An all-female youth group from Wellington, in western New South Wales, will perform at this year's Enlighten Festival in the nation's capital, following an inspirational debut at the regional town's Springfest last year.
Ranging from 11 to 16 years of age, the Galaxy Girls are set to 'bring the sound down' to Canberra by performing an original piece at the annual art and light festival.
With cave stalactite-inspired, neon glowing costumes, immersive stage design and artistic installations, audiences will be transported to a magical world, all evoked by the sights and sounds of the Wellington Caves, and enhanced by these talented young women’s imagination, their strong connection to land, and an appreciation of the rich tapestry of sound provided by their home town’s animal, bird and insect life, both real and imagined.
The Galaxy Girls, a large proportion identifying as Wiradjuri, have come together through the Barnados Reconnect Program, a welfare program that connects young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Together, they've conceived, recorded, choreographed and composed an original piece, with the mentoring and technical guidance from Signal Creative, a mentoring initiative designed to support female musicians, with a focus on artists living in regional and remote communities.
Signal Creative Co-Director, Caroline Wallace, says the process has provided the Galaxy Girls to connect to their heritage.
"Creating Neon Caves has been an experience which throughout the entire artistic development process has enabled a genuine connection back to their surroundings and a deeper connection with each other," she says.
"Strengthening confidence, individual skills, creativity, their interest in music and performance. The group have the tools to create their own performances and the ability to enhance what they choose to turn their attention towards.”
The group's trip to Canberra has been made possible through a crowdfunding campaign which has now surpassed its target of $5000.
Signal Co-Director Emma Hoy says they're excited to be able to bring the Galaxy Girls to Canberra.
"It wouldn’t have been possible without reaching our crowdfunding target and the support we have received from Events ACT," she explains.
"Enlighten is a festival presenting innovative art experiences from all over the world and the Galaxy Girls will be an asset to the program with their highly original work Neon Caves. The Enlighten performance will be a high point of our ongoing work with the Galaxy Girls and Barnardos Wellington, we can’t wait to see it all come together on stage.”
The Galaxy Girls will perform several shows between 7pm and 9pm on Saturday, March 10 in the Parliamentary Triangle at the National Gallery.
