Stephen Page wins Australia Council Award

Dance Australia congratulates Stephen Page, winner of the Australia Council Dance Award for 2017.

This award is presented annually and recognises outstanding and sustained contributions by individuals working in the dance sector.

Page has been the artistic director of Bangarra Dance Theatre for 26 years. Under his direction, the company has developed a reputation both at home and internationally for its works, which utilise contemporary dance techniques and traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dance to tell Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories.

In addition to directing and choreographing works for Bangarra, Page has mentored and created opportunities for numerous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and young people and has been a champion of social justice for indigenous people.

“I am always so humbled when recognised for my creative professional being and I truly believe I have one of the most fortunate and privileged position in our arts industry," says Page. "This prestigious award reaffirms the importance of our culture and our dance stories. Thanks must go to all the incredible artists who have worked by my side over the years – my brothers, my Bangarra family who are with me every day in the studio, and the many cultural consultants we have worked with along the way.”

Currently Page is creating Bennelong, a new full-length work that will premiere at the Sydney Opera House in June. The production is based on the life of Woollarawarre Bennelong, a senior man of the Eora Nation, from the Port Jackson area in Sydney, whose extraordinary curiosity and diplomacy helped lead his people to survive a clash of culture.

After its Sydney season Bennelong will tour to Canberra, Brisbane and Melbourne.