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Canberra Today 15°/17° | Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Battle of the (video) Anzacs: do your duty

WHEN the National Portrait Gallery, emails you about what they call “a matter of national pride,” you know there’s something funny going on.

Dancing gallery staff including (centre)  director Angus Trumble
Dancing gallery staff including (centre) director Angus Trumble

And so it proves. The gallery, you see, is about to represent Australia in the inaugural, international “Museum Dance Off.”

Hard at work
Hard at work

They’ll be challenging New Zealand’s Otago Museum in “Round 2: Death Race 2000” in “the battle of the Anzacs” coming up from Australian Eastern time 10pm Sunday June 1 until 10pm Monday June 2.

If like me, you never heard of it, it’s worth going on to have a look at what was happening in Round One.

npg 8

The Mint Museum in North Carolina, for instance, hosted a “Yappy Hour” on their grounds, and filmed a thematic dance preparation to go up against the Arab-American National Museum, who were dancing in the streets, dabke-style.

The normally respectable, sedate staffers of the NPG (including the director Angus Trumble, obviously a mean dancer) can be seen disporting themselves in their very funny video:

Dancing with Elvis
Dancing with Elvis

Mercifully, the video was paid for by crowdfunding through Pozible, not by the taxpayer, but it’s great fun anyway as they take us through a day at the life of the National Portrait Gallery. You’ll see DanceTeamNPG grooving through the exhibitions, dancing in the lifts, making the book starts, interacting with the exhibits and even juggling.

Nothing is ever 'usual'
Nothing is ever ‘usual’

As the team says, “as you will see, nothing is ever ‘usual’ at the National Portrait Gallery. This behind-the-scenes portrait of the ever-happy and hip-shakin’ NPG team was a total joy to produce.”

“The Battle of the Anzacs,” Monday, June 2, vote (preferably for DanceTeamNPG) at Australian Eastern time 10pm Sunday June 1 until 10pm Monday June 2, watch and vote at http://whenyouworkatamuseum.com/

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Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Helen Musa

Helen Musa

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