Perceiving and Expressing Place: Site-Specific Performance by a White Sheila

This paper explores the ways in which site-specific dance performances can tease out some of the less conscious aspects of our belonging or not belonging in Australian landscapes. While working with a group of Gunditjmara dancers from south-western Victoria in 2003, the author realized how much their dance practice enhanced their connection to particular places. She decided to see if her own dance practice could help overcome a shallow sense of belonging and so, for her PhD, she developed two performances in particular sites in the Melbourne region. Audiences attending these performances are taken on a journey of discovery designed to provoke deep reflection about the places in which we dwell. The paper argues that this is a form of ‘active art ’ that can contribute to the broader public discourse on Australian identity. Keyword