Interactions - Ethnic Communities Council

Lake Leanyer, Darwin

July 12, 1998

This was an Ethnic Communities Council project. They approached Tracks to provide overall direction and structure, and to find ways that newly formed or inexperienced cultural groups could find the confidence to present their own ideas. The project involved research, workshopping, creating, rehearsing and performing a full length work.

Interactions was a cross-cultural, cross-artform work that brought together performers from different cultures (over 20 cultures represented) and artforms. It explored how diverse traditions interact with each other to create new artforms while maintaining their own integrity. Interactions showed that different traditions and cultural expressions do have a place in contemporary Darwin. In Interactions, the diverse communities in Darwin came together and joyously celebrated their journeys, backgrounds and meeting points.

Performed on July 12 at Lake Leanyer, a recreational reserve in the northern suburbs of Darwin.

Cultures represented: PNG, East Timorese, Tiwi Islander Aboriginal, other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, Tongan, Fijian, Chilean, Brazilian, Maori, Vietnamese, Filipino, Sri Lankan, Indian, Indonesian, Hungarian, Israeli.

Creative Personnel

Directors: Alice Casimiro Branco (East Timor), Paia Ingram (Papua New Guinea), Tim Newth, David McMicken, Airi Ingram (Papua New Guinea/Australia)
Key Musicians: Ramkumar Konesh (Sri Lanka), Aiva Kadiva (PNG), Vinod Kulkarini (India), Phil Eaton (Fiji), Airi Ingram (PNG/Australia), Dulce Munn (East Timor), Mark Smith (Australia), Alice Casimiro Branco (East Timor)

Performance Groups

Core Performers: Tau Ingram (Papua New Guinea), Rukshana Ramachandran (Sri Lanka), Adeliea Pereira (East Timor), Stanley Stanislaus (Indigenous/Australian)
Performers representing over 20 Darwin cultures and communities.

Tracks Dance 1998

Co-Artistic Directors: Sarah Calver, David McMicken, Tim Newth
Administrator: Liann Stevenson, Joelene Paterson, Bong Ramillo

[under Ausdance NT]