BANGARRA WELCOMES 2011

Australia’s premier Indigenous performing arts company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, welcomes 2011 with a breathtaking new program, Belong, and a number of exciting new initiatives.
Belong, a truly Australian theatrical experience connecting the spirit of traditional culture with our contemporary lives, will tour across the country from July to September.
2011 also sees the commencement of Bangarra’s New Chair Larissa Behrendt, a leading Aboriginal lawyer and academic named 2011 NSW Australian of the Year. Larissa has been a member of the Bangarra Board since 2005 and took over the position from outgoing Chair of fourteen years former Senator Aden Ridgeway late last year.
“Bangarra is at an exciting stage. We’ve achieved both artistic and business success over two decades. This year we have a new artists-in-residence program and traineeships for Indigenous young people across the company”. “Our commitment is to create extraordinary contemporary Indigenous theatrical works and in doing so contribute to improving the lives of Indigenous people” said Behrendt.
In 2011 Bangarra has a number of exciting new programs in development:
Artists-in-residence
In 2011, four respected Indigenous artists have been appointed to Bangarra : Frances Rings (choreographer), David Page (composer), Kathy Marika (cultural consultant) and Jacob Nash (designer). These artists make a significant creative and cultural contribution to Bangarra and extend the company’s capacity through presentations and workshops.
Indigenous Traineeships
Bangarra is a highly successful Indigenous employer with around 70% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff. This year we plan to open up job placements and traineeships across all company functions for young Indigenous people.
Return to Country
Each work created by Bangarra over the past twenty-one years has had its beginnings in the stories and experiences of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities. Maintaining our links with remote and regional Indigenous community elders and taking our works back to these communities is critical to the authenticity of our artistic program.
Bangarra’s 2010 season of earth & sky was highly acclaimed, with the company recently winning three Greenroom Awards:
Bangarra Dance Theatre for Best Dance Ensemble for of earth and sky; Frances Rings received the Betty Pounder Award for Choreography for Artefact; and Jacob Nash won Best Set Design for Artefact.
2011 promises to bring a new and exciting chapter to Bangarra’s rich history of combining the traditional cultures and contemporary theatre to tell the unique stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
www.bangarra.com.au