Development Of Aboriginal Dance Companies example essay topic

Some Australians still believe that Europeans were the first people to discover this continent. They know that Australian was already inhabited when the first Europeans arrived, but in there eyes Aborigines were entitled to no ownership rights, no legitimate claims or privileges. The land was empty as far as they were concerned and Europeans saw no moral or legal barriers to stop them from taking over the land. Aboriginal way of life would have been very different if there were machinery for linking their various groups but the story of Australia development would have been very different if there had been this machinery. Aboriginal life style was did not measure up to Europeans views on the proper way to make a living. Especially when these arrangements went with a minimum of clothing and none of the furniture and other material equipment which was regarded as junk.

Due to this attitude, it made it much easier to take advantage of Aboriginal people and to disregard aboriginal culture. The process of colonisation by Europeans had a radical effect on aboriginal culture. New settlers forcefully alienated aboriginal groups from their traditional waters. Introduced Exotic animals such as cattle, sheep, rabbits, camels, horses, donkeys and water buffaloes polluted waterholes and destroyed many traditional food resources. Many Aboriginal people died from catching diseases as that lacked immunity from them. Aboriginal groups actively resisted their dispossession from the land.

They suffered severely from disease, malnutrition and violence. Many settlements had been set up to assist the process of removing Aborigines from the land. The changes had a profound effect on Aboriginal family life. In 1911 there were only 157 Aboriginal children aged between 0-4 years for every 1000 Aboriginal women of reproductive age, indicating a fertility level unable to sustain the Aboriginal population. Today there are fewer than 230 000 Aborigines in Australia, less than 2% of the population. Aboriginal dance has many different levels of significance.

One aspect is dancing as recreation, and many hours were taken up as the children danced around imitating the movement of animals for example kangaroo or emu that were common in there area. Another was ordered ritual dance apart from informal dance, this was the traditional dance that people, both men and women, participated in and were very talented at it. NAD CA Vision - Aboriginal Dance comes from the well spring of law and dreaming and is essentially connected to the core of our spiritual life and the renewal of our Mother Earth. Aboriginal dance has evolved through the development of aboriginal dance companies. Two major companies are NAISDA and Bangarra Dance Company. In early 1972, The National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association began through the Developed of the Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Scheme.

This was through the arts council of Australia who thought that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and drama should be educated through intensive training programs in each area of study. Sponsored by the aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council, a six-week training course at the black theatre in Redfern, NSW was initiated by June of 1975. Twenty-eight students were selected national to study in the areas of dance, drama, play writing and Pitjantjatjarra language. A recognised unaccredited course in dance was in a 3-year process to achieve " Careers in Dance" in October 1975. Under the Departments Aboriginal Study Grant Scheme Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students were entitled to receive full benefits when enrolled in the course. "Careers in Dance" was approved and registered as a 3 year course during 1981 by the NSW Higher Education Board, as an under graduate level 3 award.

In 1982, the Department of Youth and Employment approved a two-tear extension to the course, making it a five year funded course for students. On the 24th of May 1988 funds could be received directly form the NAISDA. NAISDA has continued to develop its dance and teaching programs, culminating in a full Diploma Course in 1995. Today, NAISDA is being funded as a "Centre of Excellence" through the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

One of the youngest and oldest of Australia's dance companies is Bangarra Dance Theatre. It reflect the lives and attitude of indigenous people today, of living traditions that go back at least 40 000 years. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture is the companies influence to create a truly Australian Dance language, this is done through the companies ideas to bring out there tradition. Since 1991 Stephen Page through his artistic direction, has stunned audiences throughout Australia and the world with the spiritually enhancing dance works and vibrant and immense theatrical presence. Bangarra is already a major force in Australian contemporary dance was first stimulated by international audiences with Rites, choreographed to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring and performed in collaboration with The Australian Ballet. At the Melbourne Festival in 1997 the work was premiered and then went on our to New York's City Center.

In the major cities of Washington, Edinburgh, Seoul, Athens and then returning to New York in 2001 the company performed and sold out performances of Corroboree at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Stephen Pages vision for theatrical style that remains true to the indigenous spirit is the whole companies aim. Bangarra Dance Theatre speaks with an ancient yet completely contemporary voice to people everywhere. In conclusion NAISDA and Bangarra Dance companies want aboriginal people to develop a contemporary culture of there own but still including there own culture. It gives opportunities to dance not only "white mans dance" but still have the aboriginal cultural dance and to get Australia interested in aboriginal cultural dance and brings aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people together.