Stephen George Page (born 1965) is an Australian choreographer, film director and former dancer. He is the current

artistic director An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre or dance company, who handles the organization's artistic direction. They are generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since th ...

of the

Bangarra Dance Theatre Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance company focused on contemporary dance. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson, Gumbaynggirr man Rob Bryant, and South African-born C ...

, an

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

dance company. Page is descended from the

Nunukul The Nunukul, also spelt Noonuccal and known also as Moondjan are an Aboriginal Australian people, one of three Quandamooka peoples, who traditionally lived on Minjerribah, in Moreton Bay Area and in mainland Brisbane regions. Language The Nunu ...

people and the Munaldjali of the Yugambeh people from southeast

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. In 2015 his directorial debut film, ''

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 fastene ...

'', was shown at the

2015 Toronto International Film Festival The 40th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 September 2015. On 28 July 2015 the first wave of films to be screened at the Festival was announced. Jean-Marc Vallée's '' Demolition'' starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Na ...

Career

Stephen Page was one of 12 children, raised in the Brisbane suburb of Mt Gravatt. Page's mother did not celebrate her Aboriginal identity until she met Page's father. He was educated at the Cavendish Road State High School,

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...

. In his honour, Cavendish Road State High School has named one of its school houses "Page". The house colour is purple. He moved to Sydney when he was 16 and trained with the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre, which would later become the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA).

Sydney Dance Company and Sydney Theatre Company

After graduating from NAISDA in 1983, Page danced with the

Sydney Dance Company Sydney Dance Company is a contemporary dance company in Australia. The company has performed on stages around the world, including the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Joyce Theater in New York, the Shanghai Grand Theatre in China, and the ...

. In 1991, he was appointed creative director of the

and choreographed ''Mooggrah'' for the company, ''Trackers of Oxyrhyncus'' for the

Sydney Theatre Company Sydney Theatre Company (STC) is an Australian theatre company based in Sydney, New South Wales. The company performs in The Wharf Theatre at Dawes Point in The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Roslyn Packer Theatre (formerly Sydney Thea ...

and a sextet for

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder ...

's ''Marriage of Figaro''. During that time he also toured with the NAISDA associated Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre.

Bangarra Dance Company

With his works ''Praying Mantis Dreaming'', ''Ninni'' and the 1994 production ''Ochres'', co-choreographed with then assistant artistic director Bernadette Walong-Sene, Page established a milestone for Australian dance. In 1996 he made his creative debut with

the Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur and direc ...

, choreographing ''Alchemy''. The following year, he brought the Australian Ballet and Bangarra together in ''Rites'', set to

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

's ''

The Rite of Spring , image = Roerich Rite of Spring.jpg , image_size = 350px , caption = Concept design for act 1, part of Nicholas Roerich's designs for Diaghilev's 1913 production of ' , composer = Igor Stravinsky , based_on ...

''. The following year he choreographed ''Fish'' for Bangarra, with its world premiere taking place at the

Edinburgh International Festival The Edinburgh International Festival is an annual arts festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, spread over the final three weeks in August. Notable figures from the international world of music (especially european classical music, classical music) and ...

. Page choreographed the flag handover ceremony for the 1996

Atlanta Olympic Games The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta ...

and co-directed segments of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000

Sydney Olympic Games 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 1 ...

. He also created the ceremony that opened the Olympic Arts Festival. He choreographed ''Skin'', which premiered at the festival and won the coveted

Helpmann Award 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 th ...

for Best New Australian Work and Best Dance Work. His triple bill ''Corroboree'' toured internationally, with a sell-out tour of the US including appearances at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

in New York and the Kennedy Centre in Washington. The work earned Page a

for Best Choreography. The following year, he was honoured with a Matilda Award for his contribution to the arts in Queensland. In the same year, he choreographed ''Totem'' for The Australian Ballet's principal dancer,

Stephen Heathcote Steven Anthony Heathcote AM (born 16 October 1964, in Wagin, Western Australia) is a former Australian ballet dancer. Heathcote spent twenty-four years dancing with The Australian Ballet, and twenty of them as principal artist. He has rece ...

. 2002 also saw the world premiere of Bangarra's double bill, ''Walkabout'', which Page co-choreographed 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 ta ...

. Page and Rings later co-choreographed ''Bush'' for Bangarra, which sold out on its Australian tour as well as its 2004 tour to the United States. Also in 2004, Bangarra returned to the Sydney Opera House with another sell-out production co-choreographed by Page and Rings, ''Clan''. The following year Page choreographed ''Boomerang'', which had a sell-out Australian tour. As artistic director of the 2004 Adelaide Festival of the Arts, Page was praised for reinvigorating the event with an impressive and highly successful world-class program. His film and theatre credits include the contemporary operatic film '' Black River'', numerous music video clips, and directing his own brother, David Page, in the one-man show ''Page 8'' which toured the UK. In 2006, Page and the Australian Ballet created ''Gathering'', a double bill consisting of a reworked ''Rites'' and ''Amalgamate''. Also in 2006, Queensland Art Gallery director asked him to create a new dance work for the opening of the Gallery of Modern Art. Along with his son and nephews, he created ''Kin'', a special project that opened

Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art The Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) is an art museum located within the Queensland Cultural Centre in the South Bank precinct of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The gallery is part of QAGOMA. GOMA, which opened on 2 December 2006, is the largest ...

. In 2007, Page directed a traditional

smoking ceremony Smoking ceremony is an ancient and contemporary custom among some Aboriginal Australians that involves smouldering native plants to produce smoke. This herbal smoke is believed to have both spiritual and physical cleansing properties, as well as ...

in honour of the historic celebration marking the 75th anniversary of the

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North Shore. The view of the bridg ...

. Later in the year, during Bangarra's ''True Stories'' season, he directed

Victorian Opera Victorian Opera is an opera company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company was founded in 2005 by the Victorian Government as a replacement for the Victoria State Opera. It commenced operations in January 2006 with Richard Gill as ...

's ''Orphée et Eurydice'' in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

and presented another sell-out season of ''Kin'' at the

Malthouse Theatre Malthouse Theatre is the resident theatre company of The Malthouse building in Southbank, part of the Melbourne Arts Precinct. In the 1980s it was known as the Playbox Theatre Company and was housed in the Playbox Theatre in Melbourne's CBD. A ...

. In early December 2021, Page announced that he would be stepping down from the role of artistic director of Bangarra in 2022, handing over to

, current associate artistic director. Bangarra's last performance with Page as director is ''Wudjang: Not the Past'', which premieres at the

Sydney Festival Sydney Festival is a major arts festival in Australia's largest city, Sydney that runs for three weeks every January, since it was established in 1977. The festival program features in excess of 100 events from local and international artists an ...

in January 2022 before touring to

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/ Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

and then

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, as part of the Adelaide Festival.

Honours

In 2008, Page was named New South Wales

Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territ ...

, receiving the award from Deputy Premier John Watkins at a ceremony at the

Art Gallery of New South Wales The Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW), founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872 and known as the National Art Gallery of New South Wales between 1883 and 1958, is located in The Domain, Sydney, Australia. It is the most import ...

. In 2015, Page was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Creative Arts by the

University of Technology Sydney The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a public research university located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Although its origins are said to trace back to the 1830s, the university was founded in its current form in 1988. As of 2021 ...

. In 2016, the NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award went to Page for his work as Director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre. From February to August 2016, Martin Portus (former Director of Marketing and Communication at the Australia Council for the Arts) conducted a number of interviews with Australian choreographers, including Page. Page discussed significant periods in the history of the Bangarra Dance Theatre, beginning with the nature of his access to traditional cultures, especially in north-east Arnhem Land, and his works staging those stories as contemporary dance. He also talked about his later, darker works about urban dislocation, and the contribution of his late brother, the dancer Russell Page. The interviews also covered his choreographic signature, and his works drawing on stories, communities and design motifs from different parts of Australia and, finally, his recent works featuring stories drawn from both white and black historical experience.

Other

In 2008 he created a new, full-length work for Bangarra, entitled ''Mathinna'', which won a Helpmann Award in 2009 for Best Dance Work and Best Choreography. He then took ''Rites'' to London and Paris with the Australian Ballet, and Bangarra's ''Awakenings'' to Washington, New York and Ottawa. Later in 2008, he went to

Broome, Western Australia Broome, also known as Rubibi by the Yawuru people, is a coastal pearling and tourist town in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, north of Perth. In the the population was recorded as 14,660. It is the largest town in the Kimberley re ...

, as choreographer for the film adaptation of ''

Bran Nue Dae __NOTOC__ ''Bran Nue Dae'' is a 1990 musical set in Broome, Western Australia, that tells stories and of issues relating to Indigenous Australians. It was written by Jimmy Chi and his band Kuckles and friends, and was the first Aboriginal Aust ...

''. In 2009, after returning from a tour of Germany, Hungary and Austria with ''True Stories'', Page and the dancers spent 10 days in

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia, with the term still in use. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territory capital, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...

on a cultural exchange. He celebrated Bangarra's 20th anniversary with ''Fire – A Retrospective'', which won an

Australian Dance Award 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 ...

for Outstanding Performance by a Company.

Awards and nominations

* 1993: Paris Opera Screen Award, Grand Prix for ''Black River'' * 2002: Matilda Award for Contribution to the Arts in Queensland * 2017: Australia Council Dance Award * 2022:

Red Ochre Award The Red Ochre Award is an annual art award for Indigenous Australian artists. Background and description The Red Ochre Award was established in 1993 by the Australia Council for the Arts. It is awarded annually to an outstanding Indigenous A ...

* 2022: Inaugural Wendy Blacklock Industry Legend Award

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 The Australian Dance Council, known as Ausdance or Ausdance National and formerly the Australian Association for Dance Education (AADE), is or was the national dance advocacy organisation in Australia, representing the dance profession and coordi ...

(Ausdance) for performance,

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 cr ...

, 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 , , , - , 2010 , Stephen Page , Services to Dance , , , -

Deadly Awards

The 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. The event was held from 1995 to 2013. Description T ...

, (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 , Stephen Page and

, 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 R ...

, 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 th ...

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 identi ...

. ! , - , rowspan="2",

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 Afghanist ...

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

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

, rowspan="2", Stephen Page for ''Corroboree'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work , , rowspan="2", , - , Best New Australian Work , , - , rowspan="3",

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A ...

, rowspan="2", Stephen Page for ''Walkabout'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best New Australian Work , , rowspan="3", , - , Helpmann Award for Best Original Score , , - , Stephen Page and Steven McTaggart "Rush" for ''Walkabout'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work , , - , rowspan="1",

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 ...

, Stephen Page for ''Bush'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work , , rowspan="1", , - , rowspan="1",

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...

, Stephen Page for ''Mathinna'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production , , rowspan="1", , - , rowspan="1",

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 ...

, Stephen Page for ''Fire'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production , , rowspan="1", , - , rowspan="1",

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 gat ...

, Stephen Page for ID from ''Belong'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work , , 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 for ''Patyegarang'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production , , rowspan="1", , - , rowspan="2",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, Stephen Page, Bernadette Walong-Sene, Djakapurra Munyarryun for ''Ochres'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work , , rowspan="2", , - , Stephen Page , JC Williamson Award , , - , rowspan="1",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, Stephen Page for ''Bennelong'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best New Australian Work , , rowspan="1",

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Stephen Page won one award in that time. (wins only) , - , 1993 , Stephen Page , Dance Performance of the Year , , -

NAIDOC Awards

The

NAIDOC Awards The NAIDOC Awards are annual Australian awards conferred on Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals during the national celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ...

are annual Australian awards conferred on

Australian Aboriginal Aboriginal Australians are the various Indigenous peoples of the Australian mainland and many of its islands, such as Tasmania, Fraser Island, Hinchinbrook Island, the Tiwi Islands, and Groote Eylandt, but excluding the Torres Strait I ...

and

Torres Strait Islander Torres Strait Islanders () are the Indigenous Melanesian people of the Torres Strait Islands, which are part of the state of Queensland, Australia. Ethnically distinct from the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal people of the rest of Australia ...

individuals during the national celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples known as

NAIDOC Week NAIDOC Week ( ) is an Australian observance lasting from the first Sunday in July until the following Sunday. The acronym NAIDOC stands for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, which was originally National Aborigines Day ...

. (The name is derived from National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.) (wins only) ! , - , 2012 , Stephen Page , Artist of the Year , , , - , 2016 , Stephen Page , Lifetime achievement award , , , -

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 Sidney Myer (born Simcha Myer Baevski (); 8 February 18785 September 1934) was a R ...

, The awards are created to commemorate his life and his love for the arts. They commenced in 1984 (wins only) , - , 2003 , Stephen Page , Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards , , -

References

External links

Bangarra Dance Theatre
*
"Stephen Page interviewed by Martin Portus, 24 February 2016"
''Amplify -'' ''State Library of New South Wales Catalogue.'' Retrieved 4 June 2018. {{DEFAULTSORT:Page, Stephen Australian male dancers Australian choreographers Helpmann Award winners Indigenous Australian filmmakers 1965 births Living people Officers of the Order of Australia Indigenous Australian dancers