Blood Quantum blends the arts of dance, narrative storytelling and projected images to relay the hard truths about the Stolen Generations, writes Angelina Hurley. Blak Critics is a YIRRAMBOI initiative giving voice to First Nations writers and critics.
In this live experience of immersive exploration through movement, sound, and video, Supercell Dance Festival‘s Jupiter Orbiting lives up to its excellent reviews.
Montreal non-profit launches toolkit on how to be an Indigenous ally. What does it mean to be a good ally to Indigenous Peoples? It's something the Montreal Urban Aboriginal Community Strategy Network is hoping to clarify with its recently launched Indigenous ally toolkit.
Dancers of NT Dance Company with the West Australian Ballet and Deborah Cheetham in 'Milnjiya, Milky Way — River of Stars'. 2018. Photo by Sergey Pevnev. Courtesy of NT Dance
The Federal Government has recently released a survey “to identify opportunities to strengthen the National Framework for Governments’ Support of the Major Performing Arts Sector (the MPA Framework)“. The MPA Framework Survey has reignited some really big questions for arts and cultural funding nationally. Whilst it is important that we all respond to the survey it is in reality a very limited set of questions focused on 'strengthening the MPA framework’, not on addressing the structural inequities that things like the MPA agreement have enshrined in the federal funding system over the last twenty years.
The broader arts industry needs to come together to address the challenge of strengthening arts investment as a whole. What are the questions we need to address and how should go about addressing them? How do we establish proper First Nations cultural authority and respond to the massive need for investment in work that is controlled and led by First Nations independent artists and organisations? What are the models that deliver equity and better outcomes for everyone?
Canada is held up as the international benchmark for government funding in the arts. What is the secret to their success? In Australia 70% of government funding goes to MPA’s with just 30% going to small to medium companies and independent artists. In Canada the reverse is true with 70% of investment going to small to medium companies and independent artists. For Australia to achieve a similar investment ratio (without cutting MPA funds) it will require an additional annual investment of $166m.
[READ MORE]
>> A CALL TO INCREASE INDIGENOUS PERFORMING ARTS FUNDING NATIONALLY
>> ABOUT THE MPA FRAMEWORK AND MPA ORGANISATIONS
>> A GUIDE FOR THE POLICY HACKS
In light of the MPA Framework Survey, BlakDance and Blackfulla Performing Arts Alliance (BPAA) are calling on the Australian Government to increase Indigenous performing arts funding nationally.
There are 28 major performing arts organisations in Australia, of which only one is Indigenous led, Bangarra Dance Theatre. This means that of the $109.1 million dollars of funding for the majors from the Federal government administered by the Australia Council for the Arts, only 2.3% goes to an Indigenous led organisation.
While there has been an increasing commitment to produce ‘Indigenous’ work by the rest of the major performing arts companies, producing Indigenous work without a framework for national standards such as Indigenous creative control, authorship, distribution and ethical collaboration means this process is largely unsatisfactory.
We recognise and uphold Bangarra as one of our country's most important and trailblazing companies that has carved out pathways for generations of Indigenous dancers. The importance of Indigenous young people seeing themselves represented on the world stage can not be underestimated. In fact, the success of Bangarra has been so significant and critical to increasing demand, that we are now faced with a burgeoning cohort of Indigenous dance companies and independents. Alongside two national training institutes, NAISDA and ACPA, who for decades have been training and graduating Indigenous dancers and performing artists, we are on the cusp of transformation- a small to medium Indigenous dance sector in Australia is on its way.
It’s in this context that we ask you to think about our Indigenous performing arts sector more broadly - is one major organisation reflective of the diversity and abundance of our arts and cultural communities?
We’d like to see more Indigenous led organisations with the same level of investment for companies like NT Dance Company, Pryce Centre for Culture and Arts, Kurruru, Miriki Performing Arts, Wagana Aboriginal Dance Company, Ochre [Dardark] Contemporary Dance Company, Digi Youth Arts and Karul Projects - to name but a few. We’d also like to see more funding for our dynamic independent sector, who are making world class work, sold out tours and undertaking critical form exploration.
We know that there is unmet need:
“In 2015, the Australia Council received Expressions of Interest from 43 First Nations-led small to medium arts and culture organisations for multi-year funding that equated to a total request of $12.5 million per annum. We were only able to support 16 organisations with a total $3.5 million per annum, declining over 60% of the organisations that applied and leaving unmet demand of over 70% in terms of dollars – the demand far outweighs the funding available.” Australia Council for the Arts, Submission to the Closing the Gap Refresh (April 2018).
Image credit: Jodie Choolburra, supplied by Joe Williams
It has been widely documented that I struggle with many personal and mental demons; these demons led me to an attempt on my life by way of Suicide in 2012; thankfully, I am lucky enough to be alive, to share my story of hope & survival with a larger audience both nationally and internationally.
In my travels and many speaking engagements, largely documented over social media, various people across the country see the positive work I contribute in many First Nation and Non-Indigenous communities. I travel across the country implementing wellness programs in community in hope to reduce the Suicide rates. Many who know my background with severe mental illness & suicidal ideation, ask what the secret to my personal healing is, and the work I do in community, and healing the mental hurt.
In a word, it’s Culture.
The biggest healer for me since my attempted suicide has been the reconnection to culture; the many aspects of culture but in particular, dance.
This is why at the National Indigenous Dance Forum; I pitched the idea to have an open discussion on the topic ‘Culture & Dance as Medicine’
I have never been a dancer for performance, but once I connected to traditional dancing; it gave me a much deeper connection & healing. For me, when dancing, covered in ochre, that ochre, the blood and bones of our old people; the ancestors who paved a way for the very footsteps we take today.
When dancing the story of our animal ancestors, we feel a spiritual connect that takes us to the very creation of our existence.
This is healing.
Pre colonisation in 1788, our wellbeing was of positive nature, we were living in harmony and there were no suicides; this speaks volumes - what our old people were doing, was keeping us alive and well, and what they were doing, was working. On the opposing end of the scale, with the negativity, hurt & trauma in today’s society & our suicide rates the highest on the planet, what we were doing now, clearly isn’t having positive impact.
The answer to this healing is through traditional culture & dance. When we dance, not only are we spiritually connected, but when we are physically connected, it is scientifically proven the earth has natural healing energies that transform directly into the body with bare contact.
Also when we dance, we have what is now called mindfulness; concentrating on the immediate task; what move we make allowing us to be in the present moment. This is what our old people have been doing since the beginning of time.
Recent evidence of this was the coming together and execution of the recent Redfern Corroboree.
Concerned local mothers came to me worried about the behaviours of young people in the community in fear of them heading down a negative path of alcohol, drugs & trouble.
They noticed the positive work I, and many of the cultural men I connect with do across the country and wanted to see if I’d be interested in having a word or organising some wellbeing workshops; I knew what the community needed, it was healing though the medicine of culture.
Through cultural group I am connected with, we rallied 100+ culturally strong men from right across NSW & QLD, gathered in the heart of Redfern, stomped Mother Earth, called on the old people & woke the spirit that had been laying dormant for some 200+ years.
Local inspiring leader uncle Shane Phillips, described the experience ‘something he’d never experienced before’.
The atmosphere was electric, the yearning was strong - culture was alive.
Leader and activist Aunty Jenny Munro pulled me aside with a kiss on the cheek and said - ‘nephew our old people have been doing this for thousands of years, this is how we heal’.
She is right, it is culture that will provide the very healing we have been craving for so many years; healing is in the one thing we have been practicing for thousands of years; the healing is through culture & dance.
A month past since the Corroboree, I have been still receiving phone calls and texts asking for the next one and how incredibly strong and proud it has made the many individuals who witnessed, they could feel the old people.
The proof is in the action;
When we need healing, we need to connect; sink our feet into the dirt, our Mother Earth, wear our ochre; the blood and bones of our old people - connect to 65,000 years of modern science dated history; but we know it’s much more than that.
- JW
Joe Williams - The Enemy Within
Founder & International Speaker
www.joewilliams.com.au
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