Girls from Lockhart River and Kowanyama will share their culture and sing their hearts out in Sydney. Photo: Supplied.
Thirty young singers from Lockhart River and Kowanyama are getting ready to travel thousands of kilometres south later this month to perform on the revered stage of the Sydney Opera House.
As part of the Girls from Oz (G-oz) travel program, the young women will learn about life in the city as they attend high-quality workshops and perform alongside the Australian Girls Choir (AGC).
Earlier this year, members of the AGC visited Lockhart River as part of the reverse travel program, during which time singers from Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Brisbane and Canberra experienced life in Lockhart River.
G-oz general manager Kylie Lee-Archer said the program would be an eye-opening opportunity for passionate performers.
“They will be visiting the National Institute of Dramatic Art and doing some workshops there,” she said.
“There’s a number of Aboriginal students studying there, and also they have Aboriginal teachers, so it’s a real opportunity for the girls to not only experience it themselves, but also to observe students who are a few years ahead of them and think they can do it too.
“You can’t be what you can’t see.”
The girls will also participate in a workshop by Aboriginal dance company Bangarra Dance Theatre and a live interview on Koori Radio, alongside several other activities to introduce them to future pathways.
Ms Lee-Archer said cultural exchange and connection was also a hugely important part of the program.
“They’ll be hosted by the AGC families, which in some ways, is the most important part – that close connection they form with the families and the cultural exchange that happens as a result of that,” she said.
“I think when they’re sitting around in the lounge room chatting, that’s when a family from the city who’s never been to a remote Australian community learns about life in Lockhart River or Kowanyama, and vice versa.”
Ms Lee-Archer said the experience could of course be overwhelming, but hoped every student could get something out of it.
“The bit that’s overwhelming is usually just the scale and the sensory overload, which makes complete sense,” she said.
“It’s a pretty high bar that we would set for any student in Australia, to have to do long days in a city that’s foreign to you, and meet lots of new people, but we have watched girls jump over the bar and surpass our expectations.”
G-oz participants will be treated to a workshop and short performance by Bangarra Dance Theatre. Photo: Supplied.
