Production cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Certain performances only: Sydney Opera House, from 7 July only; Bendigo, all performances cancelled; Melbourne, all performances cancelled).
Presented by Bangarra Dance Theatre at Auckland Arts Festival (ASB Waterfront Theatre, Auckland), 15-18 March 2023.
Artistic Director: Frances Rings.
Choreographers: Stephen Page and Frances Rings.
Cultural Consultants: Putuparri Tom Lawford, Eva Nargoodah, Wangkatjunga & Walmajarri Elders.
Composer: Steve Francis.
Set Designer: Jacob Nash.
Costume Designer: Jennifer Irwin.
Lighting Designer: Nick Schlieper.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Bangarra Performs a History of the Great Sandy Desert
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: History Australia , vol. 19 no. 3 2022; (p. 602-604)
— Review of SandSong : Stories from the Great Sandy Desert 2020 single work drama'Bangarra Dance Theatre’s SandSong: Stories from the Great Sandy Desert weaves together the ‘voice and spirit’ of the late Wangkatjungka artist and activist Ningali Lawford-Wolf and stories of her Country in the Kimberley and Sandy Desert regions of Western Australia. Explored through a series of ensemble items in four acts, SandSong is impactful collective story-telling. The title, SandSong, draws our attention to Indigenous practices of performing history through cultural practice. In SandSong, as in many Bangarra productions, history is here now, and stories of the past are enacted by dancing and singing them today.' (Introduction)
-
Bangarra Returns Story of Survival to the Stage
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 13 July no. 780 2022; (p. 37)
— Review of SandSong : Stories from the Great Sandy Desert 2020 single work drama 'Bangarra Dance Theatre is delighted to bring the profound and deeply powerful production of SandSong : Stories from the Great Sandy Desert back to Australian audiences in 2022.' -
Stirring Ancient Desert Songlines
2021
single work
column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 24 February no. 745 2021; (p. 4) '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.' -
Sinuous, Sinewy and Transcendent : SandSong Proves Bangarra Is One of Australia’s Best Dance Companies
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 16 June 2021;
— Review of SandSong : Stories from the Great Sandy Desert 2020 single work drama'SandSong opens in scratchy black and white images. An Australian coat of arms, colonial maps of the country deemed “Terra Nullius”, a placard with the text “Stop Black Deaths” flash and flicker against a soundscape echoing the same sense of static and interference.' (Introduction)
-
SandSong Shares Tales of the Desert
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 18 December no. 716 2019; (p. 41)'In 2020 Bangarra Dance Theatre will enter its fourth decade with a powerful new contemporary program, SandSong : Stories from the Great Sandy Desert. (Introduction)
-
Sinuous, Sinewy and Transcendent : SandSong Proves Bangarra Is One of Australia’s Best Dance Companies
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: The Conversation , 16 June 2021;
— Review of SandSong : Stories from the Great Sandy Desert 2020 single work drama'SandSong opens in scratchy black and white images. An Australian coat of arms, colonial maps of the country deemed “Terra Nullius”, a placard with the text “Stop Black Deaths” flash and flicker against a soundscape echoing the same sense of static and interference.' (Introduction)
-
Bangarra Returns Story of Survival to the Stage
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 13 July no. 780 2022; (p. 37)
— Review of SandSong : Stories from the Great Sandy Desert 2020 single work drama 'Bangarra Dance Theatre is delighted to bring the profound and deeply powerful production of SandSong : Stories from the Great Sandy Desert back to Australian audiences in 2022.' -
Bangarra Performs a History of the Great Sandy Desert
2022
single work
review
— Appears in: History Australia , vol. 19 no. 3 2022; (p. 602-604)
— Review of SandSong : Stories from the Great Sandy Desert 2020 single work drama'Bangarra Dance Theatre’s SandSong: Stories from the Great Sandy Desert weaves together the ‘voice and spirit’ of the late Wangkatjungka artist and activist Ningali Lawford-Wolf and stories of her Country in the Kimberley and Sandy Desert regions of Western Australia. Explored through a series of ensemble items in four acts, SandSong is impactful collective story-telling. The title, SandSong, draws our attention to Indigenous practices of performing history through cultural practice. In SandSong, as in many Bangarra productions, history is here now, and stories of the past are enacted by dancing and singing them today.' (Introduction)
-
SandSong Shares Tales of the Desert
2019
single work
review
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 18 December no. 716 2019; (p. 41)'In 2020 Bangarra Dance Theatre will enter its fourth decade with a powerful new contemporary program, SandSong : Stories from the Great Sandy Desert. (Introduction)
-
Stirring Ancient Desert Songlines
2021
single work
column
— Appears in: Koori Mail , 24 February no. 745 2021; (p. 4) '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.'
- Kimberley area, North Western Australia, Western Australia,
