Deadly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Dance

Once a year, in Laura (Queensland Australia), some Aborigines and Torres Strait tribes from Cape York and beyond meet for 3 days of traditional music and dancing.

Yidinyji Aboriginal Dancers, Cairns region
Performance of Yidinyji men and boys, from the Cairns region. They carry the large wooden shields, typical of the rainforest Aboriginal groups of this region. In this dance the traditional making of fire is depicted; at the Laura Aboriginal Dance Festival, Cape York, in Far North Queensland, Australia.


This 1988 film shows some of the songs and dances of the Lardil people of Mornington Island and the Borroloola community. Of particular interest is the use of the overtone note in the didgeridoo accompaniment. The sugarbag (Wild Honey) dance with didgeridoo accompaniment is one of the more popular dances performed by Aboriginal groups in Queensland, NSW and Victoria today.