Celebrate 30 years of the Bangarra Dance Theatre
Bangarra is a Wiradjuri word for making fire, and over the 30 years of its existence, the Bangarra Dance Theatre has started a blaze that still burns fiercely. This is the story of Australia’s most renowned performing arts company; it’s the story of three brothers—Stephen, Russell, and David Page—but more than that, it’s the story of the way that art can become a weapon that helps a people to survive and a nation to heal deep scars. It is a story of inspired inventiveness, and the personal costs at which it is won. This is a celebration, combining the Page family’s home movies, interviews with the company’s leading figures, and an archive of its most iconic performances. With its fusion of traditional forms and contemporary dance, Bangarra’s work is a proud assertion that indigenous culture is still adapting and creating. Still strong, still surviving.
Nel Minchin, Wayne Blair
Nel Minchin has been working in a wide variety of companies including FremantleMedia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and Google Creative Labs. She has produced ABC series such as Aunty Donna and Fully Furnished. She has directed Matilda and Me (2016) and Making Muriel (2017).
Wayne Blair is a Batjala, Mununjali, Wakkawakka man born in 1971 in Taree. He has been an actor, writer, director and producer in film, television and theatre. His previous feature films include
The Sapphires (2012),
September of Shiraz (2015), and
Top End Wedding (2019). He has also worked extensively in television with credits including
Lockie Leonard,
Redfern Now,
Dead Gorgeous, Clever Man, and
Mystery Road.
