Bangarra Dance Theatre will perform at Campbelltown Arts Centre this Saturday, February 3.
The famous Aboriginal group will present a “passionate and political work’’ called Macq, which focuses on the 1816 Appin massacre.
The event will feature a free community barbecue at 6pm, followed by a line-up of local performances before the outdoor sunset performance of Macq at 8pm.
Aunty Glenda Chalker will deliver the Welcome to Country, before dance performances by Wiritjiribin and Josh Bell.
A Smoking Ceremony by Uncle Ivan Wellington and an address from Bangarra artistic director Stephen Page and Jasmin Sheppard are also part of Saturday’s program.
Bangarra dancer Jasmin Sheppard says she created Macq “to acknowledge a moment in our past and explore the historical chapter that devastated the Dharawal people of Appin in 1816’’.
“So much of Sydney is named for Lachlan Macquarie, but what legacy has the darker side of his governance left for us all,’’ says Ms Sheppard.
“The seed started for Macq when I first became aware of the 1816 massacre at Appin.
“Macquarie’s diary entries uncover his frantic attempt to keep Aboriginal people aware of their boundaries, and drastic measures he took to regain control.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“In shared ownership of this history lies true reconciliation.”[/social_quote]
Macq was one of three powerful works presented as part of the 2016 premiere season of Our land people stories, which will tour regionally in NSW, Queensland and the Northern Territory from February.
“We are excited to be working with Bangarra and share this powerful performance with our community,’’ says Campbelltown Arts Centre Director Michael Dagostino.
“The Appin Massacre was one of the first recorded massacres upon Australian soil and has mostly been erased from our history.
“Campbelltown Arts Centre is located 15km away from the massacre site, which is mostly unknown to the local community, and through projects such as Macq and With Secrecy and Despatch, we can continue this important conversation and tell local stories that resonate locally and globally,” Mr Dagostino said.
Monica Renn
It is times like this that I regret leaving Campbelltown as I would love to see this performance. Years ago I had the property on which the massacre occurred for sale and learned of this awful deed