UPDATES on our STATUS , Funding, Timelines and more
CHARACTERS
→ Chloé Pisco, the instigator of all of this. Me. She has lucid dreamt of whales and dolphins, even becoming one, since she was a child. She chased her dream of connection, communicating and expressing herself with whales, into reality.
→ Tyrel Dulvarie - Ex Bangarra Dancer and a proudly from Gimuy, he is a descendant of the Yirrganydji, Djirrabul, Kalkadoon and Umpila peoples.
→ Yolanda Lowatta - Ex Bangarra Dancer and a proud Giedi woman born on Thursday Island. She is a descendant of Yam Island in the Torres Strait and is also of Papua New Guinean and Fijian heritage.
→ Waangenga Blanco -
(The above three dancers are coincidentally also featured heavily in the Netflix distributed film Firestarter about Bangarra dance company.)
→ Jilli Balu Riley is a Djabugay and Muluridji man from the Kuranda area of Far North “so called” Queensland, Australia. He is an acrobat for C!RCA, a dancer and even a self taught free diver who spearfished since he was young.
→ Guy Ritani - Proud Takatapui Māori non binary, artist, dancer, activist, designer and permaqueer educator from Aotearoa ( New Zealand.)
→ Dominique “Domi” Abraham - A Papuan New Guinean Australian woman, International teacher of freediving for Molchanov, underwater mermaid performer and safety diver. Her passion for meditation, relaxation and vagus nerve releases / somatic experiencing all inform her teaching practice in free diving.
She will be our underwater mama. Her partner Harry, also a safety free diver and excellent teacher and their two year old will be onboard also. They are all the sweetest people you have ever met.. Harry sings endless songs to little Oshi everynight and Oshi loves to swim and dance and sing.
Domi will and Harry will teach all the dancers to freedive safely.
→ Freedive champion Amber Bourke - Incredible multiple record holding freediving World champion from Brisbane, and free diver.
→ Our whale, neurochemistry and Indigenous experts
→ Some of the many indigenous advisers
- All artists participating will have editorial power over their image and sound.
- Dalisa Pigram - a proud Yawuru/Bardi woman and Artistic co - director of MARRUGEKU company - Sydney/ Broome
- Rachael Maza - A proud Yidinji from North Queensland, Meriam from the Torres Strait Island of Mer, and Dutch on her mother’s side. Rachael is Artistic Director of ILBIJERRI Theatre Company.
Expert Discussions:
- Alexis Pauline Gumbs - Confirmed : Author of Undrowned: BLACK FEMINIST LESSONS from MARINE MAMMALS.
- Dr Nan Hauser - Confirmed: President & Director of the Center for Cetacean Research & Conservation Marine biologist in the Cook islands, whose life was saved by a humpback whale.
- Tyson Yunkapota - Approached: Author of SAND TALK: How indigenous thinking can save the world.
- Meleika Gesa-Fatafehi - Confirmed: a Torres Strait Islander and Tongan storyteller whose writing work focuses on poetry and climate change.
- Vanessa Woods and Brian Hare - Approached: Authors of Survival of the Friendliest.
- Paul Watson - Confirmed: Co - Founder of Greenpeace and founder of Sea Shepherd who's entire life was changed by the altruism of a whale.
- Katie Payne - Approached: First to recognise the whale sounds were actual song/ music and co producer of Songs of the Humpback Whale 1970.
- Philip Wollen: Confirmed: Animal advocate and philanthropist, co founder of Sea shepherd Australia.
- Tentative and delicate research is ongoing to establish exactly what sharing of which knowledge, from a long list of indigenous elders recognised as having specific connections with whales, is appropriate and safe for them to share, (from Australia, Tonga and some from North America.)
We wish to acknowledge the Butchulla people, the Yugambeh people, the clans that make up the Bundjalung Nations, the Turrbal and Yaggera people, as original custodians of the lands and seas where we often work.
Places where stories, culture and art have been made and shared for millennia. Recognising their ancestors, as well as past, current and future elders; whose sovereign country was never ceded.
Australia always was, and always will be, aboriginal land.