DARWIN FESTIVAL: Gapu Ŋupan (Chasing the Rainbow)

Name: DARWIN FESTIVAL: Gapu Ŋupan (Chasing the Rainbow)
Start: 2026-08-06T19:00:00+09:30
Location: Darwin City Civic Park

Schedule

Thu, 06 Aug, 2026 at 07:00 pm

UTC+09:30

Location

Darwin City Civic Park | Darwin, NT

A coming together of artists across borders and ancestry.
Weaving together Yolŋu songlines from North East Arnhem Land and storytelling from Paiwan and Amis artists from Taiwan, Gapu Ŋupan offers a rare glimpse into ancient cultures forging a future vision.
Created over five years of cross-cultural collaboration in a powerful seamless unity, Gapu Ŋupan resounds with pride in culture and deep nourishment in spirit and connection. Seasoned performers and artists from Bangarra Dance Theatre and Yothu Yindi intersect with spine-tingling songs in Paiwan language, stunning costumes and traditional instruments. Set against a background of striking videos, come on a journey to Country with dance, song, live instrumentation and exquisite costuming.
Co-artistic director and composer of the show, Suming Rupi, is a multi-award-winning Amis singer-songwriter, actor, artist and dancer, and the founder of Taiwan's largest Indigenous music festival. Suming's work reflects the development of his own Indigenous culture within contemporary society.
Co-artistic director and choreographer is the NT’s Rachael Wallis, a former member of Bangarra Dance Theatre and esteemed contemporary First Nations dancer and choreographer with over 30 years of experience. This performance showcases her work as Artistic Director of Miku Performing Arts – a company that employs First Nations artists to share and preserve ancient knowledge through performance.
Custodian of the Rirratjingu cultural knowledge for this captivating work is Banula Marika, a respected artist and founding member of Bangarra and Yothu Yindi, with more than 40 years’ experience performing as a Songman, dancer and actor. A Yolŋu man from Yirrkala, North East Arnhem Land, teaching and sharing the songlines and knowledge of Yolŋu culture is both a passion and an honour for him.
Following its critically acclaimed world premiere season at Asia TOPA 2025, don't miss Gapu Ŋupan in its return home to the NT.