Sutherland Shire Bush Dance Group

  Who is The Sutherland Bush Dance Group?

Sutherland Shire Bush Dance Group has run a weekly dance workshop since October 1985.  This group started as a twinkle in the toes of the late Basil Butler. A stalwart of the Sutherland Shire Folk Dance Group, which he helped to found in 1974, he still still dreamed that the Shire would have it’s own traditional Australian dance group in time for the Bicentenary.

Public demonstrations have always been part of the group’s activities,  giving Australian Bush Dancing demonstrations at Westfield’s Miranda Fair, Cronulla Spring Fairs, the Gymea Village Fair, and Forman Lodge in Miranda.

The highlight was at a Sydney Town Hall concert at the opening ceremony of the Bicentennial International Congress of Corrective Services The group’s experienced colonial dancers performed dances previously done by the crowd in Glenrowan pub (just before Ned Kelly was captured). Rehearsals, with the band of the Department of Corrective Services and other artists, were held in Long Bay Gaol!

The group has also joined with other colonial dancers from all over Australia, for massed performances as the Australian Pioneer Dancers, to the music of the huge Australian Pioneer Dance Band, at the annual Illawarra Folk Festival, Jamberoo, and at Kiama’s Bush Music by the Seaside.

With the help of Sutherland Shire Council, local newspapers, the NSW Folk Federation, and the Australian Folk Trust, they have introduced hundreds of locals, of all ages, to the pleasure and fun of Australia’s colonial heritage of dance, music and song.

For many years, we have been fortunate enough to have a very experienced caller in Mike from Heathcote. Michael’s  expertise is also in writing original bush dances, and over the years he has won a number of the Bush Music Club’s annual dance-writing competitions.