Introducing Canopy - Cool Burn, by Yolande Browne

A few months before I was asked to work on the Bespoke season, I met the amazing, friendly Fred Leone, who is a fountain of cultural wisdom.

I wanted to be able to bring in a really rich experience, not just for the audience, but also for the Company, the dancers, and for the people who work behind the scenes, to to learn a bit more about the Country where they plant their feet every day.

Fred is a Butchulla man, and is one of the cultural custodians of K’Gari, which is one of the most spectacular places on earth. Such a beautiful place where the sand purifies the water, so that the water lies in the belly of that Country for years being purified. And when it spills out of the creeks, it has the purest water on the earth.

My work is in response to this incredible place that has deep First Nations history, and roots and stories.