People
Banula Marika
Cultural Consultant
A celebrated performer with over 20 years of dance, theatre and film experience, Banula's performances in early works such as Praying Mantis Dreaming and Up Until Now provided a valuable contribution in developing Bangarra's distinct style.
People
Heritage
Banula is a Rirratjingu clan member and the son of Roy Dadunga Marika from the highly respected Marika family of Yirrkala, Northeast Arnhem Land.
People
Bio
Banula is a Rirratjingu clan member and the son of Roy Dadunga Marika from the highly respected Marika family of Yirrkala, Northeast Arnhem Land.
A celebrated performer with over 20 years of dance, theatre and film experience, Banula's performance in Bangarra Dance Theatre's early works such as Praying Mantis Dreaming and Up Until Now provided a valuable contribution in developing Bangarra's distinct style.
He has toured extensively nationally and internationally with the band Yothu Yindi as a Dancer and Vocalist. Banula was featured on their award-winning song Treaty which was voted one of the top 30 songs in Australian history, and was the first song in any Aboriginal Australian language (Yolngu Matha) to receive international recognition. He has also recorded as a Guest Artist on iconic albums such as Ice House’s Full Circle and Dark Shades of Blue by Xavier Rudd.
His film credits include Cactus, directed by Paul Fox and Tracey Moffatt’s Bedevil.
Since 2002 he has been a Ranger with Dhimurru, an Aboriginal organisation established by Yolngu land-owners in North East Arnhem Land. As a Ranger, Banula looks after Yolngu Country, and assists with Dhimurru's cross-cultural awareness programs which help improve cultural awareness in the community.