Panorama of movement from Aussie heartland

The creation story of the Rirratjingu clan from Australia's most northern Arnhem Land is a sacred one, told only at ceremonies to mark the passing of those held in the highest esteem.

Bangarra's artistic director, Stephen Page, was given special permission to retell the story in the idiom of contemporary dance, by the Marika family, to honour the loss of his brother, dancer Russell Page.

The telling of the story is a cleansing and healing ritual.

So Bush plunges straight into the "spiritual glory box of what is sacred" and packs a powerful, but gently and beautifully packaged, punch right to the heart.

The sets, designed by Peter England, are simply magnificent, with different backdrops and cutouts ingeniously creating different layers of the land.

Jennifer Irwin's costumes are gorgeous - all body suits and softly swirling skirts in darkly vibrant earth colours and amazing scaled and segmented outfits for the male Goannas and Slither's wormlike soothsayer ... pure animism.

The score, by the third Page brother in the Bangarra clan, David, and Steve Francis, is exceptional and exquisite.

So production values are extremely high and in total empathy with the spirit of the work.

Then there is the dancing!

Impossibly supple spines, shoulders, necks and limbs that articulate in strange angles and rhythmic counterpoint, wide plies that hold the dancers' energy into the earth, and just enough lyrical flow, as in Moth, provide a meltingly fascinating panorama of movement that could only emerge from Australia's great heartland.

Last night's audience was not huge. So get there and just maybe Bangarra will come back again and show us what else they can do!

*What: Bush, Bangarra Dance Theatre
*Where: Aotea Centre