Eight years ago, Karlie Chalker joined the Ensemble as a teacher
and choreographer and breathed new life into the group. She saw dance as a way
to showcase Indigenous culture and pass it on to younger generations. “Teaching them about dance will help them establish strong bonds and
help them get back to their roots and learn about their culture,” she said.
“Dancing is an important part of culture.”
The kids’ participation is crucial for the dancing group to
identify ways in which heritage and traditions are passed on through stories,
music and clothes.
“Basically, we encourage everyone to be involved, all Indigenous
students, but they have the choice whether they want to participate. We also
talk to their parents and tell them how important it is for them to learn their
culture and participate,” she said.
The choreography in the dancing ensemble is part of the core
structure to engage students. When designing the choreography, some important factors
must be considered, such as how to design the moves so they can pick it up
quickly and stay engaged, whilst also creating various stories for them to
learn their culture.
To build up kids’ knowledge about their culture, Karlie
choreographs the dance by telling kids different stories about the community,
the land and their culture. She sometimes uses materials from storybooks.
“Now I am doing a dance called ‘Gapu Sea Life’. It is about the
sea creature, the sand up in the country, and the tide, and how the foam
gathers along the shoreline.”
Music is intimately linked with the choreography. A variety of
distinctive traditional music styles are reflected in dance movements. Yothu
Yindi’s “Gapu” is featured. In addition, with the help of an electric didgeridoo,
which could modify the sounds in the middle of a performance, these songs are
made sacred and powerful.
Kids are always invited to be in the performing group. They have showcased
at regional and state dancing festivals, and Schools Spectacular and other
high-profile events, including a prestigious event at Parliament House. Also
they are offered plenty of opportunities to audition for different events.
Karlie believes that these performances shape the kids’ personalities and build
them into strong people. “If they can shine in front of thousands of people,
they can certainly shine in everything that they do,” she said. “And that’s the
message I always tell them: follow your dream.”
The theme of the 2011 Schools Spectacular is “Imagine”. “Imagine …
the world’s a big classroom.” Karlie believes “Imagine” is a strong theme, which
means everything is possible. Each year, some kids get through the audition to
enter into the finale in a unique way to express and represent many facets of
their lives and beliefs. This year is no exception.
When designing the choreography, Karlie
asked the kids to imagine there is a desert, and they are dancing in the
desert. To give kids more direct experience, she went to Vibe Alive festival
with the dancing group in Moree NSW (Aug. 31–Sep. 1).
“Vibe Alive is a festival for young Australians of all backgrounds
to celebrate Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander cultures. When our kids get involved
with Vibe Alive, they are offered a great chance to express themselves. The
festival also could take the kids back to their roots, and at the end of the
day, I believe they can see the difference in the way elders live up in the
Northern Territory,” she explained.
The kids are not shy any more. Today, they are confident kids who
shine on the stage in front of thousands of people. Through the smooth
movements, their confidence and self-esteem has benefited greatly. When asked how it makes you feel when you are dancing, a little
girl answered, “I feel cool, ’coz everyone is focusing on us”.
This article appeared in Youth of Today, a regular article on
local youth and related issues is kindly sponsored by Appetite Café.
Source: October 2011 South
Sydney Herald http://www.southsydneyherald.com.au/