Bangarra awarded Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Dance
Dancers of Bangarra Dance Theatre, Terrain, 2022 (Photo credit: Daniel Boud)
Bangarra Dance Theatre has been recognised with the prestigious Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Dance by the Biennale Danza 2026, the dance division of La Biennale di Venezia, becoming the first Australians to receive the esteemed award since its inception.
The Golden Lion acknowledges a lifetime body of work and artists who have transformed, evolved and brought new urgency to the language of dance, infusing it with the vital force of their cultures. Historically awarded to choreographers and dancers, Bangarra will become the first company to receive this prestigious honour.
The Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement will be awarded alongside the Silver Lion, for young/emerging artist during the 20th International Festival of Contemporary Dance. The festival will take place in Venice from 17 Jul – 1 Aug 2026, where Bangarra will also present the European premiere of Frances Rings’ seminal work, Terrain.
Dancers of Bangarra Dance Theatre, Terrain, 2022 (Photo credit: Daniel Boud)
Dancers of Bangarra Dance Theatre, Terrain, 2022 (Photo credit: Daniel Boud)
On learning about this prestigious award, Mirning woman Frances Rings, Artistic Director and Co-CEO of Bangarra Dance Theatre said, “I am truly honoured to receive the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Dance on behalf of Bangarra Dance Theatre. This prestigious award also recognises all those who have come before me at Bangarra; our dancers, Uncle Rob Bryant, Cheryl Stone and Carole Y. Johnson who founded the company, our premiere First Nations training institution NAISDA – the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association, and Stephen Page who led Bangarra for thirty years, working alongside his brothers Russell and David Page”.
Bangarra’s previous Artistic Director (1991 to 2022), Munaldjali and Nunukul man Stephen Page, said “We are deeply humbled and profoundly grateful for this recognition of our distinctive Dance Theatre language, both contemporary and traditional, that has survived in the mainstream nationally and globally for almost 35 years. First Peoples’ Artistic kinship system is at the core of our knowledge systems, and we are honoured to be the caretakers of our dance legacy and our continual creative dance future.”
The significance of this award has also been acknowledged by Australia’s Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke who said, “For the arts, no award is greater and for Australian dance there is no greater company than Bangarra. This isn’t simply Bangarra appearing on the world stage, this is them owning it”.
Choreographed by Frances Rings, Terrain is a breathtaking exploration of Australia’s largest salt lake. Premiering in Australia in 2012, the nine-part performance evokes the power of body and land converging to bring spirit to place. Terrain transports you to Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre in South Australia, the place of Australia’s inland sea: one of the few untouched natural waterways in the world. Featuring David Page’s irrepressible score, Terrain is an iconic work. The textures of Kati Thanda take shape in Jacob Nash’s sets, Jennifer Irwin’s costumes and lighting by Karen Norris, exploring the fundamental connection between Aboriginal people and land – how our land looks after us, how we connect with its spirit, and how we regard its future.
Dancers of Bangarra Dance Theatre, Terrain, 2022 (Photo credit: Daniel Boud)