The White Cockatoo Performing Group

Information for Festivals & Presenters The White Cockatoo Performing Group is comprised of some of Western Arnhem Land's outstanding traditional aboriginal performing artists. Arnhem Land is in the remote N.E. of the Northern Territory of Australia. This is a region where traditional culture is still strong and it is the traditional homeland/birth place of the didjeridu.
The White Cockatoo artists are the exponents of fine 'classical' aboriginal music and dance. They are amongst Western Arnhem Land's pre-eminent exponents of the 'Gunborg' style of singing, dancing and didjeridu playing. In its pristine presentation of Western Arnhem Land music and dance, White Cockatoo sets a benchmark for the indigenous performing arts in Australia. In this company, the cultural owners of the tradition control the performance and the way in which their culture is presented to the world at large. This integrity has been widely recognized abroad, winning critical acclaim from audiences in Europe and North America. In addition to live corroboree (music and dance) the company can conduct didjeridu playing workshops as well as traditional woodcarving and painting art workshops. Company size 5 -8 people. There are pictures, videos, audio files and articles to read below. Our Technical Specifications are listed at the bottom of this page. AUDIO - Listen to the Didjeridu Master Darryl Dikkarrna mp3 2351kB From the cd "The David Blanasi Tribute Album". AUDIO - Listen to the White Cockatoo Wurrarl2 mp3 1656kB From the cd "Didjeridu Master". VIDEOS Video with White Cockatoo. Darryl Dikarrna Mago Solo Luxembourg 2005 5.3MB Video with White Cockatoo. TV4 Morningshow Sweden 2.54MB Studio performance. Stockholm 2001. Video with White Cockatoo at the Riddu Riddu Festival Norway 2005 9.5MB riddu.wmv Video with White Cockatoo. Radio Station Luxembourg 2005 6.1MB Video with Tiwi Warrior by Marshall Campion. Luxembourg 2005 10.9MB PRESS Quebec, Canada July 2003 ENGLISH TRANSLATION WHITE COCKATOO: THE TIME MACHINE In summer the Place D'Youville becomes home to the music of the world. There Arabs, Europeans and South Americans take the stage in a series of concerts without borders. But nothing prepares the festival goer for the powerful cultural impact that is delivered by the performance of White Cockatoo, a troupe of Australian aboriginals. These Aborigines have traversed half the planet and millenia for this performance. On the faces of the spectators astonishment quickly gives way to rapture. That's the beauty of the festival. There's really something going on here. On stage the men in costumes of feathers, ebony bodies painted white, perform one of the oldest traditions of song and dance, accompanied by the syncopated sound of the didjeridu, a tree hollowed out by termites, into which the player blows. Madame Labbe traveled especially to be present at this occasion, having witnessed the genre at a theatrical performance in Australia. "It's the real thing" she said marveling at the integrity and the authenticity of White Cockatoo, whose art remains unaltered by the passage of time and by any external influence. (Click on the images below to see these articles in Adobe Acrobat format)

Finland 2001	Finland 2001

Finland 2001	Womadelaide 2001	David Yirindilli at the National Aboriginal & T.S.I. Festival Canberra 2001
PHOTOS (Click on the photos below to see a larger copy) Technical Specifications WHITE COCKATOO TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 2004/5 1.SOUND 3 x vocal mikes on 3 x Boom stands 1 x Instrument mike (didjeridu) on a tall boom stand 1 x boom stand ..( to be used to support the didjeridu when it is played ) Gaffer tape X 1 roll 2 x Didj/vocal monitors Cd playback facility. 2. LIGHTING. No special lighting needs apart from a basic stage plot. 3. STAGE. The performers engage in vigorous bare foot dancing. The performers cannot dance on concrete or otherwise unprepared hard surfaces. The festival will provide and pay for a carpet approx 3m X 2m and two pieces of soft foam carpet underlay. This will be purchased from the nearest big hardware retail outlet by the White Cockatoo company manager on arrival. These are low cost items and the total cost will be approximately 50-70 Euros. Bottled still water (6 litres) must be available on stage. 4. TEMPERATURE The performers wear a minimum of clothes and cannot dance in a cold environment. The minimum temperature for a performance is 16 degrees C. 5. DRESSING ROOM The men's dressing room must be heated to a temperature of 24 degrees C. The dressing room must have a toilet and a shower with hot water. Bottled still water must be available in the dressing room. 6. OPTIONAL PROJECTED IMAGES OF ANIMALS AND ART/ROCK PAINTINGS In suitable venues (those with a scrim/or screen) where darkness can be achieved, the performance can take place in front of a series of slides projected on to a white scrim/screen or backdrop. The performance is illuminated by the projected images, with some additional stage lighting. (Back projection is also possible.) White Backdrop 4m x 4m. (To be hung in the middle of the stage directly behind the performers) Slide projector with rotary carousel (with remote operation) 1 x experienced projector technician to set up and ensure the projector functions.