Forward January 2019 | Page 29

PR E PA R ATORY S C HO OL Puppets take centre stage at Dookoorniny Concert Following the success of the 2017 Dookoorniny project, all Year 5 and 6 students had the opportunity to participate in the 2018 project, creating an amazing musical puppet show with some larger than life puppets, set on the banks of the Swan River. The students, led by the Year 5 and 6 teachers, our Indigenous Program Coordinator, staff from the music and art departments and visiting artists had three days to plan, create and perform a set of stories based on the theme of creation. On day 1 the team gathered in the Foundation Pavilion for a project briefing before splitting into class groups and working on the different aspects of the project. These included; dance and movement, puppet making, music composition, advertising and marketing and stage management. The students were responsible for all aspects of the performance, from start to finish. On day 2 the groups continued to work in their class groups, working through the program and choosing the areas of the project they wanted to be involved with. On day 3, the final day of the project, the students worked together to finalise everything in preparation for the family concert at the Boat Shed, on the banks of the Swan River. Rehearsals started after lunch, while the stage crew set up the staging and prepared the site for the concert. By 5.30pm all students were backstage and ready for the show to start at 6.00pm. The 2018 Dookoorniny Concert was nothing short of spectacular, with musicians from the West Australian Symphony Orchestra performing the students’ compositions, while an amazing puppet show unfolded on the banks of the Swan River, on a perfect spring evening. We wish to thank all of the visiting artists who helped our students to create and perform this beautiful concert. From our students Puppeteering The group that I chose to be involved in was puppeteering, led by Karen and Lisa. We worked on the puppets from Term 3 until the final night. They were mainly made out of bamboo sticks, wires and fabric, but they also had other little accessories. The puppet crew consisted of a Yonga (Kangaroo), Waich (Emu) and the Walich (Eagle). There were also 30 corellas, a small girl puppet, and an old grandmother puppet. I was lucky enough to be inside the Yonga and controlled the puppet during the show. It sat on my back like a giant backpack. There was a string that I pulled to make the head of the Yonga nod, and I could pull the Yonga down so that it looked like it was eating on the ground. I had two other people on my sides controlling the legs so it looked like it was bouncing, and I also had two other people to help me make sure that I didn’t crash into anything! The Waich had a super long neck that was controlled by Daniel. The neck was very bendy and it could bend down to the ground. The Waich was HUGE! It took six people to hold it up and it had a wingspan of roughly six metres! Puppeteering was an AMAZING experience and I would definitely do it again! Emma Pittman 29