In the spirit of truth telling during National Reconciliation Week, NAISDA Dance College, based at Kariong, will present a very special show at Carriageworks in Sydney on July 21-22.
The performance is called ATI: A Dance Reckoning of Truth, Place and Belonging, with ATI meaning “journey” in the Meriam Mer language from the Eastern Islands of the Torres Strait.
It is a powerful declaration of survival and belonging shared through cultural and contemporary First Nations dance stories, vibrant projections and an emotionally charged soundscape of song and live voices.
Directed by NAISDA’s Head of Dance, Deon Hastie, ATI voices the First Nations experience performed by Australia’s next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance artists.
A descendent of the Djabugay people of Far North Queensland, Hastie worked with Dharug and Gubbi Gubbi man Stuart McMinn and NAISDA graduates and Cultural Tutors, Dujon Niue and Jeanette Fabila, to share cultural song and dance within this showcase of movement, storytelling and deep connection.
The multi-disciplinary performance passionately and honestly navigates dispossession and trauma to confront the interconnectedness of these experiences within systems of entrenched inequality which have persisted for generations.
Hastie said the performance confronted uncomfortable truths in order to challenge the weight of the system, and to guide young people through dislocation and loss.
“ATI goes beyond narrative; it is a profound portrayal of Australia’s history marked by greed, guilt, violence and inequality,” he said.
“We share a journey of lived experiences and it is not an easy one.
“ATI begins in a sacred space, where connection to the land is celebrated.
“It unfolds as a call from afar beckons both performers and audience on a transformative journey.”
Hastie said the works delved deep into the impact of inequitable systems and processes on First Nations people, families and communities.
Through visceral and compelling movements combined with sensory projections, NAISDA developing and practising artists embody the struggles faced by First Nations people, including the painful legacy of the Stolen Generations.
“But despite hardship and adversity, we are still here and we are free in mind, body, and spirit,” Hastie said.
“We are alive and we are thriving.
“This is where we’ve always belonged, and this is where we will continue to stand.
“At the heart of this production lies the power of reciprocal connection to ancestral land, our unsilenced voice and the evocative spirit of Country alive and healing.
“We look forward to immersing audiences in the spirit of place; bringing us together in celebration of the essence that resonates within all living things as it sustains and provides.”
Visual installation artist Tetsutoshi Tabata incorporates dance, commissioned light projections and scenography to bring evocative textures, lighting and kinetic effects to the performance.
Performances will be at 7.30pm on Friday, July 21, and at 2pm and 7.30pm on Saturday, July 22.
Tickets can be booked through the Carriageworks website.
Source:
NAISDA