Deaf in dance

NAIDOC Week - Sue Frank - Wagadagam and Badulgal

Hi my name is Sue Frank and I am in Cairns.

Do you express or share your culture through art or dance?

I am Torres Strait Islander, and I have been the first President of DIDG (Deaf Indigenous Dance Group) for the past 25 years and we perform and share dance, art, and culture as a group. We travel all over Australia. When I was younger, at age 18, I performed with the DIDG in the 1999 World Federation of the Deaf Congress. It was our first time showing our performance and our cultural identity.

Do you see your Deaf and Indigenous identities as separate or integral?

I am proud to be Deaf Indigenous myself. I identify with the Deaf Indigenous mob as well as the Deaf community.

Do you know any Indigenous signs?

I use Auslan in my community, as well as my language and culture.

The theme of NAIDOC Week in 2022 is “Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!”. What does this mean to you? How can we recognise, celebrate and support this theme?

The theme of NAIDOC Week, “Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!” reinforces the importance of role models for our youth, to learn about their culture from their Elders and to preserve their culture for future generations.

NAIDOC Week - Floyd Villaflor - Bama Murri

My name is Floyd Villaflor, and I was born in Cairns. I was part of the DIDG before, but I will be returning to the group this year.

How do you recognise and celebrate NAIDOC Week?

NAIDOC Week is a great time to meet family and friends, and other Deaf people, and to perform dances.

Do you express or share your culture through art or dance?

I used to be the President of the DIDG, but this year I now dance with the mob.

NAIDOC Week - Aviu Ware - Mug Village, Mua Island in Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait)

Hi, my name is Aviu Ware, and I am from Mua Island in Torres Strait. I live in Cairns now.

Do you express or share your culture through art or dance?

I used to work in Babinda creating Aboriginal art including didgeridoo and boomerangs. I then moved to Mua Island and worked in construction, building warehouses, and then fishing for crayfish and crocodiles. I now work as a gardener for a nursery in Cairns. I played Deaf football for Queensland versus NSW.

I am an experienced dancer for DIDG, travelling all over Australia and sharing our cultural arts.

Do you see your Deaf and Indigenous identities as separate or integral?

I am part of the Deaf Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, and both identities are the same for me.

NAIDOC Week - Clifford Johnson - Waanyai and Yirriganyai

Hello! My name is Clifford and I live in Cairns. I come from the Yirriganyai mob.

Do you express or share your culture through art or dance?

I have been dancing for 3 years with the Tjapukai Dance group and I love doing that. The DIDG is a Deaf mob performing Aboriginal art, dance and singing for 25 years.

NAIDOC Week - Shadrach Sales-Gramham - Kulillii / Wadja-Wadji / Iama-Iama

Hi, my name is Shadrach and I am Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, from the Wadja-Wadji mob located in the Southern rocks near Woorabinda. I am also from the Kulillii mob from NSW.

Do you express or share your culture through art or dance?

I currently work in IT support and teach others how to use IT and film editing. At night, I work as a chef. I am the Vice President of DIDG, and encourage and mentor youth through dance all over Australia. As a young person, I can relate with other youth and help inspire them to be part of our culture and develop their Indigenous identity. I hope one day to be involved with the World Federation of the Deaf, and travel around the world and learn more about different languages and cultures, and meet other Deaf youth.

Do you see your Deaf and Indigenous identities as separate or integral?

I am part of the Deaf community and Deaf Indigenous community, but I grew up in the hearing Indigenous community and that is where I learned about my culture and dance, and continue our tradition. Being part of the Deaf community helped with social interactions and learning language. I belong to two different worlds.

NAIDOC Week - Nathaniel Murray-Fourmile - Gimuy Walubara Yidinji

Hey, my name is Nathaniel and I am from Cairns, Yidinji Land.

Do you express or share your culture through art or dance?

I work as a gardener, scaling up trees to prune or cut tall trees. Sometimes it can be difficult doing hard work on very tall trees! I am also part of DIDG and perform different Indigenous dance and art such as body paint, along with hearing Indigenous people.