Djuki Mala, previously known as the Chooky Dancers, are a dance troupe from

Elcho Island Elcho Island, known to its traditional owners as Galiwin'ku (Galiwinku) is an island off the coast of Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located at the southern end of the Wessel Islands group located in the East Arnhe ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...

. They first came to attention through a YouTube video of them performing to

Zorba the Greek ''Zorba the Greek'' ( el, Βίος και Πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά, , Life and Times of Alexis Zorbas) is a novel written by the Cretan author Nikos Kazantzakis, first published in 1946. It is the tale of a young Greek int ...

while in ceremonial dress. Djuki Mala first came to attention in 2007 after Margaret Nyungunyungu recorded a video of the group performing in Darwin. One of the dancers was her son Lionel Dulmanawy Garawirrtja who came up with their routine to honour his sister's carer, a Greek lady named Liliane. As of June 2017 the video had over 2.7 million views. Members have included

Baker Boy Danzal James Baker (born 10 October 1996), known professionally as Baker Boy, is a Yolngu rapper, dancer, artist, and actor. Baker Boy is known for performing original hip-hop songs incorporating both English and Yolŋu Matha and is one of ...

Baykali Ganambarr Baykali Ganambarr (born 30 August 1994) is an Yolngu actor and dancer. He received the 2018 Marcello Mastroianni Award for his role in ''The Nightingale'' and was nominated for the 2019 AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for the same ...

, Yalyalwuy Gondarra, Gadidjirrimiwuy Dhamarrandji, Bapadjambang Atu, Lionel Dulmanawy Garawirrtja, Mitchell Rang Garawirrtja, Wakara Gondarra, Marko Garmu, Wattjar Garmu and Tibian Cristopher Wyles. The group is directed by Joshua Bond.

References

External links

Djuki Mala
Australian Aboriginal culture Dance companies in Australia Companies based in the Northern Territory {{dance-stub