Takbing Siwaliya from Makassar performs at the 4th Symposium on Indigenous Performance at Gulkula. Photo: J. Dunn, 2006.

The Symposium on Indigenous Music and Dance is an annual event where partners in the NRP meet to their share ideas and experiences.

2007 | 2002–2006

2007

The 6th Symposium on Indigenous Music and Dance was convened in Darwin, 17–18 August 2007, by Prof. Allan Marett
in partnership with Charles Darwin University and the Darwin Festival.

Presentations at this Symposium set a new benchmark in communicating the breadth and immediacy of current approaches to recording and researching Indigenous music and dance within the broad aims of the NRP.

2002–2006

The NRP was conceived as a result of the 1st Symposium on Indigenous Music and Dance in 2002 which was convened at Gunyaŋara during the 4th Garma Festival through partnership between the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne and the Yothu Yindi Foundation.

Funded by AIATSIS, this inaugural Symposium resolved that community, academic and industry partners should collaborate to ensure that:

• as many discreet performance repertoires as possible are recorded and held for future generations,
• Indigenous Knowledge Centres and similar digital archives are established to support local access to all data generated, and
• these materials are made available to community health, education, governance and business initiatives as appropriate.

From 2002–2005, the Symposium was convened in conjunction with the Garma Festival by Prof. Allan Marett, Prof. Marcia Langton and Dr Mandawuy Yunupiŋu with the Symposium’s Secretary, Dr Aaron Corn, convening in 2006.

Symposium highlights include:

• the official launch of the NRP by Dr Mandawuy Yunupiŋu in 2004,
• performances and workshops by the world-renowned Bauls of Bengal in 2004,
• the revisitation of centuries of pre-colonial trans-Torres contact through performances and workshops by Takbing Siwaliya from Makassar in 2005, and
• the premiere of Crossing Roper Bar by the Australian Art Orchestra and Yolŋu musicans from
  Ngukurr in 2006.