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DanceModern dance pioneer Gertrud Bodenwieser choreographed Waltzing Matilda in 1954, a dance play in three acts about the early Australian settlers, during a period in her Australian career when she turned to ‘outback’ themes. The original score was by Werner Baer based on the melody by Marie Cowan, and the verse was by Graham McDonald. Bodenwieser's scenario took the traditional story of the swagman who stole a jumbuck and was captured by troopers as its starting point, but set it within the wider context of what she saw as the intellectual and industrial growth of Australia. It was a memorial to survival in harsh conditions and to an idea of progress that did not deny its roots in hard work. Original manuscript and graphic material about this dance play is found in the National Library at MS9263. See also www.nla.gov.au/ms/findaids/9263.html |
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