After 35 years as Australia’s leading First Nations performing arts company, Bangarra Dance Theatre moved last year from their residence of 20 years, the Drama Theatre at the Sydney Opera House, upstairs to the Joan Sutherland Theatre, which they now share with the beloved Australian Ballet and Opera Australia.
This year, The Australian Ballet and Bangarra Dance Theatre have collaborated again on a new full length show, FLORA.
Under the artists’ gentle and hopeful flagship of ‘Resilience. Kinship. Connection.’, the ballet explores the impact of historic and environmental events on this vast landscape and its people, difficult changes wrought by introduced species and renewal through fire. All of this draws on 65,000 years of cultural storytelling. And the love of our botanic beauty, our invigorating, exotic and nourishing flowers, grasses and plants. A deep connection to the land we share.
Through cracked clay a seed unfurls. A leaf, a bloom, life, promise.
FLORA was commissioned by The Australian Ballet and its artistic director David Hallberg and created by Mirning woman Frances Rings, Bangarra’s Artistic Director and co-CEO.
Rings and the 35 cast ensemble choreographed the ballet together. Incorporating movement across this vibrant land, guided by Country, sky and waterways. They have created 12 extraordinary vignettes of our vast plant life and both our natural and human disasters.
The dancers command our respect. They glide with great ease from feather-light landings to angry animal stomping. Passion and purpose. There are many remarkable solos – including Jill Ogai’s grief-stricken Golden Wattle. It is a very smooth merging of the two ballet cultures, The Australian Ballet and Bangarra. The suspension of the dancers from above is visually spectacular. It is used several times to great effect.
We cannot exclude the brilliance of the Costume, Set and Lighting designs. Elizabeth Gatsby’s simple but exciting set combined with Karen Norris’ amazing lighting are impressive, perfect for enhancing the story and dancers. The fire vignette in particular is very powerful.
The costumes are striking, adding so much joy to the production.
Costume designer, Dr Grace Lillian Lee, a proud descendant of the Meriam Mer People, has a distinctive style of large-scale body sculptures. She was invited to work with Jean Paul Gaultier on his Fashion Freak Show at the Brisbane Festival in 2024.
Her floral dresses are spectacular. Jennifer Irwin, Lee’s associate, must also be congratulated.
The composition/sound design by William Barton is majestic.
Barton is a composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and is also Australia’s leading yidaki (didjeridu) player. His score features Country and animal sounds which seep into his powerful music.
Orchestra Victoria and the Opera Australia Orchestra do a splendid job bringing this beautiful and rich music to us.
FLORA is a treat for the senses. I highly recommend a visit to the Opera House to the glorious Joan Sutherland Theatre to see. FLORA plays until the 18th April 2026.
Review by Bronwyn Fullerton
Production photography by Daniel Boud
