Go on Country with Bangarra Dance Theatre, Without Leaving Your Home City
The performing arts company’s latest production, 'Illume', opens the door to Bard-Bardi Jawi culture and storytelling on stages across Australia.
In partnership with 
This year, Australia's leading Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander performing company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, is inviting audiences to experience a connection to Country in a whole new way. The company's newest stage production, Illume, will tour nationally from June to September 2025, bringing Bard-Bardi Jawi culture and storytelling to the stage.
Developed by Mirning woman and Bangarra Artistic Director and Co-CEO Frances Rings, the show is an exciting kaleidoscope of images, music and movement. It explores light as a bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds, the impacts of light pollution, and puts forward the question: 'Is the deep wisdom passed down from elders enough to illuminate a path forward from the shadows of a dark future?'.
Daniel Boud
It's also the first time a Bangarra mainstage production has been created in partnership with a First Nations visual artist – Goolarrgon Bard man, Darrell Sibosado. Sibosado is known for his pearl shell carvings and large-scale geometric installations, with works shown at the Biennale of Sydney and QAGOMA, and held in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, National Gallery of Victoria and Art Gallery of South Australia.
In Illume, his visual language shapes the entire production, from costume and set design to lighting patterns that ripple across the stage, creating a shimmering world that draws directly from his Bard-Bardi Jawi heritage.
"I think [Frances' work] and my work will work very well together, there is a similar energy," Sibosado says. "It's always about the rhythm and everything of my own Country."
Cass Eipper
On top of Sibosado's artistic influence, what makes the production special is the way it came to life through Bangarra's Cultural Creation Lifecycle, a process that involves years of community engagement, transfers of knowledge, and on-Country visits.
This unique Cultural Creation Lifecycle is the foundation of all Bangarra's work and can take anywhere from 3 to 4 years from start to finish. With each production, the process begins with people, place and story, then involves multiple stages of research, development and input from cultural leaders.
Cass Eipper
For Illume, the Bangarra creative team made multiple trips to draw inspiration, including travelling to Lombadina on the Dampier Peninsula in Western Australia. There, they met with local cultural consultants, spent time listening and observing, and sought permission to bring elements of their stories into the work.
Rings and her collaborators consider the Cultural Creation Lifecycle an essential part of the creative process. Rather than drawing from archives or second-hand sources, the company builds work through lived experience. By being on Country, surrounded by the landscape and people who shape the story, they're able to create something that's authentic and respectful.
Daniel Boud
In Illume, that deep connection to Country is felt in every moment, from the stunning set details to the choreography led by Rings, and the score by Brendon Boney, an Wiradjuri/Gamilaroi man and longtime Bangarra collaborator.
The end result is a performance that's immersive, powerful and grounded in place. It promises to bring audiences closer to the stories of Bard-Bardi Jawi Country in a way that's creative and entirely original.
Daniel Boud
Bangarra will tour Illume nationally from June to September 2025, with stops in Sydney, Perth, Albany, Canberra, Brisbane, Darwin and Melbourne.
Whether you've followed Bangarra's work for years or you're seeing the company for the first time, Illume is a chance to experience a unique creative collaboration that brings Country to the stage in your city.
Illume tour dates:
Gadigal Country
Sydney Opera House – Wednesday, June 4 to Saturday, June 14
Whadjuk Noongar Boodja
Heath Ledger Theatre, Perth – Tuesday, July 10 to Sunday, July 13
Kinjarling
Albany Entertainment Centre – Friday, July 18
Ngunnawal Country
Canberra Theatre Centre – Friday, July 25 to Saturday, July 26
Meanjin
QPAC, Brisbane – Friday, August 1 to Saturday, August 9
Garramilla
Darwin Entertainment Centre – Friday, August 15 to Saturday, August 16
Wurundjeri Country
Arts Centre Melbourne – Thursday, September 4 to Saturday, September 13
Bangarra's 'Illume' tours nationally from June to September 2025. Head to the website for more information or to book your tickets.
Images courtesy of Bangarra Dance Theatre
By Jacque Kennedy
