Big Red Bash Birdsville Nutbush world record 2023
Revellers at the Big Red Bash have today broken an incredible world record - again! Here’s the inside story of how it became iconic. SEE THE VIDEO.
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Revellers at an iconic Queensland festival have today broken an incredible world record - again.
For the second time this past week and the fifth time at the Big Red Bash, thousands of festivalgoers have absolutely smashed a world record - this time for the largest gathering of people dancing to Nutbush City Limits.
The ultimate tribute to the late Tina Turner was broken with over 5838 people dancing to the classic song at once in the Simpson desert, breaking the festival’s previous world record of 4084.
Hundreds of onlookers watched as people dressed in their best Tina Turner outfits.
Sequins, the iconic grey spiked hair and colour was seen throughout the oval with the world record officially broken just before 11am.
The Big Red Bash in Birdsville is now synonymous with Tina Turner’s classic Nutbush City Limits, with the festival holding the world record for the largest gathering of people dancing to the song.
Big Red Bash founder Greg Donovan said the original record-breaking dance was first done in 2018 to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
“It was either that (the dance) or breaking the record for the largest amount or camp chairs in a row,” Mr Donovan said.
“It’s going to bring people together. You’re not going to sit in a line and be counted you’re actually going to get people together and dance. It’s such an Aussie thing to do so we thought let’s try it.
“We had no idea how to run the logistics of it and how to manage it, to dance for five minutes ... how’s it all going to happen?
“We cobbled together and in the first year we had 1720-odd dancers which was a world record.”
Last year more than 4000 people simultaneously danced the Nutbush.
Mr Donovan said he thought it was just a once-off, not the national phenomenon it has now become.
“Everybody said that was awesome, we want to beak the record again next year,” he said.
“We decided to make it a two-year thing and then move onto the Macarena or something else. It grew in popularity. We broke the record every year.
“Once we stop breaking the record we can then consider if we should try to break it again. This year I think there’s every chance of us breaking the record.
“With Tina’s passing people really want to be involved with that. It’s a tribute to pay our respects to her, the amazing talent and her life.”
After Tina Turner’s passing earlier this year Mr Donovan decided they needed to pay tribute to the music icon.
“Let’s go the whole hog, let’s pull together our female performers and put on a Tina Turner tribute,” he said.
This evening Kate Ceberano, Wendy Matthews, Grace Knight, Caitlyn Shadbolt, Melanie Dyer, Robyn Loau and Miranda Carey will perform in the ultimate Tina Turner tribute show.
When asked to perform in the tribute, Kate Ceberano immediately jumped at the chance.
“Tina Turner was more powerful than any other singer in the world. She informed me on how to take the stage and find freedom on the stage,” she said.
“We were taught we could be sexy. Be unapologetic and just sing the living s*** out of it.
“I identify with her. We lived through every decade with her and she just became the person she was living to be.
“There’s something so dynamic and powerful about Tina. Everyone wants to be in her skin and when you sing her songs you’re directly in her skin.”
Tonight the performers will be singing Tina Turner’s greatest hits with the show ending on a group performance of Nutbush City Limits.
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