Bangarra Dance Theatre Kicks Off KINSHIP Tour in Victoria, Aug 15

Bangarra Dance Theatre will return to Victoria this month and to Hobart in September, with a breathtaking performance tour of Kinship, by award-winning choreographer Stephen Page. During the tour, Bangarra will host a series of workshops to inspire and engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, particularly young people, in Victoria and Hobart.

Kinship will open at the Geelong Performing Arts Centre on August 15, 2013. The production will then tour to Dandenong, Mildura, Warragul, Sale, Frankston and Nunawading. Following the Victorian tour of Kinship, Bangarra will move to Hobart for two performances at the Theatre Royal on September 12 and 13, 2013.

Kinship brings together two of Bangarra's most loved dance works. Brolga is a creation story inspired by the totemic systems in Australian Aboriginal culture, where every person is assigned a creature totem related to their clan. The second work will be ID, originally performed in the acclaimed production, Belong. ID investigates what it means to be Aboriginal in the 21st century, asking important questions of identity.

Bangarra's Artistic Director Stephen Page said, "Our dancers are great role models for Indigenous young people. They come from diverse backgrounds, some from remote and others from urban communities. Each of them are part of the contemporary expression of over 40,000 years of continuous cultural practice. They help young people to see the value of rekindling their culture and being proud of their identity."

Three special dance workshops will take place at each local venue as part of this tour. Commencing with an introduction to Bangarra Dance Theatre, those attending will then participate in a workshop with some of the dancers of Bangarra. Workshops will take place at the following locations: Tuesday August 13 at the Geelong Performing Arts Centre; Tuesday August 20 at the Drum Theatre in Dandenong; Friday August 23 at the Mildura Arts Centre; Tuesday August 27 at the West Gippsland Arts Centre in Warragul; Friday August 30 at the Esso BHP Billiton Wellington Entertainment Centre in Sale; Tuesday September 3 at the Frankston Arts Centre; Friday September 6 at the Whitehorse Centre in Nunawading and Thursday September 11 at MacKillop College in Hobart, Tasmania. Anyone interested in attending these workshops or requiring more information can contact community@bangarra.com.au or (02) 9251 5333.

Ian Wood, Vice President Community Relations and Sustainability at BHP Billiton said, "We are delighted to be Bangarra's 2013 Outreach partner, supporting their performances, educational workshops and community programs right across Australia. Bangarra's artists are inspirational role models for young Australians. Students who participate in Bangarra workshops credit the experience for increasing their self-confidence, growing their understanding of culture and story telling, and feeling pride in their heritage. This partnership is a wonderful way for us to support the communities in which we operate."

Bangarra Dance Theatre is Australia's premier national Indigenous performing arts company. Under the brilliant and inspirational artistic direction of Stephen Page, Bangarra has strived to maintain the cultural integrity and spirit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tradition, combining it with contemporary expressions of stories, dance and music to create unique theatrical experiences, and to deliver these experiences to audiences across Australia and around the world.

Bangarra Dance Theatre: KINSHIP

Brolga

Artistic Director: Stephen Page Choreography: Stephen Page Music: David Page & Steve Francis Set Design: Jacob Nash

Lighting Design: Joe Mercurio
Costume Design: Jennifer Irwin
Cultural Consultant: Djakapurra Munyarryun

ID

Artistic Director: Stephen Page
Choreography: Stephen Page
Music: David Page
Set Design: Jacob Nash
Costume Design: Emma Howell
Lighting Design: Matt Cox
Cultural Consultants: Kathy Balngayngu Marika & Djakapurra Munyarryun

BOOKINGS

Geelong Geelong Performing Arts Centre, 15, 16 & 17 August

Bookings: http://www.gpac.org.au
p (03) 5225 1200
Ticket prices: $25 - $69 plus transaction fees

Drum Theatre, 21 August

Bookings: http://www.greaterdandenong.com
p (03) 9771 6666
Ticket prices: $25 - $47.50 plus transaction fees

Mildura Arts Centre, 24 August

Bookings: http://www.milduraartscentre.com.au p (03) 50 188 330
Ticket prices: $20 - $40 plus transaction fees

West Gippsland Arts Centre, 28 August

Bookings: http://www.wgac.org.au/
p (03) 5624 2456
Ticket prices: $20 - $44 plus transaction fees

Esso BHP Wellington Entertainment Centre, 31 August

Bookings: http://www.ebbwec.com.au
p (03) 5143 3200
Ticket prices : $19- $49 plus transaction fees

Frankston Arts Centre, 4 September

Bookings: http://artscentre.frankston.vic.gov.au p (03) 9784 1060
Ticket prices: $16 -$66 plus transaction fees

Whitehorse Centre, 7 September

Bookings: http://www.whitehorsecentre.com.au p (03) 9262 6555
Ticket prices: $25 - $50 plus transaction fees

Theatre Royal, 12 - 13 September

Bookings: http://www.theatreroyal.com.au
p (03) 6233 2299
Ticket prices: $30 - $75 plus transaction fees

Visit our website to subscribe to Bangarra's Songlines e-newsletter: www.bangarra.com.au. Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/bangarradancetheatre. See us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/BangarraDance. Watch us on YouTube: www.youtube.com/bangarradancetheatre. Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Bangarra.

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