The culmination of the Four Elements Festival is on Sunday 24 March from 2.30pm at Bungendore Primary School.

It’s a terrific mix of music and dance performances from local, interstate and international artists and will bear testament to the strength and vigour of the regional arts scene. With so many exciting artistic exchanges happening over the last 10 days at Mirramu this afternoon will be a great chance to both relax and  gather inspiration for future work.

Starting with performances from local school children and finishing with the big sounds of The Blamey Street Band led by Ian McLean, Gathering Storm takes its audience on a musical and dance odyssey which will stir the imagination and delight the senses.

The concert stretches over 5 hours so do bring some snacks and drinks to keep you going. There will be lots to watch but also the chance to get up and dance some salsa, Maypole and swing.

• Download the Gathering Storm final program

Workshop participants at The Four Elements Festival have been enjoying both studio work and some sessions in nature this week. Over the weekend they took advantage of the beautiful autumn weather to make some gentle explorations of the lake.

Painters Ian Robertson and Kerry McInnis along with sculptor Jeffrey Frith have also been out and about around Mirramu over the weekend making the beginnings of some new work with Weereewa as its inspiration and focus. We look forward to seeing these bodies of work develop over the next few months. Dru Yoga teacher Melissa Pollard attracted some new students too with her relaxing and engaging sessions.

We’re also looking forward to a performance at Canberra Museum and Gallery on Wednesday 20 March at 1pm in the Nolan collection Gallery – Elizabeth Cameron Dalman, Janine Proost, Kyoko Sato and Jyh Shyong Wong will present diverse responses to the Australian landscape and will be in conversation with Gallery Director Shane Breynard. Everyone is welcome. You can use the opportunity to visit Marking Place at CMAG while you are there – Dancecology performed with Elizabeth within and in response to this stunning exhibition last year.

Workshops at Mirramu continue during the week and over part of next weekend. Phone Elizabeth for information on 6238 1492.

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What a beautiful day we had at Mirramu on Thursday for the opening of The Four Elements Festival! Participants were arriving all day and through into the night, along with some other visitors who were a surprise . . . we were delighted to have a visit from Api, a Fijian journalist who is touring a number of areas in regional Australia. A bonus was meeting Graeme Hermans, who was the official driver for Api’s party, but who in his real life is a rock ‘n roll teacher. He’s looking forward to coming out some time to Mirramu to give a rock n’ roll workshop!

ABC 666 radio reporter Jessica Swann came to interview Elizabeth and Kyoko and needed no persuasion to stay for the first workshop of the festival given by Kyoko in the dance studio. Jessica has a dance background and felt right at home at Mirramu.

Our first group of students has settled in comfortably and more arrived over the weekend. Cabaret artiste from South Australia Anya Anastasia (pictured) presented her Upside Down Girl show for workshop participants.

And another one to note in your diary is that Elizabeth, Janine, Kyko and JS will present responses to the Australian landscape in the Nolan collection gallery – that’s that fabulous Ned Kelly series – at Canberra Museum and Gallery in Civic next Wednesday 20 March at 1pm followed by a conversation with Director Shane Breynard. This promises to be a wonderful event both visually and intellectually.

Don’t forget the concert on Sunday 24 March – watch this space for the program which we’ll post next week.

 

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The Four Elements Festival starts on Thursday 14 March at Mirramu Creative Arts Centre with a range of dance classes over 11 days, visual arts and writing workshops on 16-18 March, a dance in schools program over 6 weeks and a culminating performance day on 24 March with more than a dozen regional, national and international performers.

We’ve called this concert day Gathering Storm – not an indication of the weather but of the creative passion and talent you will find here at Mirramu throughout the festival and on the concert day. This is a family concert and we encourage you to come at 2.30 with a picnic basket and enjoy the peaceful surroundings of Mirramu Creative Arts Centre right through till evening. There’s everything from performances by the local school children to a chance to learn a little Latin dancing from the tam at Salsabor.

We’ll keep you posted on this website and via Facebook over the next couple of weeks with lots of photos of what’s happening out here. We look forward to seeing you during this wonderful festival.

The Four Elements Festival is proudly supported by the ACT Government Community Centenary Initiatives Fund and by the Country Arts Support Program of Regional Arts NSW, funded by the NSW Government through Arts NSW. Infigen Energy is a proud sponsor of the Four Elements Festival’s Dance in Schools program. Local Onga Pump Shop, Bungendore Rural Services is delighted to support The Four Elements Festival. Mirramu Creative Arts Centre and Mirramu Dance Company are grateful for the ongoing support of Zane Hills Wines and Create + Print.

Four Elements Festival brochure

Canberra Mandolin Orchestra photo courtesy Sam Leone. MAD Theatre, Jyh Shyong Wong and Anya Anastasia have also supplied their own photos for the current slideshow.

Barbie Robinson
Mirramu Marketing
0419 492 658

The world premiere season of  Morning Star finished to a standing ovation  at the National Gallery of Australia on Sunday 3 March.

Excerpts from Morning Star will be performed in a free performance on Monday 11 March at 6.30pm in Reconciliation Place  Canberra as part of the Canberra 100 celebrations.  Details at http://www.oneverybigday.com.au/program/reconciliation-stage/

 

If you missed out on booking your ticket for Morning Star through Ticketek, some door sales are available BUT CASH ONLY.  There is no ATM available at the venue, the National Gallery of Australia, after 5pm.

Door prices are $40 full; $30 concession (ID required) and bike tickets; $20 child (16 and under and student –  ID required)

Show starts at 7pm. Door sales from 6pm. Come early to avoid queues or missing out on a seat.

Morning Star opens on Friday 1 March at the National Gallery of Australia in the James O Fairfax Theatre.

Performances Friday 1 and Saturday 2 March at 7pm and Sunday 3 March at 3pm. Tickets http://www.ticketek.com.au and also at the door from 1 hour before each show. Door sales are slightly dearer than advertised booked tickets.

The cast is now the final week of rehearsals.

This is a great time to visit the NGA with late opening on Friday and Saturday for the Enlighten Canberra Festival of which Morning Star is a part. Visit the Indigenous collections or take in Toulouse Lautrec while you are there. Check the Enlighten website for other events during Enlighten Canberra.

The Morning Star project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and is supported by the ACT Government. Morning Star is an Enlighten Canberra event. We acknowledge the generous support of The National Gallery of Australia. The Centenary of Canberra is a presenting partner.

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The Four Elements Festival is an official regional multi-arts event of the Canberra Centenary celebration offering dance participants excellent cross-cultural learning, creative and performance opportunities.

We also have weekend and three day workshops in pottery, painting, yoga, writing, Hebel block sculpture, and aerial photography.

There’s a six-week school dance program and artists in residence Jenni Kemarre Martiniello, Kerry McInnis and Mike McGregor will be on site at various times making work in response to the Weereewa and Mirramu environment.

A culminating event on Sunday 24 March from 2.30pm brings together a large gumber of community and professional performers – The Blamey Street Big Band, the Canberra Mandolin Orchestra,  A Chorus of Women,  Wordly Goods Choir, Three’s a Crowd,  Salsabor, Tarago and Bungendore School dancers, Elizabeth Cameron Dalman,  Kyoko Sato, Jyh Shyong Wong, Dancecology,  Maypole dancing, MAD Theater,  dance workshop participants’ performances,  cabaret artiste Anya Anastasia,  readings by Canberra poets AND the ACT Hanggliding and Paragliding Association (subject to weather conditions)

Four Elements Festival brochure

The Four Elements Festival is proudly supported by the ACT Government  Community Centenary Initiatives Fund and by the Country Arts Support Program of Regional Arts NSW, funded by the NSW Government through Arts NSW.  Infigen Energy is a proud sponsor of the Four Elements Festival’s Dance in Schools program.  Local Onga Pump Shop, Bungendore Rural Services is delighted to support The Four Elements Festival.  Mirramu Creative Arts Centre and Mirramu Dance Company are grateful for the ongoing support of  Zane Hills Wines and Create + Print

The traditional Yolngu story of Morning Star is told through a new contemporary dance work by Albert David with Mirramu Dance Company, performers from Yirrkala community in north-east Arnhem Land and Djakapurra Munyarryun.

Through a fusion of traditional and contemporary dance and music, as part of the Enlighten Festival, Morning Star brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to create an artistic expression of reconciliation and recognition in the twenty-first century.

Elizabeth Cameron Dalman OAM and Mirramu Creative Arts Centre are proud to announce that the second stage of Morning Star is underway and tickets are now on sale via www.ticketek.com.au

Keep up with the progress of the project through February on our website. Make sure you book early for performances at the National Gallery of Australia in the James O Fairfax Theatre Friday 1 March and Saturday 2 March at 7pm and Sunday 3 March at 3pm.

The Morning Star project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and is supported by the ACT Government. Morning Star is an Enlighten Canberra event.

We acknowledge the generous support of The National Gallery of Australia. The Centenary of Canberra is a presenting partner. We thank our corporate and media supporters and partners – Zane Hills wines, Create + Print and ArtSound FM radio.

Despite a heavy downpour during the early afternoon of Saturday 15 December, the summer solstice festivities at Mirramu went ahead and the weather held long enough for visitors to enjoy all the outdoor performances.

Contemporary dance group Dancecology from Taiwan joined Elizabeth Cameron Dalman to present two works in the landscape. The first took advantage of the lake vista with all its amazing colours and was staged on the dam. The second was a more intimate piece set amidst the sculptures of Mirramu’s resident sculptor Jeffrey Frith. The action then moved into the studio where Dancecology’s Grace, Olivia and BK delighted the audience, showing yet another dimension to their dance repertoire with a piece called ‘Crystal’.

The traditional Mirramu circle dancing followed with participants joining in dances from around the world, finishing with an Australian Kangaroo dance and finally a meditation movement spiral. Picnics were had inside the studio as heavy rain was by then falling along with the darkness.

Mirramu said farewell to Dancecology the next day but we look forward to their next visit and to future projects with this remarkable group.

We wish our friends, patrons and supporters a happy and peaceful end to the year and hope to see many of you at the exciting events we have planned for 2013.

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