Complete Story Synopsis
Spirits in Bare Feet intertwines mystery, music, adventure, courage and Aboriginal culture to create a magical tale to not only educate but entertain.
We are guided through the story by a story teller, and by live didgeridoo provided by Michael Brown.
Spirits in Bare feet tells the story of a young girl Named Olivia. Olivia loves to stay indoors and become engrossed in video games.
Our adventure unfolds after Olivia is ordered by her mother to go play outside. Once outside, she hears mystical sounds which seem to call her over the back fence - a place her mother has forbidden Olivia to wander. After deciding to defy her mother and disregard the warning of her neighbours, Anthony and Charles, she climbs over the back fence and enters a world of danger and excitement.
She finds herself wandering through darkness, weaving between old trees before being swooped by an angry magpie, Margaret, who tells her to leave her eggs alone. Margaret, like Anthony and Charles, warns her to turn around and go home, but still Olivia continues. She wanders on, further into darkness and a deep fog. Unable to see, she stumbles on three miscreants of the bush, Orologaiki, Pera and Bomba. Deceiving her into trusting them, the three steal Olivia voice. The three then vanish and leave Olivia alone and voiceless.
A group of ants watch on, amazed at Olivia's courage and determined to help, but are discouraged because of their size.
Just as Olivia is about to give up and turn home, she runs into four Rhythm people who are travelling to a special meeting place. They manage to cheer her up, giving her the hope and the courage to carry on. Meanwhile Orologaiki, Pera and Bomba, like the Rhythm people, are travelling to the story meeting with Olivia's voice. The trio are determined to prove to the story teller just how good they by showing him the voices they have stolen.
It is at this point that we find out they have not only just stolen Olivia's voice but a voice of another. Olivia runs into the voiceless boy who explains that the same bullies also stole his voice. She asks him to join her but he does not answer and runs away.
Olivia carries on alone getting ever closer to the story meeting, the source of music and song. As she runs toward the light of the meeting, she crashes into a tree which comes to life. The trees tell her to slow down and take notice of the things around her. They tell her to stop and listen, which she does and finally hears the sounds that have always been around her; the birds, the animals, the sun, Margaret the magpie, the music and the story teller. She opens her eyes and finds herself at the Story meeting.
It is here that the story teller tells them the story of Ben and Jean who discovered the Aboriginal meeting place of Gummingurru.
The story teller continues to tell them of the importance of the place when Orologaiki, Pera and Bomba arrive at the meeting and begin to cause chaos. They are determined to use stolen children's voices to be as powerful as possible. They reveal Olivia's voice and everyone gasps and demand they give it back.
Suddenly the rainbow snake appears to settle the issue. The snake tells Olivia to confront Bomba, who is in possession of her voice. Olivia does so, persuading Bomba to return her voice. Orologaiki and Pera try to get it back from Olivia until the group of ants appear and attack the pair of bullies chasing them away. The rainbow snake tells her that her friends are always around her if she just listens.
Olivia thanks everyone a the meeting and returns home with her voice and with a new appreciation for being outside.