Sissy Cooper is a proud Yorta Yorta woman from the Echuca–Moama area, where she has lived her entire life. For 18 years, she has been a traditional Aboriginal dancer and has taught many children through schools and within the local Echuca community. Teaching and performing are central to her life and her greatest passion. She learns from her Elders and family, passing cultural knowledge down to local youth to help them stay strong in their identity as Aboriginal people.

Sissy has worked with Berrimba Child Care Centre and Njernda Aboriginal Corporation, where she has implemented cultural education and supported young people. She has performed across the region with her own dance group, ‘Dhungala Yalka Dance Group’ – meaning ‘Big Waters Children’ in Yorta Yorta language. The group’s name reflects their childhood growing up along the Murray River and their deep connection to culture, Walla (water), and Woka (land). In Yorta Yorta, ‘Dhungala’ means ‘Big Waters’. It is the name for the Murray River, the people’s greatest life source, while ‘Yalka’ means children, representing all the young people who have danced and still continue to dance with pride today.