8/3/2019 Reading The Chooky Dancers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/reading-the-chooky-dancers 1/2

THE CHOOKY DANCERS

Ten Young Aboriginal men, covered in White facial paint and dressed in traditional clothes, are on stage.

The crowd is quiet and respectful as they wait for the men to begin a traditional Aboriginal dance depicting

a tale from the “Dreamtime”  –the Aboriginal story of creation. A techno version of the theme song from

the 1964 film Zorba the Greek begins to play, surprising the audience. They go wild, watching the dancers

moving to the music. This fusion of Aboriginal and Greek cultures is both innovative and hilarious. Unknown

to everyone, this is the start of something big for the Chooky Dancers of Elcho Island, located off the coastof Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Dance, used for telling stories about Dreamtime, has always been an important aspect of Aboriginal

culture. For Aborigines, Dreamtime was when the world was created by massive creatures that looked like

animals, plants and insects. As the creatures roamed the world in search of food and water, they created

the mountains, valleys and plains. These mythical creatures then passed on their wisdom to the Aborigines,

who protected their heritage and traditional way of life through various ceremonies, songs and dances still

practiced to this day.

For young people growing up in remote parts of Australia, such as Elcho Island, their heritage is very

important. However, they are not cut off from other cultures. Modern technologies, such as the Internet,

with its ability to reach the most remote places on the planet, have exposed the Aborigines to other

cultures and vice versa. In2007, the world was introduced to the Chooky Dancers, who uploaded their

version of   Zorba the Greek onto YouTube. Their success was instantaneous  –“These boys came from

nowhere, and after 12 months they are celebrities themselves,”   –explained their manager, Frank

Djirrimbilpilwuy.

The magic of the Chooky Dancers is their ability to combine traditional Aboriginal dance with music and

dance styles from other cultures. They are also very funny to watch. The Chooky Dancers’ success has given

young Aboriginal teen agers throughout Australia a sense of pride and enthusiasm

1.  Choose the correct answer.

1. The audience is going wild because …. 

a.  They love techno music b. they love the film Zorba the Greek c. the performance is both

unexpected and humorous.

2. The dancers… 

a. are expected to become famous b.didn’t know that they were about to become famous

c. were famous in Greece

2. Decide if the following sentences are True or False. Find evidence in the text to justify your answers.

1. Aborigines believe that massive creatures created the “Dreamtime”.

2. Mythical creatures gave their knowledge to the Aborigines.

3. People on Elcho Island are not exposed to other cultures.

3. Complete the sentence using the information given in the text.

By uploading their video onto YouTube….

4. Answer the question.

According to the writer, what is the Chooky Dancers’ greatest success?

8/3/2019 Reading The Chooky Dancers

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/reading-the-chooky-dancers 2/2

5. Find words or expressions in the text that mean:

1. combination (paragraph 1)

2. funny (paragraph1)

3. travelled (paragraph 2)

4. isolated (paragraph 3)

KEY TO ACTIVITIES

1.  1. C 2. B

2.  2. 1. False “as the creatures roamed the world […]they created the mountains, valleys and

plains” 2. True “These mythical creatures then passed on their wisdom to the Aborigines” 3.

False “They (young people from Elcho Island) are not cut off from other cultures” 3.  ….they could become famous all over the world / … they became celebrities

4.  The author thinks that their success Is the funny mix between traditional Aboriginal dance with

other styles, for example techno. (last paragraph)

5.  1. Fusion 2. Hilarious 3.roamed 4.remote