Sharing our culture with the world

Elwyn Henaway (left) and members of The Guruman will perform at the National Theatre of Scotland’s ‘Home Away Theatre Beyond Borders’ event in October.

Metro North Hospital and Health Service Cultural Capability Officer Elwyn Henaway and his dance troupe, The Guruman, will perform in Glasgow next month as part of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Home Away – Theatre Beyond Borders arts festival.
The Guruman, named after the Butchella word for Kangaroo, will perform in the one-hour theatre show, Gunyal Scar, with eight fellow Indigenous performers.

The dance troupe recently returned from Los Angeles where they featured in the annual Australia Zoo fundraising gala with the Irwin family.
Elwyn rubbed shoulders with Terri Irwin, Olivia Newton-John and other celebrities in a trip he described as a great opportunity for culture sharing.
“We had a six-minute segment on stage performing traditional songs and dance to an audience of 200 people, mostly Americans,” he said.

“We told them stories about our role in conservation and preservation through our traditional customs, including hunting and gathering.

“We even managed to encourage Robert Irwin to join us on stage for a performance. He was awesome, performing as a crocodile and he really touched my heart with his enthusiasm and willingness to join in.”

This isn’t the first time Elwyn has travelled overseas playing the didgeridoo. He performed at The Vatican in Rome for the canonisation of Australia’s first saint, Mary MacKillop, and in Thailand as part of the UN Convention on Indigenous Peoples.

He said Gunyal Scar explored the cultural practice, identity and dreaming of contemporary urban Aboriginal Australia.

“It’s a journey through traditional and contemporary dance and language, crafted into a beautiful explosion of life, culture and the ever-beckoning cry of the old people for the next generation to listen to the stories that make them who they are,” he said.

Elwyn also maintains strong local community connections, performing at this year’s Ekka each night at the Main Arena, and working with schools and community groups in Zillmere.