BANGARRA DANCE
FROM UMUWA TO THE BIG APPLE - A BIG YEAR FOR BANGARRA IN 2001
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As a result of its involvement in the Awakenings segment
of the 2000 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, Bangarra Dance Theatre
performed to one of the world’s largest television audiences.
With Telstra at the helm as Principal Sponsor, Bangarra
will continue to build on that exposure with a full schedule for
2001, which includes a 16 city North American tour, the creation
and tour of a new full-length work Corroboree, and a regional NSW
program tour. Shortly after the dancers returned to Sydney, they boarded a flight to Noumea for a short season of The Dreaming at the Tijibaou Cultural Centre. |
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Rehearsals then commenced back at the wharf for Corroboree, Stephen Page’s new triple bill work which follows on from Skin - the work he created for the 2000 Olympic Arts Festival. Skin won the company great critical acclaim and a Helpmann Award for Best New Australian work plus Best Ballet or Dance Work for 2000. Chelsea Clinton, daughter of former US president Bill Clinton, was amongst the many supporters of Skin and hosted an after-show function for the company at the Sydney Opera House.
An exciting creative team has been gathered for Corroboree including: Stephen Page (choreography); David Page and Steve Francis (music); Joe Mercurio (lighting design); Stephen Page and John Matkovic (set design); Jennifer Irwin (costume design); Djakapurra Munyarryun (Cultural Consultant) and Peggy Misi (Additional music composition for Turtle).
Quietly political and evocative, Corroboree represents a return to the purity of dance and tradition with a journey through the songlines of three Dreamings; Brolga, Roo and Turtle. Corroboree will premiere in Brisbane (June 20 to 23 at The Playhouse Theatre, QPAC) and will then tour to Melbourne (July 25 to 28 at The Playhouse, VAC) and to Sydney (September 12 to 15 at the Theatre Royal). Reflecting the company’s ongoing commitment to local Indigenous audiences there will be a dedicated Koori Night during the Sydney Corroboree season.
In August the company will undertake a series of schools based workshops and small stage productions of Awakenings in Dubbo, Moree and Grafton. The tour, funded by NSW Ministry of the Arts, is aimed to further consolidate educational and career goals for young rural Indigenous people.
Thanks to the support of new principal sponsor, Telstra, the company will mount its most ambitious overseas tour ever in October - a 16 city tour of North America, performing a best-of-Bangarra program titled Corroboree. A highlight of the visit will be the company’s New York debut as part of BAM, Next Wave Down under, October 24 to 27.
The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) will present a month long celebration of Australian arts this October as part of its annual Next Wave Festival. The Australian component, Next Wave Down Under, is the first time that Next Wave, one of the world’s most important contemporary arts festivals, has focused on the arts of a single nation in its 18-year history. Australian drama, music, dance, film, literature, new media works on the Internet, Australian food and wine will all feature at the festival.
The Bangarra artist line-up for 2001 consists of Dkakapurra Munyarryun, Frances Rings, Russell Page, Elma Kris, Peggy Misi, Sidney Saltner, Lewis Lampton, Yolande Brown, Desley Roberts Joel Blanco, Sani Townson, Victor Bramich and Peta Strachan.
For further information/images/interviews please contact:
Emma Collison, Publicist, Bangarra Dance Theatre
(02) 9699 5199 or 0418 584 795
Email: babyoscar@bigpond.com
