Bangarra Dance Theatre, one of Australia’s major Indigenous performing arts companies, will bring their latest work Illume to Queensland audiences this August. Staging at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre’s (QPAC) Playhouse from 1 to 9 August 2025, this production marks Bangarra’s first-ever collaboration with the visual arts industry.
The creative force behind Illume is Mirning woman and Bangarra Artistic Director Frances Rings, who joins with Goolarrgon Bard visual artist Darrell Sibosado. Together, they seek to fuse movement and visual storytelling in a work that explores light not just as a physical presence, but as a vital cultural and environmental force. The piece investigates the ancient connections between light and Indigenous culture, while also confronting contemporary concerns around artificial light pollution and its impact on Country, community, and skylore.
Speaking on the upcoming season, Rings shared her enthusiasm for returning to the Clancestry program:
We are thrilled to be included in the program again and look forward to sharing Illume with Queensland audiences, celebrating First Nations arts, story and culture. This collaboration uses both choreographic and visual art perspectives in a unique approach that conveys complex themes about light, culture, and environmental issues. I hope that by intersecting our artistic practices, we potentially create something more innovative and impactful that honours our First Nations cultural storytelling.
For Sibosado, whose artwork is deeply rooted in his Bard-Bardi Jawi heritage from the north-west coast of Western Australia, Illume offers a new platform for cultural expression:
I’m very excited and honoured to be working with Frances and Bangarra. I first met Frances in about 1988 when we were both students at NAISDA College. I have watched her focus, commit and grow into the artist creator she is today, and I have always been intrigued by her movement style and the composition of her work.
My work is steeped in the context of where I’m from. I am enjoying the process of seeing how our different practices respond, merge and translate to express the rhythm and essence of my people and my country.
Supporting the creative team are a range of contributors from across the performing arts. These include set designer Charles Davis, costume designer Elizabeth Gadsby, lighting designer Damien Cooper, composer Brendon Boney (Wiradjuri/Gamilaroi), cultural consultant Trevor Sampi (Bardi Jawi), and AV designer Craig Wilkinson.
Illume will be presented in Brisbane from 1 to 9 August 2025, as part of Bangarra Dance Theatre’s national tour and QPAC’s Clancestry festival – an annual celebration of First Nations cultures through music, performance, and storytelling. Tickets for the production are now available via the QPAC Website, or by phoning their box office team during business hours on 136 246.
