AustLit

'Under the star-illuminated skies of the Torres Strait, a green turtle navigates her way back to the beach where she was born. The season has started, the turtles are returning to nest, and soon the island will welcome a new generation of hatchlings – amongst them, our small turtle friend, Migi!

'In Bangarra’s first dedicated work for children, join our heroine Migi as she undertakes a journey of discovery and survival. A contemporary saltwater Lagaw Kazil (Island Children) story inspired by the totemic system of the green turtle, Waru– journey of the small turtle is an interactive and immersive introduction to Torres Strait Islander culture and dance for 3 to 7 year-olds, premiering at Bangarra’s newly renovated home in Walsh Bay.

'Created by Stephen Page, together with Hunter Page-Lochard and Bangarra alumni Dancers and Choreographers Sani Townson and Elma Kris, >Waru provides teachers, parents and care-givers with a unique opportunity to open up conversations about climate change, caring for the environment and the traditional cultural values of respect and reciprocity. Inspired in part by Turtle (Corroboree, 2001), choreographed by Stephen Page, Peggy Misi and Elma Kris.'

Source: Bangarra Dance Theatre.

'Under the vast Kimberley sky, the red pindan dust stretches across the desert homelands of the Walmajarri, where the ancient knowledge of People and of Country is preserved through Songlines that have endured for hundreds of generations.

'At the heart of this land is the Living Water - Jila – that resides in desert waterholes across the region and is the basis of cultural beliefs and practices. Sandsong tells the unique story of this Place and the survival of its People.

'Between the 1920s and 1960s, Aboriginal people were removed off their Country and onto pastoral stations where they were forced into hard labour, usually for no wages and only minimal rations. Despite this displacement and cultural disruption, the Traditional People of the Western Desert have maintained unbroken connection to Land and Country - keeping songs, stories and kinship strong.

'This is the Country of Wangkatjunga woman Ningali Josie Lawford-Wolf (1967 – 2019), a close cultural collaborator of Bangarra whose spirit, stories and artistic contributions have inspired a number of the company’s works and enriched the broader arts landscape.

'The Lawford family has long generational ties to this part of the Kimberley and are current owners of the pastoral lease for Bohemia Downs cattle station, allowing them the stability to continue to care for their Land, Culture and Community.

'SandSong is a journey into ancient story systems framed against the backdrop of ever-changing government policy and of the survival of people determined to hold strong to their Culture.

'SandSong is created by Bangarra Dance Theatre in consultation with Wangkatjunga/Walmajarri Elders from the Kimberley and Great Sandy Desert regions, drawing on the stories, knowledge and memories of the past to create a new narrative for our Indigenous futures.

'This work honours the legacy of Ningali Josie Lawford-Wolf and her family - past, present and future.'

Source: Bangarra Dance Theatre.

'Showcasing the best of Bangarra’s internationally acclaimed repertoire, the majority of Spirit features highlights from the company’s sell-out production Bush, as well as treasured moments from Bangarra’s repertoire.'

'Set to a beautiful and haunting score composed by David Page and Steve Francis, Spirit is a lush and contemporary celebration of beauty, ritual and music. From the last breath of sunset to the first finger-light of dawn, the audience enters a mysterious and secret space to witness nature’s sacred poetry.'

'Featuring Kathy Balngayngu Marika, a traditional elder from North East Arnhem, Spirit weaves storytelling, dance, theatre and music into an unforgettable theatrical experience.'

'About' and 'ID' - are presented as 'Belong'. 'About' explores the representation and sensations of the various winds that blow through the lives of her people in the Torres Strait Islands. 'ID' questions the nature of Aboriginality.' (Source: AusStage website)

'Bangarra’s electrifying program, Walkabout, traces an extraordinary history of indigenous struggle and survival from the early missions and stations of outback Australia to the neon soaked streets of our modern day cities.'

'What leads us to walk away from what we know best? Sometimes there is no choice. The hardest journey can often be to rediscover the steps of the original walkabout – to tread as our ancestors did in a continuous cycle of reverence to the land.'

'Walkabout is a program of two works : Rush by Stephen Page and Rations by Frances Rings. A passionate and revealing work featuring acclaimed actress, Ningali Lawford, Walkabout explores the tensions between the spiritual and social forces that shape Indigenous life.'

'Rations pulls at the threads of hand-me-downs. Lured from their homelands, clothed in cast offs and fed an alien diet of flour and sugar, the people find themselves trapped in a cycle of dependency.'

'Rush captures the energy and resilience of youth, the struggle to reconcile old ways with new and cleanse the pain of the past. There’s the ‘rush’ of survival, new songlines are being drawn in the ancient soil.' (Source: Bangarra Dance Theatre website)

'A rich visual feast and a return to the purity of dance and tradition, Stephen Page’s triple bill Corroboree embraces the Dreamtime, a time when animal spirits occupied the land without the influence of humans.

'Corroboree takes a journey through the songlines of three dreamings that are central to the lives of indigenous people: Brolga, Roo and Turtle.'

'Brolga- a ritualistic cleansing of the spirit, wet season in the meeting grounds of Arnhem Land.'

'Roo – stalking of prey in the headlights, the very essence of time and fear.'

'Turtle – sand, sea and the waters of the Torres Strait, the everyday turbulence of birth and death.'

'Quietly political and evocative, Corroboree strives to bring attention to the origins of life.'

'Before time began when the land was formed and the spirits roamed free was the Dreaming. Where wet meets dry, the future folds back to the past and the Imagined is often Reality.'

'Steeped in the cultural heritage of the Aboriginal people of Australia, the Dreaming combines the ancient myth and ritual of the Munyarryun Clan of Northern Australia with music and movement from the contemporary urban world to present a work of sharp beauty and contrasts. Weaving together the elemental experience of both the land and the waters, the Dreaming sets forth on a sublime emotional journey. Drawing on the grandeur and desolation of Australia’s sweeping landscapes and waters, the Dreaming evokes the dangerous beauty and spiritual resonance of a country and a people.'

'Humanity merges with nature’s pantheon in a lyrical story of resilience, strength and belonging.' (Source: Bangarra Dance Theatre website)