‘The Honouring’

An award winning solo dance and embodied theatre production, envisioned, choreographed and performed by Jackie Sheppard.

The Honouring is an exploration on death and dying in the First Nations community. Told through the lens, and lived experience of Jackie Sheppard, the work interrogates themes of suicide, the want to die and finding the will to live. Through speaking unapologetically, viscerally & tenderly to the "wounded within", Jackie honours the collective capacity of First Nations peoples to discover deep love and healing amidst incomprehensible loss and colonial violence. The Honouring had its world premiere at Yirramboi festival 2019 @ the La Mama Courthouse Theatre; and had its evolution into a new iteration for FRAME Festival – A Biennial of Dance, 2023. (Commissioned & platformed by Arts House).

Video: Einwick

'River Mantra' excerpt.

A dance ritual & performance and research piece, performed in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, at ARTJOG, Yogyakarta as a part of the Victorian College of the Arts and ISI University & ARTJOG cultural collaboration and immersion tour.
'River Mantras'', is a dance ritual and performance piece about awakening from the shadow body, and meeting oneself for the first time. The piece explores in awakening of stories of deep time through the embodied consciousness, giving rise to the ceremony of healing through Ancestral wisdoms.

Wild Australia - Men in Chains' is a roving installation piece invisioned by Jackie Sheppard, and perormed by Sermsah Bin Saad, Benjamin Creek and Jackie Sheppard. 'Wild Australia - Men in Chains was performed at Yirramboi Festival, 2017.

Wild Australia - Men in Chains' is a roving installation piece invisioned by Jackie Sheppard, and perormed by Sermsah Bin Saad, Benjamin Creek and Jackie Sheppard. 'Wild Australia - Men in Chains was performed at Yirramboi Festival, 2017.

'Wild Australia - Men in Chains' is a roving procession of 3 performers who walked along Swantston Street in Meblourne City, in ceremonial paint up, shackled and chained to each other by the neck. They would walk in a start and eery silence, until out of thin air a haunting chant woudl be struck and the three performers would harmonise a creative emulation of the wailing and grieving cried that the old people to used to (and still do) practice.

The piece responded to a story of First Nations men, women & children who were taken by a man named Archibald Meston, from the Gulf in Queensland, the Northern Territory, Cape York and other partis of Queensland. They were toured along the East Coast of so-called "Autsralia" as a savage sideshow. Rumour jad it that one or more of the "troup" were chained and shackled during the tour. Later evidence points to a contrary version of events to this.

Wild Australia -Men in Chains is a punchy and unapologetic statement piece that draws parralels to early colonial and modern chaining and shackling that is forced upon First Nations people.

Image Credit: Ali MC

Transition Country is a new dance theatre concept by Jackie Sheppard exploring the body as a cultural landscape. Through identity-expansive perspectives & First Nations motifs, Jackie interrogates the conflicts of a cultural body in transition - displaced, objectified, mis-managed & reclaimed. Jackie probes this process of integration by exploring ‘Land Back’ revolutions through embodiment. The presentation places importance on the creative process, inspired by Jackie’s ongoing research in land-based choreographic inquiry. 

This footage is a part of a creastivd development sgaring as a aprt of the Lucy Guerin Inc. Out of Bounds program, 2024.