Melbourne-based contemporary circus company Na Djinang Circus invites audiences to pause, feel the ground beneath their feet and consider their relationships with country in the upcoming performance of "Of The Land On Which We Meet" at the West Gippsland Arts Centre on Saturday, November 8.
The powerful contemporary circus performance will blend breathtaking acrobatics with heartfelt storytelling to explore and reconnect our relationships with country.
The work follows three artists - an indigenous Australian, a descendant of migrants and a descendant of colonial settlers - as they navigate what it means to belong, to listen, and to share country.
Director Harley Mann said the performance was a reimagining of what a meaningful acknowledgment of country could look like.

"What I love about this work is that it talks about something that in Australia is really important, but also very divisive, which is this idea of ownership of country and the acknowledgement of country," he said.
"It does it in a way that tries not to take sides; it tries to be much more open to all the different narratives. I find that regardless of your cultural heritage, if you think of yourself as a type of Australian, you get a version of your story on stage."
Harley said the performance conveyed central themes of ownership and identity and used circus techniques to emphasise the idea of risk and trust.
"I think one of the big themes is about this idea of ownership - how do we own country or take ownership of our relationship or our actions of this place?" he said.
"Inside that as well, it explores a sense of identity - what makes us Australians? How do we engage with that? What are the responsibilities of that? We use the circus to expand or heighten that with themes of risk and trust, vulnerability, and then visual metaphors of the layering of stories and the layering of people and the layering of generations."
Harley said audiences could expect to see a "modern theatrical experience."
"Typically when we talk about circus, audiences have a kind of clear understanding of a traditional circus, a big top with clowns and all sorts of things. This is not that," he said.
"This is much more of a modern theatrical experience. It's got movement, it's got a sort of dramaturgy and fluidity and rhythm and timing to it that you probably would associate more with a physical theatre or a dance kind of world."
Harley encouraged people to "take a risk" and see the show.
"I think that in the theatre we don't have (a high tolerance for risk), people don't want to take a punt on a show and go to something that they don't really know much about," he said.
"Particularly in circus, I guarantee you'll see something you've never seen before or you couldn't do yourself, which will amaze you and wow you."
In the lead-up to the show, Na Djinang Circus will also host a series of free circus workshops, encouraging connection within the local community. Keep an eye on the West Gippsland Art Centre website for details about the free workshops.
Na Djinang Circus will perform "Of The Land On Which We Meet" on Saturday, November 8 at 7:30pm. Tickets are available to purchase online at sales.wgac.com.au