Reply With QuoteYes, they are very good.Originally Posted by moose
Found this on another forum.
This must surely define multiculturaism at its finest!
Video of Multiculturalism - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
It is not often that our Elcho Island like this would be so well received by the Greeks on their version of the dance.
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Elcho Island dancers take 'Yolngu Zorba' to the world
By Anne Barker
Posted Fri Nov 2, 2007 3:49pm AEDT
The Zorba dance interpretation has already attracted 40,000 hits on the internet video web site YouTube (YouTube)
A group of traditional dancers from Arnhem Land has become a sudden smash hit on the internet, with their unique interpretation of Zorba the Greek.
The 10 Yolngu dancers on Elcho Island have decided that dancing is the ideal antidote to unemployment.
Their Zorba dance has gone around the world, and even been screened in a public square in Greece.
The offers are now coming in for the group to perform at music festivals.
They are called the Chooky Dancers, a group of young men and boys from Elcho Island, and their interpretation of the Greek Zorba is taking the internet world by storm.
At the recent Ramingining Festival in Arnhem Land, there was not a Greek tunic in sight.
Instead the dancers were like black stick figures, dressed only in loincloths and ceremonial paint. But their performance was captivating and very funny.
Frank Djirrimbilpilwuy's son Lionel, who is 19, is the lead dancer who came up with the idea of fusing modern Yolngu dance with the Greek Zorba.
"The crowd just loved it, you know. If it's three o'clock in the morning, if it's two o'clock in the morning, the crowd just loved them," he said.
"They just pick up whatever style or tune they like to pick, you know, as long as it's a fast moving type, up-tempo music style with a lot of rhythm.
"They do it at home, just to keep themselves busy and fit, and main thing is to keep themselves away from boredom."
International audience
This recording of the dance was uploaded to the YouTube website a few days ago. Already, it has had 40,000 hits.
It has even made its way to the island of Kastelorizo in Greece, where a cafe owner screened it in the local square.
"They said that they got it off the YouTube and put it on their town square," Mr Djirrimbilpilwuy said.
"They have a big screen where hundreds of people go through the, past the street every day and they had a look at it and the crowd just loved it."
But the Chooky Dancers are about more than just fun.
Mr Djirrimbilpilwuy says the 10 young men are important role models for other youngsters facing a life of unemployment, drugs or ill health.
"The statistics in Aboriginal communities is appalling, and we're trying to upgrade or we're trying educate people to promote healthy living in the community," he said.
Now on the strength of the YouTube performance, the Elcho Islanders have been invited to dance at a festival in Canberra in February.
Lilian Gomatos, organiser of Darwin's own Greek festival, Glenti, is determined to have them perform there next year.
"The idea of Glenti is to bring out Greek culture to the wider community, and it is wonderful to incorporate the Aboriginal culture or any other culture into our Glent," she said.
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