Back Home in Bidyadanga: Term 1 Highlights
Written by g-oz Instructor, Alice Turner
Our first trip to Bidyadanga for 2024 was fantastic! The energy from the La Grange Remote Community School students was infectious, and the highlight for our team was the tuneful singing and confident dancing.
We began learning a community song called ‘Back Home in Bidyadanga’, from John Bennett’s album ‘Country is Calling’. As a man from Bidyadanga, Bennett’s song reflects on his hometown on Karrajarri Country. Our senior students were very familiar with the song and were excited to help our Instructors teach it. Participant Jane helped g-oz Instructor Simone to fill in the lyrics.
Much like our g-oz Instructors, the La Grange students absolutely loved any activity that had them grooving and moving, so we practiced using our bodies to make different shapes. Our younger students loved the dance ‘Check-Meowt’, which was choreographed by REDed and g-oz Instructor Dale Pope, and used their big voices to sing each and every word.
With our younger students, we spent time playing with scarves and reading story books. The g-oz participants loved learning songs about the ocean or different farm animals on Old MacDonald’s farm. A special favourite included a song titled ‘Little Shell’, where the students imagined they were listening to the sounds of the ocean through a seashell.
“I loved how creative the students were in each session, singing out loud and proud and giving each activity a go. I can’t wait to be back in Term 2 for more singing, dancing and connection with the community”- g-oz instructor Alice Turner
We were so thrilled when our g-oz girls performed a fun and vibrant REDed dance ‘Rio’ at their school assembly. Dancing in front of your entire school takes a lot of courage, but the g-oz girls were absolute superstars. The dance includes a tricky floor section that the students executed with ease. Following on from the success of the assembly performance, g-oz Instructors Grace, Simone and Alice spent an evening singing and dancing on the beach with the students and teachers. The week concluded with the La Grange Swimming Carnival, where many of our g-oz girls received a medal as the overall winner in their year level. Our g-oz Instructors also managed to jump in the pool and help with the races.
