Stephen Page facts for kids

Stephen George Page is a famous Aboriginal Australian choreographer, film director, and former dancer. He led the Bangarra Dance Theatre, an Indigenous Australian dance company, as its artistic director from 1991 until 2022. During his time there, he created or choreographed 33 dance works. He also worked on big events like the opening and closing ceremonies of the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000. Stephen Page also directed the 2004 Adelaide Festival of the Arts and has worked in theatre and film.

Early Life and Dance Training

Stephen George Page was born in Brisbane, Australia, in 1965. He grew up in a large family with 11 brothers and sisters. His family comes from the Nunukul people on his mother's side and the Munaldjali people from southeast Queensland on his father's side. However, his parents lived at a time when they couldn't openly celebrate their Aboriginal culture.

Stephen went to Cavendish Road State High School in Brisbane. He was lucky to go to high school, as his older sisters had to leave school early to help the family. At school, he learned music and some dance.

After school, he thought about studying law. But then he saw a poster about an Indigenous dance college. When he was 16, he moved to Sydney to train at the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre. This school later became the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA). He graduated from NAISDA in 1983. In 1984, he created his first major dance piece called Warumpi Warumpi.

Stephen Page's Career

Starting Out in Dance

In 1986, Stephen Page joined the Sydney Dance Company. He performed in many shows and toured to places like Greece, Italy, and Japan.

By 1988, during a time of important Indigenous activism in Australia, Stephen decided he wanted to dance with an Indigenous company. He went back to NAISDA to teach and choreograph. He also toured with the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre to Germany and Finland.

He continued to work with the Sydney Dance Company sometimes, which helped him learn more about choreography. In 1991, he choreographed works for them and for Opera Australia.

Leading Bangarra Dance Theatre

In 1991, Stephen Page became the main choreographer for Bangarra Dance Theatre. By the end of that year, he became its artistic director. His brothers, Russell and David, also joined Bangarra around this time.

In 1992, Stephen choreographed Praying Mantis Dreaming, Bangarra's first full-length show. This show toured all over Australia and to other countries like China, the US, and the UK.

Stephen also worked with the Australian Ballet. In 1996, he choreographed Alchemy, with music by his brother David. The next year, he brought the Australian Ballet and Bangarra together for a show called Rites. This show mixed different dance styles with Indigenous dance.

He co-choreographed Ochres, a show about the earth and its elements. Another show, Fish, explored themes of water. Fish was later made into a film for TV.

In 2000, he choreographed Skin for the Sydney Olympic Arts Festival. This show explored family connections across Aboriginal communities. It won awards for its powerful message.

Bangarra's show Corroboree toured internationally in 2001 and 2002, selling out shows in the US. Stephen won an award for Best Choreography for this work. Other important shows he choreographed included Walkabout (2002), Bush (2003), and Clan (2004).

In 2008, he created Mathinna, a full-length show inspired by a young Tasmanian girl's journey between two cultures. This show won awards for Best Dance Work and Best Choreography.

In 2009, Bangarra celebrated its 20th anniversary with Fire – A Retrospective. This show looked back at the company's amazing journey.

Later works included Patyegarang (2014) and Bennelong (2017), which won another award for Best New Australian Work. In 2018, he co-created Dark Emu, inspired by a book about Indigenous history. This became Bangarra's most successful show ever.

In 2021, Stephen choreographed Sandsong, which honored the stories of the Kimberley region. In December 2021, he announced he would step down as artistic director at the end of 2022. His last show with Bangarra was Wudjang: Not the Past in 2022. He had created 33 works for the company.

While at Bangarra, Stephen also helped young dancers through the "Rekindling" youth program.

Other Creative Projects

Stephen Page also worked on many other big projects. In 1996, he choreographed the flag handover ceremony for the Atlanta Olympic Games. In 2000, he helped direct parts of the opening and closing ceremonies of the Sydney Olympic Games. He worked with many Indigenous performers to create a powerful "Awakening" segment.

In 2004, he was the artistic director of the Adelaide Festival of the Arts, which was highly praised. In 2006, he created a special dance work called Kin for the opening of the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane, working with his son and nephews.

He directed a traditional smoking ceremony for the 75th anniversary of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2007. He also directed an opera called Orphée et Eurydice in Melbourne.

In 2018, he directed or choreographed work for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. He has also choreographed for the Australian Football League.

In 2023, a children's show called Waru – journey of the small turtle, directed by Stephen and written by his son Hunter, premiered. It was Bangarra's first show for children and won an award.

In 2024, Stephen created Baleen Moondjan for the Adelaide Festival. This was his first major work since leaving Bangarra. It told stories about baleen whales and First Nations totem systems, combining dance, storytelling, and songs in different languages.

Theatre and Film Work

Stephen Page has also directed and choreographed for theatre and film. He directed his brother, musician David Page, in a one-man show called Page 8.

He was the choreographer for the film Bran Nue Dae (2008) and worked on the film Black River. He also adapted his 1997 Bangarra show Fish into a film for TV.

In 2013, he directed a chapter called "Sand" in the film The Turning. He also choreographed the film The Sapphires (2011).

In 2013, he was an associate director for the play The Secret River at the Sydney Theatre Company.

In 2015, he directed his first feature film, Spear, which was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. His son, Hunter Page-Lochard, played the main role.

Stephen Page's Family Life

Stephen Page's brothers, David and Russell, were also very important to Bangarra. David was the composer, and Russell was a dancer and a big inspiration for the company. Stephen was deeply affected by their deaths. He has said that his creative work helped him through these difficult times, seeing art as a form of healing.

His son is the actor Hunter Page-Lochard, born in 1993. Hunter's mother, Cynthia "Sabine" Lochard, was a dancer. Stephen also has a stepdaughter, Tamika Walker. Stephen and Cynthia separated around 1998, partly due to the stress of building Bangarra and frequent tours. However, they have always remained respectful and co-parented their son.

In 2023, Stephen's family history was explored on the TV show Who Do You Think You Are?. He discovered new family members who are South Pacific Islanders.

In November 2023, he spoke on a podcast called The Good Enough Dad. He talked about how being raised by many women helped him become a good father.

Awards and Recognition

Stephen Page has received many awards and honors for his contributions to dance and the arts.

His old high school, Cavendish Road State High School, named one of its school houses "Page" in his honor.

In 2001, he received a Centenary Medal for his service to Australian society and dance. In 2008, he was named New South Wales Australian of the Year. This award recognized his efforts to bring cultures together through art and his work in guiding young Indigenous storytellers and dancers.

The University of Technology Sydney gave him an honorary doctorate in Creative Arts in 2015.

In 2017, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO). This is a high honor given for distinguished service to the performing arts and for sharing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts with the world.

In 2023, Stephen was invited to give the Andrew Sayers Memorial Lecture at the National Portrait Gallery. He spoke about "Clanship," discussing cultural connections, family, and Indigenous identity.

Stephen Page and Bangarra Dance Theatre have won many Helpmann Awards, which celebrate live entertainment in Australia. He has personally won several Helpmann Awards for Best Choreography and Best New Australian Work.

He also received:

• The Australian Dance Award for Services to Dance in 2010.
• Deadly Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment (2008) and Achievement in Theatre or Live Performance (2009) with Bangarra Dance Theatre.
• The NAIDOC Artist of the Year award in 2012.
• The NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
• The Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award twice (2003, 2004).
• The Australia Council Dance Award in 2017.
• The Red Ochre Award in 2022.
• The inaugural Wendy Blacklock Industry Legend Award in 2022.