What a pleasure it is to post the news that Bangarra Dance Theatre has been awarded the prestigious Gold Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Dance by the Venice Biennale 2026. The award has been given previously to choreographers and dancers with Bangarra being the first company to receive it. It is also a first for Australian dance in any Golden Lion dance category.
The media release explains (in part) the nature of the award:
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.
The award ceremony will take place during the 20th International Festival of Contemporary Dance in Venice 17 July – 1 August when Bangarra will give the European premiere of Terrain, a work created by Frances Rings in 2012, and a work that has been restaged on various occasions. Terrain was originally billed as ‘a hymn to country’ and set out to evoke the changing landscape of Lake Eyre (Kati Thanda) in South Australia, along with the relationship of Indigenous Australians to their land. A perfect piece for the occasion.
In my review of Terrain in 2012 I wrote:
Terrain is a wonderfully integrated work in which people, politics and country are delicately balanced. The spirit of a constantly changing Lake Eyre courses through the entire piece and the work secures Bangarra’s position as a treasure on the Australian dance landscape.
Here is a link to the full review of Terrain from 2012, the year of its initial performance. Read more about the award here.
MIchelle Potter, 20 February 2026
Featured image: Stephen Page (artistic director of Bangarra 1991-2022) and Frances Rings (current artistic director following on from Stephen Page). Photo: © Daniel Boud
Bangarra Dance Theatre has such courage and such deep connection to country. This is brilliant news of a hugely well-deserved award.
Thanks for your comment Jennifer and I absolutely agree. In particular I have long admired the way in which Bangarra presents its culture via dance. No matter how the artists who work in and with the company feel about their history following colonisation there never seems to be anger overtaking the production. We are shown many aspects of Indigenous history and culture in ways that make us think deeply about the concepts embedded within any given work.