Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on

contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of dance performance that developed during the mid-twentieth century and has since grown to become one of the dominant genres for formally trained dancers throughout the world, with particularly strong popularity in ...

. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer

Carole Y. Johnson Carole Yvonne Johnson (born 1940) is an African American contemporary dancer and choreographer, known for her role in the establishment of the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA), and as co-founder of Bangarra ...

, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-born Cheryl Stone. Stephen Page was artistic director from 1991 to 2021, with

Frances Rings Frances Rings is an Aboriginal Australian dancer, choreographer and former television presenter. She was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and is a Kokatha woman. She is the associate artistic director for the Bangarra Dance Theatre and will ...

taking over in 2022. ''Bangarra'' (pronounced ''bungurra'') means "to make fire" in the

Wiradjuri language Wiradjuri (; many other spellings, see Wiradjuri) is a Pama–Nyungan language of the Wiradhuric subgroup. It is the traditional language of the Wiradjuri people of Australia. A progressive revival is underway, with the language being taug ...

History

Bangarra Dance Theatre was founded in October 1989 by

, an

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

modern dancer and founder of the

National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association The NAISDA Dance College (usually referred to as simply NAISDA) is a performing arts training college based in Kariong, New South Wales for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia. It was established as the Aboriginal Islander ...

(NAISDA), Rob Bryant, a Gumbaynggirr man and graduate of NAISDA, and Cheryl Stone, a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

n-born student at NAISDA. Clive Joseph Robin "Rob" Bryant (later known as Uncle Rob Bryant), born in Bellingen, New South Wales in 1947, was a retired leading aircraftman of the

RAAF "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

and a Vietnam veteran. Stone had been born in South Africa, growing up in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second larges ...

and moving to Australia as a teenager in 1969. She participated in the six-week Black Theatre workshop established by Johnson in Redfern, Sydney, in 1975 Johnson toured Australia in 1972 with American choreographer

Eleo Pomare Eleo Pomare (20 October 1937 – 8 August 2008) was a Colombian-American modern dance choreographer. Known for his politically-charged productions depicting the Black experience, his work had a major influence on contemporary dance, especially Bla ...

and his company, and remained in Australia. In 1975, Johnson became the founding director of the Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Scheme, now known as the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA). Johnson had a three-part plan for

Aboriginal Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to: *Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology * Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area *One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...

dance in Australia. It was to establish a school to give academic qualifications, and train dancers as members of a student and graduate performing company that would also teach. It would further provide a path for the dancers to other dance-related areas, including

choreography Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who c ...

, tour management, and all front and back of house skills. The other key aim was to maintain authentic cultural continuity, friendships, and close ties to traditional communities. Johnson mentored Stone, who studied alongside the dancers. She planned the formation of Bangarra Dance Theatre and, in 1989, became its founding artistic director. ''Bangarra'' is a Wiradjuri word meaning "to make fire". Stephen Page has been the artistic director since 1991. Bangarra's first full-length show, ''Praying Mantis Dreaming'', was produced in 1992. In 1994, Page, with Bernadette Walong as associate director, created ''Ochres'' and productions have followed annually since 2000. All have been successful within Australia and some have toured the United States and the United Kingdom. The group also made significant contributions to the opening and closing ceremonies of the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

in Sydney. The company has received the Helpmann Award for Best Ballet or Dance Work a number of times. In 2019, the company marked its thirtieth anniversary with the launch of a digital archive and exhibition called ''Knowledge Ground''. In early December 2021, Page announced that he would be stepping down from the role of artistic director in 2022, handing over to

, former dancer and choreographer with Bangarra and later associate artistic director. Bangarra's last performance with Page as director was ''Wudjang: Not the Past'', which premiered at the Sydney Festival in January 2022 before touring to Hobart and then

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

as part of the

Adelaide Festival The Adelaide Festival of Arts, also known as the Adelaide Festival, an arts festival, takes place in the South Australian capital of Adelaide in March each year. Started in 1960, it is a major celebration of the arts and a significant cultural ...

in March 2022.

People

Page brothers

* Stephen Page , artistic director 1991–2021 * David Page (1961–2016), composer and musical director * Russell Page (1968–2002), dancer

Others

* Raymond D. Blanco, who featured in the film ''

Jindalee Lady ''Jindalee Lady'' is a 1992 Australian film about an Aboriginal Australian woman who is a successful fashion designer. Directed by Brian Syron, it is the first feature film directed by an Aboriginal person in Australia.Ed. Scott Murray, ''Austra ...

'' (1992), was former Head of Culture and Training Operations at NAISDA, and the first Indigenous Australian to lead a dance company when he took over the reins of the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre in 1991 * Lillian Crombie, dancer * Ella Havelka, dancer * Elma Gada Kris, dancer and choreographer * Banula Marika, dancer and musician *

Ningali Lawford-Wolf Ningali Josie Lawford, also known as Ningali Lawford-Wolf and Josie Ningali Lawford, (1967 – 11 August 2019) was an Aboriginal Australian actress known for her roles in the films ''Rabbit-Proof Fence'' (2002), ''Bran Nue Dae (film), Bran Nue ...

* Daniel Riley, dancer and choreographer with Bangarra since around 2009, appointed as artistic director of Australian Dance Theatre from the end of 2021 *

, dancer and choreographer, artistic director from 2022

Works

*1992 – ''Praying Mantis Dreaming'' *1995 – ''Ochres'' *1997 – ''Fish'' *1997 – ''Rites'' (with The Australian Ballet) *2000 – ''Skin'' (

Spear A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fasten ...

, 2015 film, based on this) *2001 – ''Corroboree'' *2002 – ''Walkabout'' *2003 – ''Bush'' *2004 – ''Unaipon'' *2004 – ''CLAN'' *2005 – ''Boomerang'' *2006 – ''Gathering'' with the Australian Ballet *2007 – ''True Stories'' *2008 – ''Mathinna'', based on the life of Palawa girl Mathinna *2008 — ''Rites'' (with The Australian Ballet) * 2009 — ''Fire – A Retrospective'' * 2010 – ''of earth & sky'' * 2012 – ''Terrain'' * 2013 – ''Blak'' * 2014 – '' Patyegarang'' and ''Kinship'' * 2015 – ''lore'' * 2016 – ''OUR land people stories'' * 2017 – ''

Bennelong Woollarawarre Bennelong ( 1764 – 3 January 1813), also spelt Baneelon, was a senior man of the Eora, an Aboriginal Australian people of the Port Jackson area, at the time of the first British settlement in Australia in 1788. Bennelong ser ...

'' *2018 – ''Dubboo - life of a songman'' *2018 — ''Dark Emu'' *2019 — ''Spirit''

Discography

Albums

Films

* ''

'' (1992), featuring then lead dancer Raymond Blanco. This was the first fiction feature film directed by an Aboriginal director ( Brian Syron). *''

'' (2015) –

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by Stephen Page, based on the live performance ''Skin'' (2000). * ''Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra'' (2020) is a feature-length

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

about the dance company, directed by Nel Minchin and Wayne Blair. It covers 30 years of Bangarra's existence, charting the story of the three Page brothers' (Stephen, David and youngest brother, the dancer

Russell Russell may refer to: People * Russell (given name) * Russell (surname) * Lady Russell (disambiguation) * Lord Russell (disambiguation) Places Australia *Russell, Australian Capital Territory *Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation) **Ru ...

) roles in the development of the company. The film had its world premiere as the closing night film of the Brisbane International Film Festival on 11 October 2020, and eight days later won the Adelaide Film Festival's Feature Documentary Award.

Awards and nominations

Australian Dance Awards

The

Australian Dance Awards The Australian Dance Awards recognise excellence and promote dance in Australia. They are awarded under the auspices of the Australian Dance Council (Ausdance) for performance, choreography, design, dance writing, teaching and related professions. ...

recognise excellence and promote dance in Australia. They are awarded under the auspices of the Australian Dance Council (Ausdance) for performance,

, design, dance writing, teaching and related professions. they commenced in 1997. (wins only) ! , - , 1997 , Stephen Page (Artistic Director of Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Outstanding achievement in choreography , , , - , rowspan="2", 2004 , Frances Rings for ''Unaipon'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Outstanding Achievement in Choreography , , , - , ''Fire - A Retrospective'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Outstanding Performance by a Company , , , - , 2010 , Bangarra Dance Theatre for ''Belong'' , Outstanding Performance by a Company , , , - , 2012 , Bangarra Dance Theatre for ''Belong'' , Outstanding Performance by a Company , , , - , 2015 , Waangenga Blanco (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer for ''Patyegarang'' , , , - , rowspan="3", 2016 , Bangarra Dance Theatre for ''Lore'' , Outstanding Performance by a Company , , , - , Elma Kris for ''Lore'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer , , , - , David Mack for ''Frame of Mind'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer , , , - , 2017 , Bangarra Dance Theatre for ''OUR Land People Stories'' , Outstanding Performance by a Company , , , - , 2018 , Beau Dean Riley Smith for ''Bennelong'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer , , , -

Deadly Awards

The Deadly Awards, (commonly known simply as The Deadlys), was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. They ran from 1996 to 2013. (wins only) ! , - ,

Deadly Awards 2008 The Deadly Awards recognise achievement by Indigenous Australians in music, sport, the arts and in community service. First held in 1995, in 2008 the ceremony was hosted by Luke Carroll at the Sydney Opera House on 9 October 2008 and was broadcas ...

, Stephen Page and Bangarra Dance Theatre , Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment , , , - ,

Deadly Awards 2009 Winners of The Deadlys Awards 2009. The award was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. Music *Most Promising New Talent in Music: Yabu Band *Single ...

, Stephen Page and Bangarra Dance Theatre , Achievement in Theatre or Live Performance , , , -

Helpmann Awards

The

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical t ...

is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group ''Live Performance Australia'' since 2001. Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. ! , - , rowspan="4",

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

, ''Skin'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Helpmann Award for Best Ballet or Dance Work , , rowspan="4", , - , rowspan="2", Stephen Page for ''Skin'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Helpmann Award for Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work , , - ,

Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work __NOTOC__ The Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work is an award presented by Live Performance Australia (LPA), an employers' organisation which serves as the peak body in the live entertainment and performing arts industries in Australia ...

, , - , Karen Norris for ''Skin'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Helpmann Award for Best Lighting Design , , - , rowspan="4", 2002 , ''Corroboree'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Ballet or Dance Work , , rowspan="4", , - , rowspan="2", Stephen Page for ''Corroboree'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work , , - , Best New Australian Work , , - , David Page and Steve Francis – ''Corroboree'' , Best Best Sound Design , , - , rowspan="6",

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...

, rowspan="2", ''Walkabout'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Ballet or Dance Work , , rowspan="6", , - , Best New Australian Work , , - , Stephen Page for ''Walkabout'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Helpmann Award for Best Original Score , , - , Stephen Page and Steven McTaggart "Rush" - ''Walkabout'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , rowspan="2", Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work , , - ,

"Rations" - ''Walkabout'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , , - , Russell Page – ''Walkabout'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Male Dancer in a Ballet or Dance Work , , - , rowspan="4",

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, ''Bush'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Ballet or Dance Work , , rowspan="4", , - , Stephen Page ''Bush'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work , , - , Jennifer Irwin – ''Bush'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Costume Design , , - , Nick Schlieper – ''Bush'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Lighting Design , , - , rowspan="1", 2006 , Jennifer Irwin – ''Amalgamate'' (The Australian Ballet & Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Costume Design , , rowspan="1", , - , rowspan="1",

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...

, ''Clan'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Helpmann Award for Best Regional Touring Production , , rowspan="1", , - , rowspan="1",

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

, ''True Stories'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Regional Touring Production , , rowspan="1", , - , rowspan="3", 2009 , ''Mathinna'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Ballet or Dance Work , , rowspan="3", , - , Stephen Page ''Mathinna'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production , , - , David Page for ''Walkabout'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Original Score , , - , rowspan="4",

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, ''Fire'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Ballet or Dance Work , , rowspan="4", , - , Deborah Brown ''Fire'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work , , - , Stephen Page ''Fire'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production , , - , ''True Stories'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Regional Touring Production , , - , rowspan="2", 2011 ,

– ''Artefact (of Earth & Sky)'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production , , rowspan="2", , - , ''Mathinna'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Regional Touring Production , , - , rowspan="3",

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, Stephen Page – ID from ''Belong'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work , , rowspan="3", , - , Waangenga Blanco – ''Belong'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Male Dancer in a Ballet or Dance Work , , - , David Page and Steve Francis – ''Belong'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Original Score , , - , rowspan="5",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment ...

, ''Terrain'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Ballet or Dance Work , , rowspan="5", , - , Deborah Brown – ''Terrain'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production , , - , David Page - ''Terrain'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Original Score , , - , Frances Rings - ''Terrain'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work , , - , ''Artefact (of Earth & Sky)'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Regional Touring Production , , - , rowspan="1",

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, David Page &

Paul Mac Paul Francis McDermott (born 17 September 1965), who performs as Paul Mac, is an Australian electropop musician, singer-songwriter, producer and music re-mixer. He was classically trained at Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Mac has formed variou ...

– ''Blak'' , Best Original Score , , rowspan="1", , - , rowspan="1",

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...

, Stephen Page – ''Patyegarang'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production , , rowspan="1", , - , rowspan="7", 2016 , ''Sheoak'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Ballet or Dance Work , , rowspan="7", , - , Frances Rings – ''Sheoak (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , rowspan="2", Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work , , - , Stephen Page, Bernadette Walong-Sene, Djakapurra Munyarryun – ''Ochres'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , , - , Yolanda Lowatta – ''Sheoak'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work , , - , Frances Rings, Deborah Brown and Waangenga Blanco – ''Lore'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best New Australian Work , , - , rowspan="2", David Page - ''Ochres'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Original Score , , - , Best Sound Design , , - , rowspan="4",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, ''OUR Land People Stories'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Dance Production , , rowspan="4", , - , Jennifer Irwin - ''OUR Land People Stories'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Costume Design , , - , Elma Kris – ''Nyapanyapa'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work , , - , ''Terrain'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Regional Touring Production , , - , rowspan="7", 2018 , ''Bennelong'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Dance Production , , rowspan="7", , - , ''OUR Land People Stories'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Regional Touring Production , , - , Stephen Page – ''Bennelong'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best New Australian Work , , - , Steve Francis – ''Bennelong'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Original Score , , - , Jennifer Irwin – ''Bennelong'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Costume Design , , - , Jacob Nash – ''Bennelong'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Scenic Design , , - , Nick Schlieper – ''Bennelong'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Lighting Design , , - , rowspan="2",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, Waangenga Blanco – ''Dark Emu'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Male Dancer in a Ballet, Dance or Physical Theatre Production , , rowspan="2", , - , ''Bennelong'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Regional Touring Production ,

Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards

The

Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards The Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards were created in 1984 by the trustees of the Sidney Myer Fund to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Sidney Myer. The awards were created to commemorate his life and his love for the arts. They inten ...

commenced in 1984 and recognise outstanding achievements in dance, drama, comedy, music, opera, circus and puppetry. , - , 1993 , , Bangarra Dance Theatre , , Group Award , , , -

References

External links

* {{authority control Contemporary dance companies Dance companies in Australia Organisations serving Indigenous Australians 1989 establishments in Australia