Daisy Bates (1982 - )

McMurdo, Don: Mary Duchesne in rehearsal for Barry Moreland's 'Daisy Bates', Sydney Dance Company, 1990

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Barry Moreland's Daisy Bates, choreographed for Sydney Dance Company to a commissioned score by Carl Vines, premiered at the Regent Theatre, Sydney, on November 4, 1982. Charles Blackman was responsible for the design which featured a one-dimensional shape resembling Uluru (Ayers Rock as it was commonly known at the time) on which colours and patterns were projected.

The dance-drama used three dancers to represent Daisy Bates in different eras of life - from her childhood in Ireland, through her secret marriage to Breaker Morant, to her years spent living with tribal Aborigines. While the work was thus rooted in biography, Moreland disclaimed it as a historical narrative, calling it a 'journey of the soul' in his program note.

In the premiere, Janet Vernon, Jennifer Barry and Mary Duchesne performed as Daisy Bates, with Kim Walker as the Shaman, Paul Mercurio as Bates' brother Jim, Michael Hennessy as Breaker Morant and Bill Pengelly as the Reverend and the Bishop.

See also: Duchesne, Mary ; Mercurio, Paul ; Moreland, Barry ; Sydney Dance Company ; Vernon, Janet ; Walker, Kim

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Research Materials

Oral history | Picture | All

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