Bangarra Dance Theatre's announcement of Sheltering, touring nationally from May to July 2026, signals a deliberate moment of reflection for Australia's leading Indigenous performing arts company. Rather than presenting an entirely new creation, artistic director Frances Rings has curated a triple bill that threads together different generations of Bangarra choreographers, offering audiences a layered view of how the company's artistic voice has evolved across its 36-year history.
The program's three works, Keeping Grounded, Brown Boys, and Sheoak, share thematic ground while representing distinctly different artistic approaches and eras. The unifying concept of "shelter" is reimagined beyond physical protection, exploring how cultural connection, storytelling, and relationship to Country provide sustenance across generations.
Keeping Grounded, choreographed by Glory Tuohy-Daniell (Indjalandji-Dhidhanu and Alyewarre), emerged from Dance Clan 2023 and addresses a contemporary tension: how to maintain cultural and physical connection to land in an age of increasing technological mediation. Tuohy-Daniell, who danced with Bangarra from 2016 to 2023, brings the perspective of someone who has performed these cultural connections on stages worldwide while navigating the same digital displacement the work examines.
Brown Boys, directed by Daniel Mateo and Cass Mortimer Eipper, shifts medium entirely, presenting a film work that blends dance, narrative, and cinema. Born from Mateo's poetry and his experience as a Gamilaroi and Tongan man, the piece explores young Indigenous men's experiences of identity and belonging. Its inclusion in a predominantly dance program reflects Bangarra's interest in expanding how Indigenous stories can be told and experienced, acknowledging that younger audiences engage with narrative through multiple platforms.
The program's anchor is Sheoak, Frances Rings' 2015 work created under the artistic direction of Stephen Page, with music by the late David Page (Munaldjali and Nunukul). The sheoak tree, known for resilience and adaptability, serves as both metaphor and cultural symbol, its sheltering branches providing the conceptual framework for the entire evening. Reviving this work a decade later allows new audiences to encounter Rings' choreographic vision while demonstrating how certain themes gain resonance across time.
What's particularly interesting about Sheltering is its curatorial ambition. Rings explicitly frames the program as showcasing "different perspectives and styles of how Bangarra choreographers from past and present create work." This isn't just programming convenience. It's a statement about continuity and emergence, about how cultural knowledge gets passed forward while remaining alive to contemporary innovation.
The inclusion of film alongside live performance acknowledges how storytelling forms are expanding. For a company rooted in dance theatre tradition, this represents a significant philosophical position about reaching audiences where they are while maintaining artistic integrity.
There's also poignancy in the program's cultural content advisory, acknowledging David Page's musical legacy. His compositions for Sheoak remain what the company describes as "a living heartbeat within Bangarra's story," a reminder that Indigenous cultural practice understands creation as ongoing relationship rather than fixed artifact.
Whether Sheltering proves compelling depends on how effectively these three distinct works speak to each other across their differences. The risk with anthology programs is fragmentation. The opportunity is revelation, seeing how artistic concerns evolve while core cultural connections remain constant.
NGUNNAWAL COUNTRY Canberra Theatre Centre 23rd – 27th May 2026
GADIGAL COUNTRY Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House 3rd – 13th June 2026
URUNDJERI COUNTRY Arts Centre Melbourne 18th – 27th June 2026
MEANJIN Glasshouse Theatre, Queensland Performing Arts Centre 9th – 18th July 2026
Comments
Post a Comment