Bangarra Dance Theatre Analysis

Based in Sydney, Bangarra Dance Theatre is Australia’s leading Indigenous Performing Arts Company. It showcases a fusion of Aboriginal culture with contemporary dance. Founded in 1989 by Carole Johnson, ‘Bangarra’ means ‘to make fire’ in the Wiradjuri language from south-east Australian tribes. Bangarra’s vision is to not only respect traditional Indigenous cultures of Australia but to relight the connections between Indigenous cultures and contemporary artistic expressions. Also Bangarra also strives to create inspiring dance productions which portrays integrity and excellence. Stephen Page was born in 1965 and is currently the artistic director of Bangarra Dance Theatre. He was given this title in 1991 and since then has created amazing dance performances which have toured the world.
Ochre was first performed in 1994 and since then it had amazed audiences with its award winning dance production. Choreographed by Stephen Page, Ochre is a four part dance work which features the colours Yellow, Black, Red and White. Each colour represents the earthy substance (ochre) and the numerous purposes used by the Aboriginal people along with the spiritual significance it holds. This essay will firstly describe and interpret each section of the four sections of ‘Red’. It will then compare and contrast the movement and the meaning of the ‘Red’ and ‘Black’ section shown through the use of dance elements. To finish the essay, an evaluation has been written to show which section was the most enjoyable before an evaluation to show which section was the most