‘The River Remembers: Wiradjuri Fish Traps and Water Knowledge’:
Dance Workshop with Burrundi Theatre
Speaking Place, Saturday 24th October, Piccolo Family Farm
This interactive cultural dance workshop explores the traditional fish trap and river channel systems of Wiradjuri Country in the Riverina region of New South Wales. Participants learn how Aboriginal people used sophisticated environmental knowledge to work with waterways seasonal flows, and fish migration patterns for thousands of years. Through storytelling, movement, dance, rhythm, and collaborative group activities, participants physically explore the design principles of fish traps, the movement of water, community cooperation, and the cultural responsibilities associated with caring for Country.
This workshop is on offer to dancers of both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal backgrounds.
$80 per person
Ticket includes Saturday workshop, and welcome coffee on arrival and lunch, admission to the Speaking Place Festival on Sunday 25th October, where participants will showcase their newfound skills for the community.
Speaking Place workshops are for participants aged over 16 years. Participants aged under 18 years will require a guardian’s acknowledgement on waiver form.
Optional extra: Speaking Place dinner on the evening of Saturday 24th October, $60 per person
Join us for the Speaking Place dinner; an opportunity to network with other Speaking Place workshop participants and facilitators, presentations and keynote addresses.
Support: Western Riverina Arts is generously offering full sponsorship to 2x participants to attend one of the 5 Speaking Place workshops. To apply, fill out the EOI form (link in our bio), applications close Friday 28th August.
Burrundi Theatre for Performing Arts is an Aboriginal/First Nations company grounded in grassroots cultural survival. Guided by Wiradjuri philosophy and Yindyamarra — respect, humility, and honour — we create, develop, and present work that preserves and strengthens cultural knowledge, stories, and artistic practice.
Founder and Artistic Director Kerry Johnson (Yiradyuri, Gadigal & Yorta Yorta) is a graduate of Aboriginal Dance Theatre Redfern and NAISDA. Her journey began on Gadigal Country in 1986, grounded in the enduring values of sovereignty and self-determination.
With over three decades in the arts sector, Founder and Artistic Director Kerry Johnson has built a strong foundation as a performer, choreographer, and cultural leader. Her journey has shaped a vision for an authentic, community-led organisation that uses culture and the arts as a pathway for healing, connection, and change.
Through specialised cultural and performing arts programs, we create spaces for learning and connection, nurturing grassroots communities and guiding the next generation of cultural custodians with identity, strength, and belonging. By drawing on cultural systems, we extend our reach across diverse sectors, creating meaningful pathways in training, employment, and creative development, while advocating for strong and authentic cultural representation.
About Speaking Place
On the inspiring grounds of Piccolo Family Farm, a series of arts workshops and seminars are facilitated by skilled professional makers and artists across various unique creative disciplines. The workshops will centre around the concept of Place, and how makers and creatives evoke and communicate Place through their craft. Throughout the day, facilitators and participants have the opportunity to gather with the other participants, fostering creative networking and the exchange of ideas and thoughtful conversation.
Speaking Place was founded to provide access to world-class artistic skills for regional audiences. It also has a strong focus on ongoing impact, encouraging further creative collaboration and artistic exploration beyond the Speaking Place weekend.
‘Place’ is a generous topic of exploration. It gives artists and audiences an infinite world of discussion and discovery of how their craft ‘speaks place’ and opens them up to a journey of creative understanding and collaboration.
The Regional Arts Fund is an Australian Government initiative that supports sustainable cultural development in regional, remote and very remote Australia.
The project was made possible by the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, provided through Regional Arts Australia and Regional Arts NSW.
With additional thanks to
