Lore

The latest instalment from Bangarra Dance Theatre is the nationally touring production lore, bringing to the stage a brand new, contemporary imagining of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experience through dance. A sizeable cast tells the story of land and sea in a positive, energetic way.

Waangenga Blanco and Deborah Brown, choreographers and dancers from Murray Island, and Frances Rings of the Kokatha Tribe, present I.B.I.S. and Sheoak respectively, using bright lights, screens and body powders to accentuate the dancers. As a result, their silhouettes are quite stunning. For the first half, dancers tell stories of community and of the land, commenting on the human impact to land.

There's plenty of sensual choreography in this section. Dancers carry a boat around on stage; men swim around under the sea and look for 'pearls'. These treasures are embodied by female dancers, whose arms fold in and out to reveal pearls. This section is simply gorgeous.

The second half of lore becomes a lot darker, spiritual and more psychologically intense. Accompanied by heavy, industrial, almost electronic music, the dancers dart around in costumes covered with slits.

lore is a deeply moving production that leaves universal issues in your mind. A truly eloquent honouring of the custodians of the land before the performance even begins brings it together, challenging stereotypes and continuing the celebration of some of the oldest cultures on earth.