McGuire as Special Guest Artist, Noongar Leader and Guide, brings to the stage the character of Boodja Wiirrn, the Spirit of the Land: using voice, dress, instruments and kaartdijin (knowledge) to wrap the production in a cloak of warmth, awe, and wonder. Mowadji (Special Guest Artist, Kyle Morrison), a Noongar Elder who attempts to bridge cultures, leads the group of young Noongar dancers in mesmerising Aboriginal dance which expertly weaves in and amongst elements of traditional repertoire (including Dance of the Cygnets) and Krzysztof Pastor’s new classical choreography. The central character in the ballet and totem of the Noongar Beeliar, the people of the Swan River, is the Black Swan. It tells a tale that takes place in 1880’s Waylyup (Fremantle) and while the original Black Swan of the classical canon remains in the character of Odile (though transformed from an evil seductress to a colonial capitalist), the corps is also entirely made up of black swans who depict very different qualities. This paves the way for the Noongar story of how the swan got its black feathers to take centre stage. Phil R. Daniels’ set design takes us to a range of scenes that are both familiar and historically located, from the banks of the Swan through to the Government House Gardens (depicted through an impossibly detailed backdrop), all of which aid in the gentle repetition of the symbolism of the black swan.

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