Week 4:Australian Indigenous & Bush Dance
Tutor: Jacqui Fenwick
Date: 18th April 2016
Workshop 4 was an exploration into dance that is found throughout Australia, the two key areas being bush dance and indigenous dance. There are many aspects to consider when focusing on dance within our country, and often represents many historical attributes to the background of the nation whether it be the traditional dwellers of Australia or the amalgamation of a multitude of cultures after European settlement.
Bush Dance
Bush dance is a term used to describe the melding of many different traditional European dances as a result of the need for celebration, entertainment and activity within Australia. It is a result of Australia's multicultural background, and the intertwining of nationalities and their traditional dances often meeting due to the circumstances encountered over the course of Australia's European settlement. Australia has a strong rural background and often members of these small country towns would meet to have social dances with the music often being played by a bush band. Due to these circumstances, independent dances would often be created during these country meetings as the traditional dances became blended into one another. Some of the stronger traditional influences on bush dance include the Seven Steps from Denmark, the Morris Dance from the UK and the Troika from Russia. Some examples of European traditional dances can be found below:
As these traditional dances combined in the event of local and regional gatherings, some dances often evolved into an identity of their own creating what is now known today as Australian bush dance. Examples of Australian bush dance include the Barn Dance, The Drongo, and probably the most recognisable, the Heel Toe Polka. Some examples are shown below:
During the workshop, we explored and tried our hand at a few European traditional dances, getting a feel for dynamics such as spatial organisation recognising the group movement direction and group structures of the dances with us working as a entire class. We were then divided into two groups and given the task of following a dance instruction sheet to work out how the dance would work, exploring and implementing dance fundamentals such as body actions, elements of movement and group structures. The end result ended up with our group learning the Drongo and showcasing our interpretation to the other group. On reflection, our dance was almost identicl to the video shown above.
While exploring YouTube for examples of Australian bush dance, I came across a modern age Australian bush dance band that incorporates new age music such as Mumford and Sons, Eminem and Lynard Skynard to simple bush dance moves, the main aim is to get people involved and to have a good time. I found this an interesting clip as it represents the foundation of bush dance; a form of dance that is continually evolving to the needs of the participants with the ages and generations involved. I believe that this band could be a very engaging and worthwhile resource with students due to it's relevance with modern music while still holding onto the culture of bush dance.
Indigenous Dance
In today's society it is imperative that the future generations of Australians acknowledge the importance and significance of indigenous culture, this including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. This area of education has largely been either neglected or pigeon-holed with the teachings of stereotypical Indigenous culture such as dot paintings, digeridoos, which in fact makes up a very small percentage of true Indigenous cultures. The Australian Goverment (2016) website states that Aboriginal nations or tribes before European settlement exceeded 500 individual clans, each with distinctive cultures, beliefs and languages. An example of the diversity of Indigenous clans can be shown below, and demonstrates the complex nature of Indigenous society.
As a country moving forwards, and striving for reconciliation between White and Indigenous Australia, it is with with great importance the the due respect is implemented when teaching true Indigenous culture. To give true perspective of the complex cultures, it is advised that teachers/schools make strong links with local Indigenous groups and allow them the opportunity to educate students authentically rather than teachers with brief knowledge teaching stereotypical misconceptions and furthering the divide between the groups. The Geelong and Surfcoast region has access to the Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre (click here for website), with access to Aboriginal Elders with many years experience on the correct teachings of their complex cultures.
Aboriginal dance plays a significant role within Indigenous culture and often represents important events such as ceremonial rituals for areas such as hunting, births, deaths and other significant events. Below is a a YouTube clip giving a description of the purpose of the Kangaroo and Emu Dance with a performance of the dance that follows:
The Australian Curriculum (2016) has specifically implemented the teaching of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history as a cross curriculum priority with the Australian education system (click here for a link to the curriculum outline). Personally, I feel that this area can be easily overlooked by teaching professionals and is an area that I feel I need to develop professionally as to cover the subject correctly and give the topic justice. This may seem like a strong overstatement, but due to the political and social complications of this issue I feel that this area needs to be given strong consideration and a degree of caution is taken so as to not misrepresent or create stereotypes of a complex and diverse people.
REFERENCES
Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority 2016, 'Australian Curriculum: Cross-Curriculum Priorities Overview', retrieved 1 June 2016, http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/crosscurriculumpriorities/overview/introduction.
Australian Government 2016, 'Our People', retrieved 2 June 2016, http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-country/our-people.
Heel & Toe Polka 2009, YouTube clip, bushwhackersband, 16 August, retrieved 1 June 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9mK605r9Po.
Kalinka - Russian Popular Dance. Kalinka - Ruso Danza Populare. Kalinka - Russe Danse Folklorique 2011, YouTube clip, 20 March, retrieved 1 June 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzYiQuChDjs.
Kangaroo and Emu Dance 2012, YouTube clip, Discover BlueMountains, 27 August, retrieved 2 June 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVk5ptp80MY.
Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre 2016, 'Narana Aboriginal Cultural Centre Homepage', retrieved 2 June 2016, http://www.narana.com.au.
Pramtaler Plattler 2010, YouTube clip, stk10party, 9 Feburary, retrieved 1 June 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY-ry_b5I0I.
The Drongo-Bush Dance with Peter Dixon & The Yee Haa Brothers! 2012, YouTube clip, avondalemusic, 29 September, retrieved June 1 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pyrh3eB3FCU.
The Smashing Bumpkins Bush Dance Band promo video.2014, Youtube clip, the smashing bumpkins, 26 October, retrieved 2 June 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDCqstxTL3w.