In 2017 Laura undertook two weeks intensive research in Australia: building networks with indigenous dance practitioners and attending performances, including Banagarra Dance Theatre, Sydney Opera House and the Laura Dance Festival, Cape York.
The biannual Laura Dance Festival, then in its 35th year, offered insights into the cultural importance of dance and song to Indigenous Australians and Torres Straits Islanders. The three-day festival takes place on the Ang-Gnarra Festival Grounds, Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, a traditional Bora ground respected as a sacred site to Aboriginal people for thousands of years. The Laura Festival attracted 9,000 people from across Australia and beyond – China, France and the U.K. Over 20 different groups met to celebrate Indigenous dance and to compete in heats. Spectators experienced traditional Australian and Torres Strait Islander dance in a rich display of skills. As well as engaging with Elders, and browsing stalls of Indigenous artwork, and there were opportunities to join in with dance groups; physically taking part enabled those attending to embody dreamtime stories connecting our present with a living past.
The role of dance remains integral to Indigenous Australia, as one Elder said, ‘Dance is part of our lives. We need dance for strengthening communities and sharing our culture with dignity and pride’.
