Bangarra Dance Theatre is an

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

dance company focused on

contemporary dance Contemporary dance is a genre of Concert dance, 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 stron ...

. It was founded by African American dancer and choreographer Carole Y. Johnson,

Gumbaynggirr The Gumbaynggirr people, also rendered Kumbainggar, Gumbangeri and other variant spellings, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Gumbathagang was a probable clan or sub-group. The traditional lands of th ...

man Rob Bryant, and South African-born Cheryl Stone. ''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, an Aboriginal Australian people of New South Wales, Australia. Wiraiari and Je ...

Stephen Page Stephen George Page is an Aboriginal Australian choreographer, film director and former dancer. He was artistic director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre, an Indigenous Australian dance company, from 1991 until 2022. During this time he choreograp ...

was

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

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 Wirangu and Mirning woman. She became artistic director for Bangarra Dance Theatre in 2023. E ...

taking over in 2022. The company has received many

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

as well as other accolades. To date (2024), ''Bennelong'' (2017) and ''Dark Emu '' (2018) have been Bangarra's most successful works, playing to huge audiences around the country.

History

Bangarra Dance Theatre was founded in October 1989 by Carole Y. Johnson, an

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

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 S ...

(NAISDA), Rob Bryant, a

man and graduate of NAISDA, and

Cheryl Stone Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia ...

, a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

n-born student at NAISDA. Clive Joseph Robin "Rob" Bryant (later known as Uncle Rob Bryant), born in

Bellingen, New South Wales Bellingen ( ) is a small town in the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Located on Waterfall Way on the Bellinger River,it lies approximately halfway between the major Australian cities of Sydney and Brisbane. It is the council seat ...

in 1947, was a retired

leading aircraftman Leading aircraftman (LAC) or leading aircraftwoman (LACW) is an enlisted rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Leading air ...

of the

RAAF The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the governor-general of Aus ...

and a

Vietnam veteran A Vietnam veteran is an individual who performed active Army, ground, Navy, naval, or Air force, air service in the South Vietnam, Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The term has been used to describe veterans who served in the armed fo ...

. Stone had been born in South Africa, growing up in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

and moving to Australia as a teenager in 1969. She participated in the six-week

Black Theatre workshop Advert, date=July 2019 Black Theater Workshop (BTW) is a non-profit theater company headquartered in Montreal. It is one of the most enduring Black English-speaking professional theater companies in Canada. It was founded by Clarence Bayne and Art ...

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 Bl ...

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 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 of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

, 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 The Wiradjuri people (; ) are a group of Aboriginal Australian people from central New South Wales, united by common descent through kinship and shared traditions. They survived as skilled hunter-fisher-gatherers, in family groups or clans, a ...

word meaning "to make fire".

has been the

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, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

in Sydney. The opening ceremony was co-directed by Stephen Page along with

Rhoda Roberts Rhoda Ann Roberts (born 1960) is an Australian theatre and arts director, arts executive, television presenter, and actor. She was head of Indigenous programming at the Sydney Opera House from 2012 until 2021, among many other roles. She is a ...

, and Page co-choreographed a segment called ''Awakening'', which was narrated by

Ernie Dingo Ernest Ashley Dingo Member of the Order of Australia, AM (born 31 July 1956) is an Indigenous Australians, Indigenous Australian actor, television presenter and comedian, originating from the Yamatji people of the Murchison (Western Australia), ...

. ''Bennelong'' (2017) and ''Dark Emu '' (2018), were Bangarra's biggest ever works, playing to around 70,000 people across the country. ''Dark Emu'' was co-created by Stephen Page with former Bangarra dancers Daniel Riley and Yolande Brown, inspired by

Bruce Pascoe Bruce Pascoe (born 1947) is an Australian writer of literary fiction, non-fiction, poetry, essays and children's literature. As well as his own name, Pascoe has written under the pen names Murray Gray and Leopold Glass. Pascoe identifies as Abor ...

's book of the same name. It became the most successful production in Bangarra's history, and was highly critically acclaimed. 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 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 over 100 events from local and international artists and inclu ...

in January 2022 before touring to

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

and then

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

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. In 2023, Rings, a

Kokatha The Kokatha, also known as the Kokatha Mula, are an Aboriginal Australian people of the state of South Australia. They speak the Kokatha language, close to or a dialect of the Western Desert language. Country Traditional Kokatha lands extend ov ...

woman, was choreographer and artistic director for the company's new work, ''Yuldea''. It tells the story of the South Australian town of

Ooldea Ooldea, known as Yuldea and various other names by Western Desert peoples ( Aṉangu), is a tiny settlement in South Australia. It is on the eastern edge of the Nullarbor Plain, west of Port Augusta on the Trans-Australian Railway. Ooldea is ...

, which was settled in the early 20th century as it was close to the water source known as "Yooldil Kapi" by the Aboriginal groups who lived in the area, including the Kokatha,

Mirning The Mirning, also known as the Ngandatha, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose traditional lands lay on the coastal region of the Great Australian Bight extending from Western Australia into south-west South Australia. Name ''Mirniŋ'' was ...

, and

Wirangu people The Wirangu are an Aboriginal Australian people of the Western coastal region of South Australia. Name Daisy Bates stated that the Wirangu ethnonym was composed of two words: ''wira'' (cloud) and ''wonga'' (speech). Language Wirangu is usual ...

s. Rings' father, a German migrant, worked on the railway, and her mother was born nearby. ''Yuldea'' has four acts – Supernova, Kapi (Water), Empire, and Ooldea Spirit. The creative team included

Gamilaroi The Gamilaroi, also known as Gomeroi, Kamilaroi, Kamillaroi and other variations, are an Aboriginal Australian people whose lands extend from New South Wales to southern Queensland. They form one of the four largest Indigenous nations in Austr ...

astronomer

Karlie Noon Karlie Alinta Noon is the first Indigenous Australian woman to graduate with a double degree in maths and physics; she is an astronomer, multiple award winner, 2019 Eureka Prize nominee, and one of the 2017 BBC's ''100 Women''. She researches as ...

, and musical duo

Electric Fields Electric Fields is an Australian electronic music duo made up of vocalist Zaachariaha Fielding and keyboard player and producer Michael Ross. Electric Fields combine modern electric-soul music with Aboriginal culture and sing in Pitjantjatj ...

, and Bangarra's chief composer, Leon Rodgers. The voices of people from

Yalata Yalata ( ), in the isolated far west of South Australia, is both an Indigenous Protected Area and, within that, a township of the same name where an Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal community lives. The township is west of Ceduna, South Aus ...

were recorded for the last track. ''Waru – journey of the small turtle'', directed by Stephen Page and written by his son Hunter Page-Lochard, premiered in Sydney in 2023, and ran for two seasons before going on tour from 26 June to 9 November 2024. It was the first children's work performed by Bangarra, and won Best Production for Children in the

Sydney Theatre Awards The Sydney Theatre Awards are annual awards to recognise the strength, quality and diversity of professional theatre in Sydney, Australia. They were established in 2005 by a group of major Sydney theatre critics. The awards recognise mainstage and ...

in 2023.

People

Page brothers

, 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'' (1992), was former Head of Culture and Training Operations at

NAISDA 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 ...

, and the first Indigenous Australian to lead a dance company when he took over the reins of the

Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre (AIDT) was the first dance company used to train Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on their dancing career, and grew into a performance group. Originating in the National Aboriginal and Islander ...

in 1991 *

Lillian Crombie Lillian Crombie (1958 – 3 January 2024), also known as "Aunty Lillian", was an Aboriginal Australian actress and dancer, known for her work on stage, film and television. Early life and education Lillian Crombie was born in 1958. She was of ...

, dancer *

Ella Havelka Ella Havelka (born 1989) is an Australian ballet dancer who is the first Indigenous person to join The Australian Ballet. Early life Havelka was born in Dubbo, New South Wales, and is a descendant of the Wiradjuri people. She was raised by a ...

, dancer *

Elma Gada Kris Elma Gada Kris is an Australian dancer, choreographer and NAIDOC award winner. She is a Torres Strait Islander woman of the Wagadagam, Kaurareg, Sipingur, Gebbara and Kai Dangal Buai peoples, and a member of the Bangarra Dance Theatre. Early lif ...

, dancer and choreographer *

Banula Marika Banula (David) Marika is an Aboriginal Australian dancer, actor, singer and performer from Yirrkala in North East Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. The son of Roy Marika, he is a member of the Rirratjingu clan of the Yolngu ...

, dancer and musician * Ningali Lawford-Wolf * Daniel Riley, dancer and choreographer, artistic director of

Australian Dance Theatre Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), known as Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre from 1993 to 1999, is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1965 by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman . The ADT was the first moder ...

from 2022 *

, dancer and choreographer, artistic director from 2022

Works

*1992 – ''Praying Mantis Dreaming'' *1995 – ''Ochres'' *1997 – ''Fish'' *1997 – ''Rites'' (with

The Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet (TAB) 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 a ...

) *2000 – ''Skin'' (

Spear A spear is a polearm 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 hardening, fire hardened spears, or it may be made of a more durable materia ...

, 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

) * 2009 — ''Fire – A Retrospective'' * 2010 – ''of earth & sky'' * 2012 – ''Terrain'' * 2013 – ''Blak'' * 2014 – ''

Patyegarang Patyegarang (c 1780s) was an Australian Aboriginal woman, thought to be from the Cammeraygal clan of the Dharug nation. Patyegarang (pronounced Pa-te-ga-rang) taught William Dawes the language of her people and is thought to be one of the first ...

'' and ''Kinship'' * 2015 – ''lore'' * 2016 – ''OUR land people stories'' * 2017 – ''

Bennelong Woollarawarre Bennelong ( 1764 – 3 January 1813) 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. Bennelong served as an interlocutor between ...

'' *2018 – ''Dubboo - life of a songman'' *2018 — ''Dark Emu'' *2019 — ''Spirit'' *2023 – ''Yuldea'' *2023 – ''Waru – journey of the small turtle'' *2024 – ''Dance Clan''

Discography

Albums

Films

* '' Jindalee Lady'' (1992), featuring then lead dancer

Raymond Blanco Raymond Sindo Blanco (August 16, 1935 – November 19, 2022) was an American academic administrator and football coach who served as the First Gentleman of Louisiana from 2004 to 2008 during the gubernatorial tenure of his wife, then Governor ...

. This was the first fiction feature film directed by an Aboriginal director (

Brian Syron Brian Gregory Syron (19 November 1934 – 14 October 1993) was an actor, teacher, Aboriginal rights activist, stage director and Australia's first Indigenous feature film director, who has also been recognised as the first First Nations feature ...

). *''

'' (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. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

, based on the live performance ''Skin'' (2000). * ''Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra'' (2020) is a

feature-length A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation ...

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

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) roles in the development of the company. The film had its world premiere as the closing night film of the

Brisbane International Film Festival The Brisbane International Film Festival (BIFF) is an annual film festival held in Brisbane, Australia. Organised by the Screen Culture unit at Screen Queensland, the festival has taken place since 1992, with the program including features, doc ...

on 11 October 2020, and eight days later won the

Adelaide Film Festival The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF, formerly ADLFF) is a film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in movie theater, cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented wikt:Special:Search/biennial, biennially in March from 2 ...

's Feature Documentary Award.

Awards and nominations

The company has received the Helpmann Award for Best Ballet or Dance Work a number of times.

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,

, 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 The Deadly Awards, formally titled National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Music, Sport, Arts and Community Awards and commonly known simply as The Deadlys, was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ac ...

, (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 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

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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. ! , - , rowspan="4",

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

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

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 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, ''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 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, 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 The Helpmann Award for Best Original Score is a musical award presented by Live Performance Australia (LPA) at the annual Helpmann Awards since 2001. In the following list winners are listed first and marked in gold, in boldface, and the nominees ...

, , - , 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 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, Jennifer Irwin – ''Amalgamate'' (The Australian Ballet & Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Costume Design , , rowspan="1", , - , rowspan="1",

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, ''Clan'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) ,

Helpmann Award for Best Regional Touring Production __NOTOC__ The Helpmann Award for Best Regional Touring Production is an award presented by Live Performance Australia at the annual Helpmann Awards since 2007. The award recognizes excellence in one production that has toured in the previous t ...

, , rowspan="1", , - , rowspan="1",

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, ''True Stories'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Regional Touring Production , , rowspan="1", , - , rowspan="3",

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, ''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 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, ''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 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

– ''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 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, 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 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, ''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 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, 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 various ...

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

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, Stephen Page – ''Patyegarang'' (Bangarra Dance Theatre) , Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production , , rowspan="1", , - , rowspan="7",

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

, ''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 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, ''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 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, ''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 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

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

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

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