Guurunda, which takes its name from the Narungga word for the Yorke Peninsula, is a mixed-medium and technologically cutting edge sharing of 10000-year-old creation stories. Guuranda is a show with a timeless origin story of its own.
When you peruse the Adelaide Festival program, be it this year or any year, you will usually notice a trend: the creative vision of each work usually sprung from the mind of one, or a few, creatives: a playwright, a choreographer, a composer alone, or maybe working with a lyricist. Of course, a team, an army, will bring this singular vision to life but one person is calling the shots. While Guuranda is written, choreographed and artistically directed by Narungga and Kaurna artist Jacob Boehme, it is a communal work: Elders are respected as dramaturges and cultural consultants; a family choir was formed for the production, and was taught the Narungga language in the process. It retains the community fire side sharing of stories lineage, draws on the Narungga worldview forged over millennia regarding the importance of the collective over the individual, while simultaneously utilising high tech video and lighting magic: flames flicker on either side of the stage before the curtain lifts.
Guuranda begins with the voices of the elders talking about country, and the Stolen Generations. Dimly lit dancers take the stage, while Narungga song woman Sonya Rankine and song man Warren Milera are projected on either side like pillars. Driven by Rankine and Milera’s vocals, or James Henry’s score which blends music sticks with rock guitar, dancers Caleena Sansbury, Zoë Brown-Holten, Chandler ‘Cheeky’ Connell, Jada Narkle, Shana O’Brien, Jordan O’Davis, Edan Porter and Luke Currie Richardson move according to the memories Boehme has unlocked from within their intergenerational DNA using his Memory in Movement technique. Unadorned by sets or props or theatre trickery, the movement is captivating. Edan Porter, particularly, has solo moments to shine.
As Guuranda progresses though, and three creation stories about a giant (Buthera), a boy turned into a dingo (Gadli) and the creation of the Spencer Gulf, the stage at times becomes overwhelmed with sights and sounds: there are puppet dingos and emus, descending screens with shadow projection actions scenes with comic book fonts, as well as Narungga, Nantowarra Kaurna visual artist Kylie O’Loughlin’s works, projected on the back screen, where the Narungga Family Choir is also projected. It is a lot of moving parts to stitch together, and while each performer is consistently stunning, and individual segments are compelling, it isn’t always as cohesive as it could be tonally.
Guuranda, though was guided by Narungga Elder Aunty Lynette (Ninni) Newchurch’s words: what you see. What you’re allowed to see. When you’re ready to see it. This is a work that will have many uses and many audiences: as a piece of history, as an educational tool, as a community builder and as entertainment. What will be seen by someone who is unfamiliar with the story of Gadli will differ from those who know it intricately but it is important for all of us who walk on this land to see it.
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