The Black Arm Band

dirtsong Reviews, MIAF 2009

26 October 2009

Apologies come in many forms. [ . . . ] Sometimes, they're a spirit that engulfs an entire auditorium when, through a powerful journey of song, the audience grasps, perhaps for the first time, the gravity of what happens when people are taken from the possession they treasure most: their country.

For the audience of The Black Arm Band's dirtsong, which premiered at the Melbourne International Arts Festival last night, this spirit – evoked by a moving performance of music, language, culture and identity – was potent and all-consuming. Had any onlooker doubted the seminal role land plays in indigenous identity, or indeed, the richness of our Aboriginal cultures, this performance would have left them with no doubt. Make no mistake, this is music to send shudders down your spine and bring tears to your eyes.

– Liza Power, The Age, 24 October 2009
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I felt the first tears pricking my eyes less than 10 minutes into dirtsong. Lou Bennett was singing the show's title song in her native Yorta Yorta, accompanied by the voices of four other indigenous women. Behind them, on the giant screen that served as a backdrop, bare feet slowly pounded the earth and kicked up soft clouds of dust. The effect was rituatlistic and deeply moving, creating a potent metaphor for the life force that springs directly from the soil.

Even before the music began, it was abundantly clear that dirtsong was much more than a concert. From darkness, a single pool of glowing light emerged as Bunna Lawrie (in traditional body paint) parted a mound of red dirt. It was as though he were uncovering something sacred to share with us, in a spirit of generosity and trust.

– Jessica Nicholas, The Age, 26 October 2009
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