News location:

Canberra Today 15°/16° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Page turns to Rings to lead Bangarra

Stephen Page and Frances Rings. Photo: Daniel Boud

BANGARRA Dance Theatre has today (December 2) announced that Frances Rings will become the company’s artistic director when Stephen Page steps down in early 2023.

Phillipa McDermott, Bangarra’s chair, described Page’s planned departure as “the end of an era”, but also said: “Frances Rings is an incredible artist and the perfect choice to carry the extraordinary legacy of Stephen Page into Bangarra’s next cycle… Stephen is a national treasure and his legacy cannot be underestimated, he has done so much for this nation.”

Page’s resignation marks the end of an extraordinary 32-year reign at Bangarra.

A descendant of the Nunukul people and the Munaldjali clan of the Yugambeh Nation from south-east Queensland, he was appointed artistic director in 1991, since which he has developed a body of works that have become milestones in Australian performing arts history, setting, the company believes, a benchmark for storytelling not only across Australia, but internationally.

For his part, Page says: “Frances Rings is an exceptional dancer and a gifted and visionary choreographer. Her works for Bangarra, among them the acclaimed ‘Unaipon’, ‘Terrain’ and ‘Sandsong’ stand as precious works of profound artistic and cultural truth.”

He praised Rings, not only because of her artistry “but because her lived experience is that Bangarra is so much more than an arts organisation. Ceremonially, I pass her this precious coolamon filled with all our truly unique First Nations dancers and administrators as well as our many valuable non-indigenous supporters”.

Rings, while thanking Page for his guidance, elaborated on her experience with the company, saying: “When I joined Bangarra as an aspiring young artist I became a part of a family, a clan of indigenous artists who all shared the same vision: to tell the stories of indigenous Australia in our distinctive languages, to shift societal perspectives, and affirm our position as an integral part of the national cultural identity.”

Bangarra’s production, “Terrain”, choreographed by Rings, will come to the Canberra Theatre Centre, July 28-30.

Who can be trusted?

In a world of spin and confusion, there’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in Canberra.

If you trust our work online and want to enforce the power of independent voices, I invite you to make a small contribution.

Every dollar of support is invested back into our journalism to help keep citynews.com.au strong and free.

Become a supporter

Thank you,

Ian Meikle, editor

Helen Musa

Helen Musa

Share this

Leave a Reply

Related Posts

Follow us on Instagram @canberracitynews