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	NEWS RELEASE

We need rain - Indigenous rain dance
at the Australian National Botanic Gardens

Local indigenous dance group, the Wiradjuri Echoes, will perform a preview of their rain dance at the Australian National Botanic Gardens on Thursday 12 October.

The first full public performance of the rain dance will take place at the free Water Expo Family Funday at the Australian National Botanic Gardens on Sunday 15 October. The Family Funday is a free community event presented by ACTEW Corporation and the Australian National Botanic Gardens, as part of National Water Week.

The Wiradjuri Echoes are led by Duncan Smith, and include four of his children. The origin of the dance is an appeasement for the ‘Creator’ (the Sky) known as ‘Biami’, so that he will drop rain to the earth. The dance is also performed to make a connection between the sky and ‘Mother Earth’.

The Family Funday program includes entertainment by local bands the Blues Cowgirls and Funk Shui, arts and crafts, storytelling, water games and guided tours of the Botanic Gardens. There will also be water conservation displays and a speaker’s tent featuring talks about water efficient garden design.

Full details are available at www.anbg.gov.au/anbg/events/ACTEW-water-expo-2006/index.html

Media contact: Sabrina Sonntag
Australian National Botanic Gardens
(02) 6250 9538
0431 184 787
sabrina.sonntag@deh.gov.au