ARTS ABLAZE
Our First Outer-Region Performance
At the end of October, 2019, our incredible Outback communities were tasked with showcasing to the rest of Queensland just how talented our region really is at the art conference, Arts Ablaze - and it's safe to say, they knocked the ball straight out of the park with their performances of our wearable art fashion show, Dress the Central West!
Outback Pride
After a 15-hour bus drive from the West to the coastal valley of Scenic Rim, our team of models, supervisors, and the amazing hair and makeup artists Kate Dare from Beauty and Beyond Barcaldine and Annalise Maraz from @hairbyannalise.m finally touched down at around 10pm. But with the strong, resilient country attitudes our region is known for, our group's enthusiasm and excitement lasted to the day we made our trek back to the Outback - don't believe me? Just look at the photos we captured of the week!
Amongst art conferences and workshops, our teams were busy with days full of makeup and hair artistry by our regional talent Kate Dare and Annalise Marez. A woman of many hats, Annalise created our avant-garde hairstyles and then donned one of our community made wearable art dresses to walk to the catwalk with our models. Can you spot her in the Dress the Central West lineup? From us at Red Ridge, we can't thank our models, Kate Dare or Annalise Marez enough for the incredible show they put on for Queensland!
Unity
And isn't it amazing what can happen with the power of community? While the Dress the Central West garments we brought to the Coastal stage revolved around our Indigenous communities and their culture, our stay in Mununjali country was made even more special when Mitchell Harrison-Currie of Mununjali country dance troupe performed with us! In a beautiful connection of culture, respect and most importantly fun, Mitchell and his team transformed Dress the Central West into a moving celebration of belonging and unity. Thank you Mitchell and the rest of your team for welcoming us to Mununjali country, and for your amazing performance - come out West and celebrate with us anytime!
Last but not least, thank you to Wayne Kite and partner Paula for the outstanding musical performance that told the story of our garments in a way we'll never forget. The word outstanding doesn't really describe the amount of emotion and power you brought to the table, nor the seemingly effortless way you both weaved the stories of our dresses together in an overall tale of our communities' heritage. Regardless, you certainly had the audience enraptured the moment your instruments began to play!
With such an overwhelming weekend full of fun, laughter and memories that will stay with us forever, we couldn't be prouder of the way our team showed the rest of Queensland just how special our region is. Here's to many, many more performances in the future!
