Bangarra brings powerful new program to Arts Centre Melbourne

Bangarra Dance Theatre will bring its latest touring program Sheltering to Arts Centre Melbourne this June, presenting three works that honour the company’s past while looking to the future of First Nations storytelling.

Running from June 18 to 27 on Wurundjeri Country, Sheltering brings together dance, film, music and contemporary performance through three distinct works: Keeping Grounded, Brown Boys and Sheoak.

Bangarra, Australia’s leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performing arts company, has spent more than three decades sharing First Nations culture with audiences across Australia and around the world.

In Sheltering, an intergenerational thread runs through the program, with each work exploring the relationship between people, place, culture and spirit.

The first work, Keeping Grounded, is choreographed by Indjalandji-Dhidhanu and Alyewarre woman Glory Tuohy-Daniell. Described as a “poignant exploration of our energetic connection to the earth and ancestral land”, the piece examines the challenge of remaining culturally and physically grounded in a world increasingly shaped by technology.

The second work, Brown Boys, is a film directed by Daniel Mateo and Cass Mortimer. Inspired by Mateo’s own poetry, it explores belonging, identity and cultural connection through the experiences of young Indigenous men. The work draws on Mateo’s journey as a Gamilaroi and Tongan man, blending dance, narrative and cinematic storytelling.

The final work, Sheoak, was choreographed by Mirning woman and Bangarra artistic director and co-CEO Frances Rings, with music by the late Munaldjali and Nunukul composer David Page.

First premiered in 2015, Sheoak is inspired by the sheoak tree, a powerful symbol in Indigenous Australian culture known for its strength, resilience and adaptability. The work explores connection to Country, cultural identity and the enduring force of spirit.

Rings said Sheltering revealed the breadth of Bangarra’s creative legacy.

“In Sheltering, we see the different perspectives and styles of how Bangarra choreographers from past and present create work,” she said.

Together, the three works engage with vital First Nations social and cultural issues, while celebrating the strength of Indigenous worldviews and the lasting connections between people, land and spirit.

Sheltering debuted last year and is now touring nationally, with Melbourne marking the third stop on the tour.

Sheltering will be performed at Arts Centre Melbourne from June 18 to 27, with evening performances and selected matinees. •