Suara Indonesia Dance with The Bowerbird Collective for EDGE GreenWay

Suara Indonesia Dance

Alfira is the Artistic Director of Sydney-based Indonesian contemporary dance company, Suara Indonesia Dance. Together with her husband, choreographer and dancer, Murtala, they lead a dynamic troupe of twelve dancers based in the Inner West of Sydney, whom all have a connection to Indonesia, either through heritage or love of Indonesian culture. They blend their traditional training and contemporary influences to bring liveliness, originality and all-engaging performances to the stage. They love to share their culture through dance, music and teaching. They have weekly kids classes in Marrickville as they see it as an important part of passing on their knowledge of traditional dance to the next generation.

The Bowerbird Collective

Simone Slattery | Violin, Anthony Albrecht | Cello 

The Bowerbird Collective was formed in 2017 by Simone Slattery (ANAM, PhD) and Anthony Albrecht (MM Juilliard), two of Australia's most adventurous classical musicians, to explore links between art and science and to tell stories using a multimedia performance platform. Their work 'Where Song Began' was described as "Spectacular" by Limelight Magazine and won a Ruby Award from Arts South Australia.

Current work and inspiration

Suara Indonesia Dance

For Edge GreenWay Suara Indonesia Dance will be collaborating with The Bowerbird Collective exploring the rich but under-recognised cultural contribution that Indonesian families have made to the Inner West over many decades through the metaphor of migratory shorebirds, specifically, the Bar-tailed Godwit, that once frequented the shores of Iron Cove Bay and the Parramatta River.

These birds, on their annual migration, connect the cultures of Indonesia, Australia, and many other countries via the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.

The residency at Edge GreenWay in April-May will complement and enhance their successful application to the Inner West Council Arts Grant scheme to perform a collaborative work at Marrickville Library in October 2021. The residency will allow the collaborators to develop this work in view of the public, offering a series of engaging experiences.

"There will be live dance and music, Wayang shadow puppets, craft workshops, costume design, and interactive soundscapes. BirdLife Southern NSW will educate about these threatened birds and their habitat on the Parramatta River. These volunteers will also inform and guide the scientific storytelling aspects of our migratory shorebird creative development" (Alfira 2021).

Currently they are rehearsing their traditional repertoire of Acehnese body percussion dances and song as well as Tapuak Galembong, the dance element of a form of traditional theatre called Randai from West Sumatra, using pants that are used as a drum to create rhythms, combined with song and traditional instruments.

"The development of the new work we hope to create over the residency in April-May. We will be using our traditional training to create and inspire a new contemporary work on the theme of both cultural and environmental conservation".

"We are developing a major work in collaboration with BirdLife Australia and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership that tells the story of migratory shorebirds and the cultural connections they weave on an annual journey from Siberia to Australian shores".

Suara will rehearse on site with dancers from April 16 - May 9 and will perform at EDGE GreenWay on May 8 for World Migratory Bird Day.

The Bowerbird Collective 

The Bowerbird Collective are developing a major work in collaboration with BirdLife Australia and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership that tells the story of migratory shorebirds and the cultural connections they weave on an annual journey from Siberia to Australian shores. "We are privileged to work with Suara Indonesia Dance to explore this theme; migratory shorebirds also visit the coast of Aceh Province. We are inspired to strengthen emotional connections to conservation issues with our work" (The Bowerbird Collective 2021).

Website suaraindonesiadance.com.au/cicem.dance

Social Media @suaraindonesiadance

The Bowerbird Collective www.bowerbird.productions

www.wheresongbegan.com