Bangarra Dance Theatre
Acclaimed around the world for its distinctive theatrical voice, powerful choreography, unique soundscapes and design, Bangarra is Australia's leading First Nations performing arts company.
Founded in 1989, Bangarra creates powerful works of theatre with dance, music, poetry and design. In 2023, Frances Rings took over as Artistic Director after Stephen Page stepped down after 32 years. The company’s dance technique draws on more than 65,000 years of culture, embodied in contemporary movement. Bangarra’s dancers are professionally trained, dynamic artists with a proud Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background. Together, they represent the pinnacle of Australian talent.
Sheltering
A bold triple-bill, drawing deeply from First Nations perspectives, and offering a profound journey into the intricate bonds between people and place.
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Artistic Director and Co-CEO Frances Rings
Frances Rings is a descendant of the Mirning Tribe from the west coast of South Australia. Frances became artistic director of Bangarra Dance Theatre in 2023 and serves as co-CEO alongside Louise Ingram.
Frances made her mainstage choreographic debut with Bangarra in 2002 with Rations from Walkabout, receiving outstanding critical acclaim. Since then, she has created nine works for the company: Bush (2003, co-choreographed with Stephen Page), Unaipon (2004), X300 (2007), Artefact (2010), Terrain (2012), Sheoak (2015), SandSong (2021, co-choreographed with Stephen Page), Yuldea (2023), and Illume (2025).
Her choreographic work extends across the industry, with commissions for West Australian Ballet, Leigh Warren & Dancers, and Tasdance. Internationally, Frances has forged significant intercultural collaborations with Kaha:wi Dance Theatre in Six Nations, Turtle Island (Canada), and Atamira Dance Company in Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand). She was a guest collaborator and performer in Atamira’s 2015 production MITIMITI, choreographed by Jack Gray, and in 2018 created a new work for Kotahi, Atamira’s triple bill program.
From 2016 to 2019, Frances was Head of Creative Studies at NAISDA Dance College, where she directed five end-of-year productions. She then served as Associate Artistic Director at Bangarra Dance Theatre from 2019 to 2022.
Frances Rings has received numerous major awards throughout her career, recognising her exceptional contributions to Australian dance and choreography.
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