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 Cheryl Stone. Bangarra (pronounced bungurra) means "to make fire" in the Wiradjuri language. Stephen Page was artistic director from 1991 to 2021, with Frances Rings taking over in 2022. The company has received many Helpmann Awards 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 modern dancer and founder of the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA), Rob Bryant, a Gumbaynggirr man and graduate of NAISDA, and Cheryl Stone, a South African-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 and a Vietnam veteran. Stone had been born in South Africa, growing up in Cape Town 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 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, 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 in Sydney. The opening ceremony was co-directed by Stephen Page along with Rhoda Roberts, and Page co-choreographed a segment called Awakening, which was narrated by Ernie Dingo. 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'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 Frances Rings, 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 as part of the Adelaide Festival in March 2022. In 2023, Rings, a Kokatha woman, was choreographer and artistic director for the company's new work, Yuldea. It tells the story of the South Australian town of Ooldea, 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, and Wirangu peoples. 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 astronomer Karlie Noon, and musical duo Electric Fields, and Bangarra's chief composer, Leon Rodgers. The voices of people from Yalata 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 in 2023.

People

Page brothers

Others

Works

Discography

Albums

Films

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 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. they commenced in 1997. (wins only) ! Ref.

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) ! Ref.

Helpmann Awards

The Helpmann Awards 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. ! Ref.

Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards

The Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards commenced in 1984 and recognise outstanding achievements in dance, drama, comedy, music, opera, circus and puppetry.