Fascinating tale of first contact makes for a rich tapestry of Indigenous dance.

Drama Theatre, Sydney Opera House

June 12, 2014

The story of Patyegarang, a woman of the Eora nation who befriended the timekeeper of the colonial fleet and taught him her language is a truly remarkable one. The bones are set down in the series of notebooks kept at the time by Lieutenant William Dawes, rediscovered in 1972 and now held in a London library (you can read them online at williamdawes.org). The genius of this telling of the tale through contemporary dance is the imaginative flesh that choreographer and Bangarra Artistic Director Stephen Page has managed to put on them – and created a 70-minute semi-narrative ballet in the process.

That process is beautifully documented in Alana Valentine’s dramaturgical program note – in essence an exchange of ideas from page to Page (if you’ll pardon the pun). But what makes Patyegarang hold the attention is the choreographer’s smart refusal to be drawn into simple, literal storytelling. Instead he gives us a series of cultural snapshots, each dealing with a theme or issue – some of them abstract (belonging, acceptance) – some of them more concrete (conflict, teaching) –...