Unforgettable: Bangarra’s call to Country sings
‘Country never forgets’ – this powerful truth anchors The Bogong’s Song, the enchanting Brisbane Festival highlight and new work from Bangarra Dance Theatre.
A brother and sister – Benjin Mazza and Tjilala Brown-Roberts – are winding down for the evening somewhere in the suburbs. Their bunk bed becomes a canvas for the hypnotic dance of shadow puppetry that tells the ancient stories of Australia’s first people.
The pair long to visit their nan’s Country in the Australian alps – a place of special significance for their ancestors and a key habitat for the Bogong moth the sister is learning about through social media.
Tumbling into a shared dream, the siblings must travel to the mountains to find a particular moth and, by doing so, discover more about themselves.
this tiny creature’s story of long-distance travel and resilience is a clever device for telling stories about Australia’s unique ecosystems and the deep connections that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to Country
Director and choreographer of The Bogong’s Song, Yolande Brown, has selected an unlikely hero in the endangered Bogong moth. But this tiny creature’s story of long-distance travel and resilience is a clever device for telling stories about Australia’s unique ecosystems and the deep connections that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to Country, and to each other.
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High in the mountains, the moths seek refuge as they hibernate during the summer months. We also learn that they are an important food source for other creatures.
Clad in reflective fabric, Mazza entertains as a skink while Brown-Roberts transforms into a pygmy possum, caring for its baby.
Cheryl Davison’s lush, picture-book illustrations frame the adventure and spill on to the stage, thanks to Justin Harrison’s beguiling video design.
Brown and co-writer Chenoa Deemal have woven a poetic and poignant story that effectively incorporates voice-over narration and invites the audience to participate in call-and-response.
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Richard Roberts’s hardworking set, surrounded by a moat of eucalyptus leaves, morphs into many things throughout.
Mazza and Brown-Roberts are magnetic storytellers and dancers – individually, and together. Mazza is a gifted comic actor and imbues his roles with a cheeky curiosity.
Brown-Roberts reveals a clever, compassionate young woman who is mourning the absence of another sibling, whose own sad story hits you in the heart.
There is much to marvel at in the show’s 55-minute run time, although some of the original songs (written and composed by Brown) could be pared back, making them easier to follow and remember.
The Bogong’s Song may be crafted with younger audiences in mind, but it has something profound to say to all Australians about the role of Country in transforming intergenerational trauma into healing and hope.
The Bogong’s Song plays the Cremorne Theatre, QPAC, until October 4.