“Mesmerising beauty, sheer poetry and spiritual power.” – Dance Europe
This fall, Bangarra Dance Theatre makes its Chicago debut at the Harris Theater in three performances filled with powerful dancing and utterly unique soundscapes, music, and design.
Led by Artistic Director Stephen Page, Bangarra has established itself as one of Australia’s leading performing arts companies and “a modern dance company unlike any other… remarkably imaginative and richly varied” (The New York Times). Each Bangarra dancer has a proud Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background, and the company forges its work from over 65,000 years of culture, embodied in contemporary movement.
Each piece in Bangarra’s repertoire draws on stories gathered from respected community elders, but the company is not focused on history alone. As Artistic Director, Page draws inspiration from traditional storytelling, the rich variety of Aboriginal visual art, and contemporary issues facing indigenous peoples. Whatever the context, the company’s inherent connection to the land and people make it unique and has captivated audiences from remote Australian regional centers to major cities in North America and Europe.
This November, Bangarra will appear in Chicago for the first time in its 30-year history. The company will perform two works that illustrate its distinctive theatrical voice — Nyapanyapa, inspired by the richly textured paintings of contemporary Aboriginal artist Nyapanyapa Yunupingu; and Spirit, featuring stories and songs drawn from all over Australia, in a celebration of First Nations Peoples’ unbroken connection to the land.
Don’t miss your chance to see the extraordinary Bangarra Dance Theatre this fall, only at the Harris — Chicago’s home for music and dance.
