Bangarra Dance Theatre

Sunday 26 July, 12:00 noon
Ca’ Giustinian, Venice

La Biennale di Venezia will present the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to the Australian company Bangarra Dance Theatre.

With its eighteen versatile and dynamic Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dancers, Bangarra (a Wiradjuri word meaning “to make fire”) is one of the leading and internationally renowned performing arts companies in Australia. Each one of the dancers, proud of their background, draws from a cultural legacy that has spanned 65,000 years across generations, creating powerful works that bring together dance, music and poetry. Since its inception in 1989, Bangarra has made a significant impact on the Australian and global theatre scene, touring productions telling the stories of First Nations peoples.
Stephen Page, a Nunukul/Ngugi man of the Quandamooka Peoples and a Munaldjali man of the Yugambeh Nation, was the artistic director of Bangarra for over thirty years. From 1991 – 2022, Page shaped the company and a landmark body of more than 27 works, transforming the landscape of Australian performing arts and catapulting Bangarra onto the world stage as contemporary First Nations storyteller. This legacy has been carried forward since 2023 by award-winning choreographer Frances Rings, a descendant of the Mirning Tribe from the west coast of South Australia. Under Rings’ leadership as Artistic Director and Co-CEO of Bangarra, the company continues its mission to promote awareness and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Striat Islander cultures” (from the motivation for the award).

At the 20^th International Festival of Contemporary Dance, Bangarra Dance Theatre is to present the European premiere of Terrain (July 25^th and 26^th, Teatro Malibran). Exploring the relationship of First Nations people to Country and how landscape becomes a second skin, Terrain is inspired by the timeless beauty of Australia’s largest salt lake, Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre in South Australia. Choreographed by Frances Rings, Terrain’s nine-part performance evokes the power of body and land converging to bring spirit to place.

Bangarra Dance Theatre is a company of professional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performers. It is one of Australia’s foremost performing arts companies, sharing its culture with communities and audiences across Australia and the world. Drawing on 65,000 years of cultural heritage, Bangarra Dance Theatre creates powerful works of dance and theatre that blend music, poetry and design. All the members of the Bangarra Dance Theatre are professional dancers and dynamic artists, with great pride in their background. Ignited by an obligation to Country and Community, Bangarra nurtures the transmission of First Peoples’ Story, knowledges, history and experiences to effect change and create lasting impact.
The Bangarra company was founded in 1989 by Uncle Rob Bryant, Cheryl Stone and Carole Y. Johnson, born from the energy of NAISDA, the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association. From 1991 to 2022, Bangarra was led by the Artistic Director Stephen Page. A creative icon, Page’s vision and tenacity have made Bangarra one of the most successful Indigenous or First Nations performing arts companies in the world. Frances Rings, a long-time member of the Bangarra company and an award-winning choreographer, became the company’s Artistic Director and co-CEO in 2023, leading the company with the Executive Director and co-CEO Louise Ingram. Today, Frances and Louise lead the company in Bangarra’s mission to promote awareness and understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Bangarra Dance Theatre has toured its productions to notable venues across the world including: the Lincoln Centre (Warumuk, in collaboration with The Australian Ballet); New York City Centre, Sadlers Wells Theatre in London and Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris (Rites, in collaboration with the Australian Ballet); Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Kennedy Centre, Washington and The Queen Elizabeth Hall, London (The Dreaming); Vancouver Playhouse (Spirit, Brolga); Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre (Ochres); Theater Bonn and Hanoi Opera House, Vietnam (Spirit).