SATB exploration on what words indigenous people heard?
SATB a capella choir or vocal quartet
Text: John Kinsella, adapted by Becky Llewellyn
Dance of Dispossession was inspired by listening to poet John Kinsella read at the Adelaide Writer’s Festival where he gave Becky permission to use his strong poem, ‘Dispossession’. The music embodies her imagined meanings of his words: Kinsella’s ‘protection’ becomes Becky’s ‘protect/shun’. Imagine how the people experiencing colonial settlement must have heard such words when often the actions were so very different.
Becky uses an Elizabethan dance form, all artifice, playful and light, masking very dark subject matter and pain of dispossession inflicted.
Written in 2001, this 5-minute piece is suitable for advanced a capella ensembles. It was commissioned by Syntony for its 2002 concert season.
Listen to a sample of Dance of Dispossession with Syntony
Click to enlarge
Where to buy
The score is normally available at the Australian Music Centre but it is closed because of the coronavirus outbreak. You can read more about Dance of Dispossession at:
You can purchase Dance of Dispossession directly from Becky by emailing her: