Laura Dance Festival cape york Peninsula
30 June to 2 July 2017
19
Where: 15km South of Laura,at the Ang-Gnarra Festival Grounds, Cape York.
Laura is 330 km north of Cairns
Join the thousands that flock to camp at Laura Aboriginal Dance Festival (LADF) to be captivated by North Queensland's cullture, arts and beautiful country. The performance and practice of Aboriginal dance & culture at the LADF is a very important element in the preservation & continuance of the unique culture of the region.
The Dance Festival Ground at Laura is the site of a very old traditional Bora ground and is a respected and sacred site to Aboriginal people. It is nestled amongst some of the oldest and most spectator rock art in the world. Known as a meeting ground for the communities of Cape York, the Laura Aboriginal Dance Festival is highly regarded by many Aboriginal people as a place where familie s meet. New and old family members make new acquaintances and exchange and pass on family histories.
In addition, many descendants of Aboriginal people whose people were removed from the area return every festival to learn of their culture and of their ancestry. Consequently the Laura Aboriginal Dance Festival is seen as a very important event in cultural retention.
The Festival enables the wider community to witness and gain insight into the uniqueness of Aboriginal culture. Festival spectators witness the story telling of Aboriginal culture through dance, language and art.
The Program of Dances from around the Cape York with Traditional Dance Cycles have been handed down through millennia. To showcase these dances the LADF 2017 has devised the program to travel from Laura up Country to Cooktown & Hopevale spreading the word of invitation through Wujal Wujal, Coen, Pormpuraaw, Aurukun, Mapoon, Lockhart and
NPA communities, New Mapoon, Umagico & Injinoo then returns on the Sunday evening having circled south to Yarrabah, Kuranda & Mossman and ends with the future - children from Cooktown & Hopevale.
For the 35th Laura Dance Festival they are taking it back to grass roots. 2017 will continue with the competition for the Festival shield. There will be two opportunities for dance groups to present. The first Dance Festivals were judged by elders from the Cape, the committee intends to reinstall this method. Indigenous communities are encouraged to hold stalls and the wider community to hold stalls relevant to Cape York people. Communities are encouraged to explore their dance and stories and present varied dance cycles where possible. By presenting different dancers of all ages and ability, communities are educating the public through a varied performance program to the uniqueness of their community and the diversity of Aboriginal cultures.
There will be seperate 'yarning circles' for men's and women's business. The yarning circles will be properly facilitated in an informal manner with pre-empted themes around important passing down of information and stories.
Go along to share, respect, and celebrate our unity as a nation, connect with country and embrace the oldest living culture of the world, oh and don't forget to bring your camping gear!
A Cultural experience not to miss!