Stamping Ground is the work of renowned Czech choreographer Jiří Kylián, inspired by his 1980 visit to Groote Eylandt, north east of Arnhem Land, when he attended the largest recorded dance gathering of Aboriginal people – a week-long corroboree where 1,000 men, women and children came from across Australia to dance, sing and share their culture. In 1983, Kylián created Stamping Ground for the Nederlands Dance Theater.

Kylián’s startlingly original dance vocabulary pays tribute to the essence of Indigenous dance traditions, which have been vital to the continuation of culture for thousands of years. As Bangarra dancers recreate Kylián’s steps with their own style and sensibility, Stamping Ground continues its creation cycle by returning to the culture and the land that gave it life.