Dancing In Shadows : Histories of Nyungar Performance

by Anna Haebich

Genres: Nonfiction

405 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2018

Reviews

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

It isn't often I find a history book which is just a joy to read, but Dancing in Shadows, resonates with the power of cultural expression. Which is not to imply that it is particularly innovative or experimental history, but just that Haebich has a perfect balance of archival research, analysis, and lived history to tell a powerful story of how Nyungar people have used dance, song and performance to survive. The book has four meaty chapters dealing with early attempts to use Corroboree as a peacemaker, welcomes and other ceremonies, mission-introduced music, and modern uses of performative culture, then three essay style and interview pieces at the end, looking at Jack Davies theatre, Bindjareb Pinjarra, and Gina Williams' songs. Through this, comes a strong narrative about the importance of song, dance and language to Nyungar identity, community and, hence, survival. It is a highly rewarding glimpse into a values system that connects.

[Vannessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinatingly researched book about Nyungar performance broadly defined. Through performance, Haebich examines the history of the settlement of Western Australia and the state's treatment of Aboriginal people in the course of colonisation including the exclusion of Aboriginal people from the city, their expulsion from the countryside and into missions (reserves) and their forced assimilation. Her key argument is that performance, be it of Aboriginal culture or of adaptations and adoptions of settler colonial culture, has shown the Nyungar capacity for survival and growth over the last two centuries in Western Australia. It's also an account of the resistance music and theatre, and language maintenance work being led and performed by the Nyungar over the last few decades.