Bangarra Dance Theatre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bangarra Dance Theatre

Bangarra Dance Theatre at Australian Human Rights Commission event in 2011
Formation	1989; 36 years ago (1989)
Founder	Carole Y. Johnson, Rob Bryant, Cheryl Stone
Purpose	Indigenous Australian contemporary dance company
Website	https://www.bangarra.com.au/

Bangarra Dance Theatre is a special dance company that shares stories from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures through modern dance. It was started by Carole Y. Johnson, Rob Bryant, and Cheryl Stone. The name Bangarra (pronounced bungurra) means "to make fire" in the Wiradjuri language.

Stephen Page was the main artistic leader from 1991 to 2021. Then, Frances Rings took over in 2022. The company has won many awards, including Helpmann Awards. Some of their most popular shows, like Bennelong (2017) and Dark Emu (2018), have been seen by huge audiences all over Australia.

The Story of Bangarra

Bangarra Dance Theatre began in October 1989. It was founded by three people:

• Carole Y. Johnson, an American modern dancer who also started the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA).
• Rob Bryant, a Gumbaynggirr man and a graduate of NAISDA.
• Cheryl Stone, who was born in South Africa and studied at NAISDA.

Carole Johnson had a big dream for Aboriginal dance in Australia. She wanted to create a school to train dancers and a performing company where students and graduates could perform and teach. She also wanted to help dancers learn other skills, like how to create dances or manage tours. A very important goal was to keep strong connections with traditional Aboriginal communities and their culture.

Stephen Page became the artistic director in 1991. Bangarra's first full show, Praying Mantis Dreaming, was performed in 1992. Since then, they have created new shows almost every year. Many of these shows have been very successful in Australia and have even toured to other countries like the United States and the United Kingdom.

Bangarra also played a big part in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Stephen Page helped direct the opening ceremony and co-created a dance part called Awakening.

Two of Bangarra's biggest shows ever were Bennelong (2017) and Dark Emu (2018). About 70,000 people watched these shows across Australia. Dark Emu was created by Stephen Page with former Bangarra dancers Daniel Riley and Yolande Brown. It was inspired by Bruce Pascoe's book of the same name and became the most successful show in Bangarra's history.

In 2019, the company celebrated its 30th birthday by launching a digital archive and exhibition called Knowledge Ground. This helped share their history and culture.

In December 2021, Stephen Page announced he would step down as artistic director. Frances Rings, a former dancer and choreographer with Bangarra, took over in 2022. Bangarra's last show with Stephen Page as director was Wudjang: Not the Past, which premiered in January 2022.

In 2023, Frances Rings, a Kokatha woman, created a new work called Yuldea. This show tells the story of the South Australian town of Ooldea. This town was important because it was near a water source called "Yooldil Kapi" by the Aboriginal groups who lived there. The show included music from Electric Fields and voices from people in Yalata.

Waru – journey of the small turtle, directed by Stephen Page and written by his son Hunter Page-Lochard, premiered in Sydney in 2023. This was Bangarra's first show made especially for children. It won an award for Best Production for Children at the Sydney Theatre Awards in 2023.

Important People at Bangarra

The Page Brothers

• Stephen Page AO: He was the artistic director from 1991 to 2021.
• David Page (1961–2016): He was a composer and the musical director for Bangarra.
• Russell Page (1968–2002): He was a dancer with the company.

Other Key People

• Raymond D. Blanco: A dancer who was in the film Jindalee Lady (1992).
• Lillian Crombie: A dancer.
• Ella Havelka: A dancer.
• Elma Gada Kris: A dancer and choreographer.
• Banula Marika: A dancer and musician.
• Ningali Lawford-Wolf: A performer.
• Daniel Riley: A dancer and choreographer.
• Frances Rings: A dancer and choreographer who became the artistic director in 2022.

Bangarra's Dance Works

Music Albums

Bangarra has also released music albums, often created by their musical directors.

Films About Bangarra

Bangarra's work has also been featured in films:

• Jindalee Lady (1992): This film featured Bangarra's lead dancer at the time, Raymond Blanco. It was the first fiction film directed by an Aboriginal director.
• Spear (2015): This is a drama film directed by Stephen Page. It was based on Bangarra's live performance called Skin from 2000.
• Firestarter – The Story of Bangarra (2020): This is a full-length documentary film about the dance company. It tells the story of Bangarra's first 30 years and focuses on the roles of the three Page brothers (Stephen, David, and Russell) in the company's growth. The film won an award at the Adelaide Film Festival.

Awards and Recognition

Bangarra Dance Theatre has won many awards for its amazing performances and choreography.

Australian Dance Awards

These awards celebrate excellence in dance in Australia.

Deadly Awards

The Deadly Awards celebrated achievements by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in music, sport, and entertainment.

Helpmann Awards

The Helpmann Awards celebrate live entertainment and performing arts in Australia.

Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards

These awards recognize great achievements in performing arts in Australia.

See also

• Aboriginal Dance Theatre Redfern
• Dance in Australia
• NAISDA Dance College
• National Black Theatre (Australia)