The Woodfork Folk Festival is working towards completion of a brand new 15-metre earth stage before the event starting on December 27.
The ambitious new development will feature a giant three-metre bamboo crocodile and underwater special effects.
The stage is being built where the pond at the centre of the festival precinct stood. The pond has been drained, wildlife relocated and work has commenced to reconstruct the area damaged with tonnes of slit caused by the recent Queensland floods.
Festival director Bill Hauritz said, “It’s the view from our ceremonial bell and it’s a favourite place for people to congregate, connect and relax. From a performance perspective, we wanted to bring the audience much closer to the performers for a more intimate theatre experience, and produce a precious cultural performance, which befits the space.”
Two Indigenous dance groups from the Pormpuraaw and Injinoo clans from the very top of Cape York will travel to Woodford to perform a spectacle of ancestral dance, traditional song and sound against a stunning backdrop of traditional artwork and sculpture, on the new Village Green stage, surrounded by water.
“It’s going to be a must-see feature of our festival. These dancers perform with an intensity of precise timing, focus and spiritual energy which will transform this new and quite spectacular venue,” says producer, Kate McDonald.
Artists appearing at the Woodford Folk Festival for 2013 include Clare Bowditch, Tim Finn and Beth Orton.
The Woodford Folk Festival will take place at Woodfordia on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast from December 27 to January 1.
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