Mathinna Sparknotes

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Mathinna, choreographed by Stephen Page and performed by Bangarra Dance Theatre, tells the story of a young Aboriginal girl who has been adopted into a traditional western society. Inspired by the ‘stolen generation’, this story illustrates the personal journey of a lost soul caught between two cultures. Throughout this essay, three excerpts, titled Exile 1, Adoption and Nursery will be analysed in relation to how the dance work communicates the true story of how “British settlers relocated the Aboriginal people from their home lands and intervened in their cultural practices”(Mathinna Bangarra Dance Theater). Both movement and non-movement components will be analysed to reveal how Stephen Page’s choreography informed and engaged the audience. …show more content…

Mathinna was dressed in old, ragged and ripped clothes along with a necklace that she grabbed continuously as if she was desperately trying to hold onto her previous life and familiarity. The distinct difference of class structure between Mathinna’s disheveled clothes and the long clean gowns and traditional uniforms of the British females was prominent. The male slaves were dressed in dark brown oversized clothes, and they walked in shackles, signifying the end of their hard labor for the day. The use of eerie music with a single spotlight on Mathinna created an atmosphere of loss and tension - loss of her homeland, loss of her tradition and loss of her family. The single spotlight that was focused on Mathinna revealed a scared, confused and vulnerable child. This was accompanied with a movement motif imitating the collection of dirt in her hands. She gently rubbed her hands together to signify the investigation of her new environment. This is repeated throughout the excerpt along with gathering movements and the covering of her mouth to show her fear. These repetitions help symbolise the long and enduring journey that she has been through. The spotlight fades to the sound of a sewing machine, where Lady Jane Franklin appears at the sewing machine with an extremely large piece of red material. Behind Lady Jane Franklin, other ‘stolen children’ are positioned on the

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