Marrugeku presents Burrbgaja Yalirra 2

Marrugeku – Australia’s leading Indigenous intercultural dance theatre company based in Broome presents BURRBGAJA YALIRRA 2 - an invigorating triple bill of new dance works. Following acclaimed seasons in Sydney and Perth, BURRBGAJA YALIRRA 2 will tour to the Kimberley – Fitzroy Crossing, Ardyaloon and Broome in April 2024. 

BURRBGAJA YALIRRA 2 draws on the power of ancestral presence to imagine the future in two fierce dance solos and a soul-moving duo

Performance artist Bhenji Ra’s mesmerising solo, No New Gods is set before, during and after a lunar eclipse. With fierce Filipino stick fighting, Ra summons the Bakunawa who swallowed the moon, a serpent-like dragon believed to be the cause of eclipses, earthquakes, rains, and wind. In choreography that pulses with power, dominance and resistance Ra channels the flora and fora of the Philippine archipelago.

Bloodlines is a rhythmic meditation on Pacifica life by captivating duo Ses Bero and Stanley Nalo. As they grapple with the brutal history of ‘blackbirding’ – the forced labour of South Sea Islanders on the Queensland sugar cane plantations from 1860.Bloodlines celebrates the gentle power of young warriors today and acknowledges their ancestor’s presence in spirit and in rhythm. 

Nyuju embodies longing for Country in the central Kimberley, told through the paintings of senior Wangkatjungka artist Nyuju Stumpy Brown which are beautifully reflected in animations by Sohan Ariel Hayes. Created and performed by her great-grandson, dancer and actor Emmanuel James Brown Nyuju connects dance and Country in a visual feast for the senses.

Cultural and Content Warning: With family permission, this performance contains the voices of people who have passed away. This performance also contains strobe light.