Stephen Page
Stephen Page | |
---|---|
Born | 1965 (age 58–59) |
Occupation |
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Known for | Bangarra Dance Theatre |
Relatives | David Page (brother) Russell Page (brother) Hunter Page-Lochard (son) |
Stephen George Page AO (born 1965) is an Australian choreographer, film director and former dancer. He is the current artistic director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre, an Indigenous Australian dance company. Page is descended from the Nunukul people and the Munaldjali of the Yugambeh people from southeast Queensland, Australia.
In 2015 his directorial debut film, Spear, was shown at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[1]
Career
Stephen Page was one of 12 children, raised in the Brisbane suburb of Mt Gravatt. Page's mother did not celebrate her Aboriginal identity until she met Page's father. He was educated at the Cavendish Road State High School, Brisbane. In his honour, Cavendish Road State High School has named one of its school houses "Page". The house colour is purple.[2]
He moved to Sydney when he was 16 and trained with the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre, which would later become the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA).[3]
Sydney Dance Company and Sydney Theatre Company
After graduating from NAISDA in 1983, Page danced with the Sydney Dance Company. In 1991, he was appointed creative director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre and choreographed Mooggrah for the company, Trackers of Oxyrhyncus for the Sydney Theatre Company and a sextet for Opera Australia's Marriage of Figaro. During that time he also toured with the NAISDA associated Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre.
Bangarra Dance Company
With his works Praying Mantis Dreaming, Ninni and the 1994 production Ochres, co-choreographed with then assistant artistic director Bernadette Walong-Sene, Page established a milestone for Australian dance. In 1996 he made his creative debut with the Australian Ballet, choreographing Alchemy. The following year, he brought the Australian Ballet and Bangarra together in Rites, set to Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. The following year he choreographed Fish for Bangarra, with its world premiere taking place at the Edinburgh International Festival.[citation needed]
Page choreographed the flag handover ceremony for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and co-directed segments of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He also created the ceremony that opened the Olympic Arts Festival. He choreographed Skin, which premiered at the festival and won the coveted Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work and Best Dance Work. His triple bill Corroboree toured internationally, with a sell-out tour of the US including appearances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York and the Kennedy Centre in Washington. The work earned Page a Helpmann Award for Best Choreography. The following year, he was honoured with a Matilda Award for his contribution to the arts in Queensland. In the same year, he choreographed Totem for The Australian Ballet's principal dancer, Stephen Heathcote. 2002 also saw the world premiere of Bangarra's double bill, Walkabout, which Page co-choreographed with Frances Rings.
Page and Rings later co-choreographed Bush for Bangarra, which sold out on its Australian tour as well as its 2004 tour to the United States. Also in 2004, Bangarra returned to the Sydney Opera House with another sell-out production co-choreographed by Page and Rings, Clan. The following year Page choreographed Boomerang, which had a sell-out Australian tour.
As artistic director of the 2004 Adelaide Festival of the Arts, Page was praised[who?] for reinvigorating the event with an impressive and highly successful world-class program. His film and theatre credits include the contemporary operatic film Black River, numerous music video clips, and directing his own brother, David Page, in the one-man show Page 8 which toured the UK.
In 2006, Page and the Australian Ballet created Gathering, a double bill consisting of a reworked Rites and Amalgamate. Also in 2006, Queensland Art Gallery director asked him to create a new dance work for the opening of the Gallery of Modern Art. Along with his son and nephews, he created Kin, a special project that opened Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art.
In 2007, Page directed a traditional smoking ceremony in honour of the historic celebration marking the 75th anniversary of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Later in the year, during Bangarra's True Stories season, he directed Victorian Opera's Orphée et Eurydice in Melbourne and presented another sell-out season of Kin at the Malthouse Theatre.
In early December 2021, Page announced that he would be stepping down from the role of artistic director of Bangarra in 2022, handing over to Frances Rings, current associate artistic director.[4] Bangarra's last performance with Page as director is Wudjang: Not the Past, which premieres at the Sydney Festival in January 2022 before touring to Hobart and then Adelaide, as part of the Adelaide Festival.[5]
Honours
In 2008, Page was named New South Wales Australian of the Year, receiving the award from Deputy Premier John Watkins at a ceremony at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
In 2015, Page was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Creative Arts by the University of Technology Sydney.[6]
In 2016, the NAIDOC Lifetime Achievement Award went to Page for his work as Director of the Bangarra Dance Theatre.[7][8] From February to August 2016, Martin Portus (former Director of Marketing and Communication at the Australia Council for the Arts) conducted a number of interviews with Australian choreographers, including Page. Page discussed significant periods in the history of the Bangarra Dance Theatre, beginning with the nature of his access to traditional cultures, especially in north-east Arnhem Land, and his works staging those stories as contemporary dance. He also talked about his later, darker works about urban dislocation, and the contribution of his late brother, the dancer Russell Page. The interviews also covered his choreographic signature, and his works drawing on stories, communities and design motifs from different parts of Australia and, finally, his recent works featuring stories drawn from both white and black historical experience.[9]
Other
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (September 2021) |
In 2008 he created a new, full-length work for Bangarra, entitled Mathinna, which won a Helpmann Award in 2009 for Best Dance Work and Best Choreography. He then took Rites to London and Paris with the Australian Ballet, and Bangarra's Awakenings to Washington, New York and Ottawa. Later in 2008, he went to Broome, Western Australia, as choreographer for the film adaptation of Bran Nue Dae.
In 2009, after returning from a tour of Germany, Hungary and Austria with True Stories, Page and the dancers spent 10 days in Arnhem Land on a cultural exchange. He celebrated Bangarra's 20th anniversary with Fire – A Retrospective, which won an Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Performance by a Company.
Awards and nominations
- 1993: Paris Opera Screen Award, Grand Prix for Black River[citation needed]
- 2002: Matilda Award for Contribution to the Arts in Queensland[citation needed]
- 2017: Australia Council Dance Award[citation needed]
- 2022: Red Ochre Award[citation needed]
- 2022: Inaugural Wendy Blacklock Industry Legend Award[10]
Australian Dance Awards
The Australian Dance Awards recognise excellence and promote dance in Australia. They are awarded under the auspices of the Australian Dance Council (Ausdance) for performance, choreography, design, dance writing, teaching and related professions. they commenced in 1997.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1997 | Stephen Page (Artistic Director of Bangarra Dance Theatre) | Outstanding achievement in choreography | Won | |
2010 | Stephen Page | Services to Dance | awarded | [11][12] |
Deadly Awards
The Deadly Awards, (commonly known simply as The Deadlys), was an annual celebration of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander achievement in music, sport, entertainment and community. They ran from 1996 to 2013.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Deadly Awards 2008 | Stephen Page and Bangarra Dance Theatre | Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment | awarded | [13] |
Deadly Awards 2009 | Stephen Page and Bangarra Dance Theatre]] | Achievement in Theatre or Live Performance | Won |
Helpmann Awards
The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia since 2001.[14] Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | Stephen Page for Skin (Bangarra Dance Theatre) | Helpmann Award for Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work | Nominated | [15] |
Helpmann Award for Best New Australian Work | Won | |||
2002 | Stephen Page for Corroboree (Bangarra Dance Theatre) | Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work | Won | [16] |
Best New Australian Work | Nominated | |||
2003 | Stephen Page for Walkabout (Bangarra Dance Theatre) | Best New Australian Work | Won | [17] |
Helpmann Award for Best Original Score | Won | |||
Stephen Page and Steven McTaggart "Rush" for Walkabout (Bangarra Dance Theatre) | Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work | Nominated | ||
2004 | Stephen Page for Bush (Bangarra Dance Theatre) | Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work | Nominated | [18] |
2009 | Stephen Page for Mathinna (Bangarra Dance Theatre) | Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production | Won | [19] |
2010 | Stephen Page for Fire (Bangarra Dance Theatre) | Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production | Won | [20] |
2012 | Stephen Page for ID from Belong (Bangarra Dance Theatre) | Best Choreography in a Ballet or Dance Work | Won | [21] |
2015 | Stephen Page for Patyegarang (Bangarra Dance Theatre) | Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production | Nominated | [22] |
2016 | Stephen Page, Bernadette Walong-Sene, Djakapurra Munyarryun for Ochres (Bangarra Dance Theatre) | Best Choreography in a Dance or Physical Theatre Work | Nominated | [23] |
Stephen Page | JC Williamson Award | awarded | ||
2018 | Stephen Page for Bennelong (Bangarra Dance Theatre) | Best New Australian Work | Won | [24] |
Mo Awards
The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Stephen Page won one award in that time.[25]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | Stephen Page | Dance Performance of the Year | Won |
NAIDOC Awards
The NAIDOC Awards are annual Australian awards conferred on Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals during the national celebration of the history, culture and achievements of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples known as NAIDOC Week. (The name is derived from National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee.)[26]
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | Stephen Page | Artist of the Year | Won | |
2016 | Stephen Page | Lifetime achievement award | awarded | [27][28] |
Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards
The Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards, The awards are created to commemorate his life and his love for the arts. They commenced in 1984
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result (wins only) |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | Stephen Page | Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards | awarded |
References
- ^ "Spear Review". Variety. 11 September 2015. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
- ^ "Bangarra's Stephen Page opens his heart about creating new show 'SandSong'".
- ^ "Bangarra's Stephen Page on pain, politics and pushing boundaries". 24 December 2020.
- ^ Jefferson, Dee (2 December 2021). "Stephen Page to step down from Bangarra artistic director role, passing torch to Frances Rings". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 December 2021.
- ^ Cathcart, Michael (7 December 2021). "Elaine Crombie will calm you down before she punches you in the guts" (Audio + text). ABC Radio National. The Stage Show. Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ "Stephen Page".
- ^ "First Indigenous nurse graduate among winners at the 2016 NAIDOC awards". ABC News. 8 July 2016. Archived from the original on 11 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- ^ Smith, Emily (9 July 2016). "Indigenous dancer and director wins lifetime achievement award". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- ^ "File 5: Stephen Page interviewed by Martin Portus, 24 February 2016". State Library of New South Wales Catalogue. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
- ^ "Impact Awards". PAC Australia. 8 August 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Winners of the 2010 Australian Dance Awards". Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
- ^ 2010 Australian Dance Award Winners Announced, Australian Stage, Monday, 21 June 2010 10:14
- ^ Dunn, Emily; Elicia Murray (10 October 2008). "Deadly Lot of Awards for Yunupingu". The Sydney Morning Herald. ISSN 0312-6315. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
- ^ "Events & Programs". Live Performance Australia. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "2001 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "2002 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "2003 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "2004 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "2008 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "2010 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "2012 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "2015 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "2016 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "2018 Helpmann Awards Nominees & Winners". Helpmann Awards. Australian Entertainment Industry Association (AEIA). Retrieved 26 July 2022.
- ^ "MO Award Winners". Mo Awards. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
- ^ "NAIDOC Awards". NAIDOC. Australian Government. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "First Indigenous nurse graduate among winners at the 2016 NAIDOC awards". ABC News. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
- ^ Smith, Emily (9 July 2016). "Indigenous dancer and director wins lifetime achievement award". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
External links
- Bangarra Dance Theatre
- Stephen Page at Australia Dancing[Usurped!]
- "Stephen Page interviewed by Martin Portus, 24 February 2016". Amplify - State Library of New South Wales Catalogue. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
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- Australian male dancers
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- Indigenous Australian dancers