The Bardi Dancers from One Arm Point in northern Western Australia were part the largest Aboriginal contingent ever featured in a major arts festival in Britain, which also included photo and art exhibitions, live theatre and film.
Sell out crowds witnessed the two sunset performances at Stonehenge, according to Sam Cook, the Executive Producer of the indigenous theatre group Yirra Yaakin based in Perth.
“When they were performing they said it really felt as if the ground beneath them was hollow. And as they were stomping and performing this phenomenal sort of echo and almost like a musical beat came out of the ground and everyone in the audience was astounded that the noise even existed from the dancers coming out and just performing on the land and generating a sort of pulse back into Stonehenge”
Ms Cook says the performances were an historic moment for all Australian, “It's a big thing for the Bardi Dancers, for the One Arm Point community, for the Kimberley, for West Australia, but most importantly it's for all Indigenous people and all Australians to really get that this is a phenomenal moment in our history, and it's a really positive one. So we really need to all celebrate the success of what's just gone on here in Salisbury at Stonehenge.”