Indigenous identity and the importance of place are the central themes of the latest Bangarra Dance Theatre show, Belong, which closes in Canberra today.
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The performance at the Canberra Theatre, part of the theatre company's national tour, features two distinctive works of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, ID and About.
Artistic director Stephen Page hopes Canberra audiences will be enchanted with a show that explores the meaning of being Aboriginal in the 21st century.
Page also choreographed ID and aims to explore important questions of identity based on his personal experiences of observing contemporary indigenous people tracing their bloodlines and re-connecting with their heritage.
He said the driving forces at the heart of the work were physical, poetic, spiritual and emotional.
''In those moments, as we sit in the darkened theatre, we share the community of the soul, a coming together of people to give themselves over to a shared cultural experience,'' Page said.
The second part of the program, About, is inspired by the four winds that govern the rhythms of life in the Torres Strait.
Choreographer Elma Kris, a Torres Strait Islander, started dancing in her people's style after enrolling at the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association in Sydney in 1994.
''It is like painting a canvas by putting myself into the work and representing people back home who have experienced these winds,'' Kris said.
She said About used many dance skills to portray the winds in the performance. She hoped the audience would embrace her culture.
''We want to express and explore that to make it a natural piece so that the audience has memories of the stories that we told,'' Kris said.
Bangarra senior dancer Patrick Thaiday said the show took three months of rehearsal and that audience connection to the dancers was crucial.
''We definitely need feedback from audience,'' Thaiday said.
''The theatre in Sydney was small so it is more intimate. You can feel the energy from the audience and there's where we picked up our spirits.''
Belong will be performed at Canberra Theatre today at 1.30pm and 7.30pm. For bookings call 62752700.
