|  Ningali Lawford
Guest Performer - Walkabout
Ningali Josie Lawford was born in 1967, at Wangkatjungka, near Fitzroy Crossing in the Kimberley region of Western Victoria. She grew up on a cattle station where her father was overseer. After her high school years in Perth, she lived in Alaska for twelve months as the recipient of an American Field Scholarship. On her return, she joined the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre in Sydney. Her solo show, entitled Ningali was written with Angela Chaplin and Robyn Archer. Ningali brings the different worlds together. "The minorities always have to inform and enlighten the majorities", she says. "That's difficult." In her show she sings, dances, and does stand-up comedy. Ningali is a great cultural mediator. Ningali's talents as actress, singer and dancer have featured in various theatre, film and television productions. She appeared in Aliwa and Up the Road by Company B Belvoir Street Theatre and Melbourne Workers Theatre's Magpie. In 2000 Ningali toured Malaysia with a collection of songs and dances for The Black Swan. She performed in Black and Tran for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Solid for the Perth International Arts Festival and Touring. She was M.C for 1997's Survival Concert, a celebration of Indigenous music and dance and also more recently in The Garden Party as part of the 2001 Moomba Festival. Ningali compered an ABC TV simulcast of an Indigenous music concert in Broome in 2000. Her forays into film include a lead part in Chris Langman's The Drover's Boy and also this year's critically acclaimed The Rabbit Proof Fence by director Phil Noyce. 
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