Australian Bush Music and Dance, Wongawilli Style
presented by Wongawilli Band & Wongawilli Colonial Dance Club Inc. back to homepage

Wongawilli Colonial Dancers

Performances Demonstrations Forthcoming Performances

More pictures of the dancers

The Wongawilli Colonial Dancers have been in existence since 1987 and with the band WONGAWILLI perform demonstrations of Australian colonial and bush dancing. The aim of the group is to preserve Australia’s rich heritage of music and dancing.The routines are sequences of dances based on the various mainstream social dances from the bush and towns of this and last century and dances introduced in the Folk Revival of the 1950s.The visual effect of the costumed dancers combined with the live music from the band provide a very colourful and entertaining potrayal of Australian pioneering social life.

Performances

The dancers and band have been involved in the presentation of colonial and bush dances at many local events. In particular they have performed at the following major events:

• 2001 Australia Day Celebrations, Sydney Botanic Gardens
• Darling Harbour Maritime Festival, 1996
• National Folk Festivals in 1988, 1992, 1994, 1995,1996 1997, 2001
• Australian Bush Music Festival, 1990 to 1992
• Sydney Opera House Folklorika Festivals1988-1995
• Illawarra Folk Festival at Jamberoo, since 1987
• Majors Creek Folk Festival, since 1995
• Sydney Travel Show at Darling Harbour, 1995, 1996
• 1988 Bicentennial Exhibition and Pageant of Nations
• Numerous Australia Day celebrations

Demonstrations

The dances are normally carried out in continous medleys of 3 or 4 dances with varying formations and musical tempo. The durations of each demonstration is between 4 to 8 minutes. Generally 8 to 16 dancers perform in each demonstration. The current repertoire of dances performed include

Forthcoming Performances

The band and Wongawilli Colonial Dancers will be performing at the following functions. TBC indicates To Be Confirmed.

2002 Performances

• Sunday 10 February, 11am to 1pm, Illawarra Light Rail Musuem, Tongarra Road, Albion Park Rail
• Sunday 17 March, Seniors Week Celebration, Albion Park Centenary Hall, 11am
• 28 to 31 March, National Folk Festival
• 5 to 10 June, 7th Australian Folk Music and Dance Gathering
• August - 15th Anniversary Celebrations of Wongawilli Band and Wongawilli Colonial Dancers
• 14, 15 September, 18th Illawarra Folk Festival at Jamberoo

2001 Performances

• Friday 27 to Sunday 29 April, 2001 - Mount Beauty Music Muster, Victoria
• Friday 8 to Mon 11 June, 2001 - Australian Folk Gathering, various venues in the Illawarra
• Saturday 16 June, 2001 - Federation Spectacular, Wollongong Entertainment Centre
• Saturday 18 August, 2001 - Jamberoo Comes to Town, mini-folk festival at a venue in Sydney to be advised
• Wednesday 12 to Sunday 16 September, 2001 - 17th Illawarra Folk Festival at Jamberoo
• Sat 22 December 2001 - Christmas with Wongawilli, social event, Albion Park Centenary Hall, 6.30pm

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Dancers in action

Band & Dancers at Terralong House, Jamberoo	Illawarra Folk Festival at Jamberoo
Albion Park RSL Club	In the middle of the Eightsome Reel
at the Wollongong Lighthouse	at Florawarra, Wollongong Botanical Gardens

email enquiries: desanti@bigpond.com
Last revised: February 04, 2002 by David De Santi

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