Bangarra Dance Theatre's BLAK Reaches Out to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Audiences Tonight

Bangarra Dance Theatre will return to Melbourne next month with the Australian premiere season of Blak, an exciting new, physically dynamic work by Artistic Director Stephen Page and choreographer/dancer Daniel Riley McKinley.

During the season, in the lead up to National Reconciliation Week, Bangarra will host a series of events to inspire and engage with Victoria's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, particularly young people.

Bangarra's Artistic Director Stephen Page said, "Our dancers are great role models for Indigenous young people. They come from diverse backgrounds, some from remote and others from urban communities. Each of them are part of the contemporary expression of over 40,000 years of continuous cultural practice. They help young people to see the value of rekindling their culture and being proud of their identity."

A Community Night performance of Blak will be held tonight, May 2 at 8pm with accessible tickets made available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander audiences. As with previous Bangarra Community Nights in Melbourne, this will be a special experience for audiences as well as the artists of Bangarra themselves. The atmosphere is always electric and celebratory. Subsidised by Bangarra Dance Theatre, low cost tickets for this performance are made available to local Indigenous communities. For more information, people can contact community@bangarra.com.au or (02) 9251 5333.

Bangarra has also announced that they will be hosting a Koorie Kids Day in conjunction with a matinee performance of Blak on Wednesday May 8 at 1pm. Thanks to BHP Billiton 200 Indigenous secondary school students from the city and outer metro areas will be invited to purchase heavily discounted tickets, providing an invaluable opportunity for these young people to experience an inspirational performance in a major arts venue. These include Melbourne Grammar School, Kingston Koorie Mob and St Patrick's College, Ballarat.

At Koorie Kids Day, Bangarra's artists-in-residence will make compelling presentations about their work and the practices they employ to create new dance pieces. After the performance, the students will have an opportunity to engage with Artistic Director Stephen Page and other Blak creative team members during a Q&A session. For more information and to purchase discounted tickets for the special Koorie Kids Day matinee performance schools can contact community@bangarra.com.au or (02) 9251 5333.

On Thursday May 9 from 1pm to 2pm twenty-four Indigenous primary and secondary school students from across Melbourne will take part in a special Dance Workshop at Arts Centre Melbourne. Commencing with an introduction to Bangarra Dance Theatre, they will then participate in a workshop with some of the dancers of Bangarra.

Ian Wood, Vice President Community Relations and Sustainability at BHP Billiton said, "We are delighted to be Bangarra's 2013 Outreach partner, supporting their performances, educational workshops and community programs right across Australia. Bangarra's artists are inspirational role models for young Australians. Students who participate in Bangarra workshops credit the experience for increasing their self-confidence, growing their understanding of culture and story telling, and feeling pride in their heritage. This partnership is a wonderful way for us to support the communities in which we operate."

Blak is drawn from the artists' urban perspectives, telling the stories of Indigenous Australia in powerful and moving dance theatre. Exploding with stories about a contemporary clan and the collision of two worlds, the dynamic physicality is accompanied by a fusion of David Page's soundscape with the electronic mixes of Paul Mac.

The World Premiere season of Blak will be held at Arts Centre Melbourne's Playhouse from May 3 to May 11. The production will then tour to Wollongong, Sydney, Canberra and Brisbane.

Bangarra Dance Theatre is Australia's premier national Indigenous performing arts company. Under the brilliant and inspirational artistic direction of Stephen Page, Bangarra has strived to maintain the cultural integrity and spirit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander tradition, combining it with contemporary expressions of stories, dance and music to create unique theatrical experiences, and to deliver these experiences to audiences across Australia and around the world.

Blak

Artistic Director: Stephen Page
Choreography: Stephen Page & Daniel Riley McKinley
Music Composers: David Page & Paul Mac
Set Design: Jacob Nash
Costume Design: Luke Ede
Lighting Design: Matt Cox

Performances run at Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse, May 3 to 11 2013:

Opening Night May 3, 8pm
Saturday May 4, 8pm
Tuesday 6.30pm
Wednesday May 8 School Matinee & Q&A, 1pm Wednesday - Friday 8pm
Saturday May 11, 2pm & 8pm

Tickets: Premium $89 (Valid for all performances); Adult $69 Tuesday - Thursday evening & Saturday matinee; $75 per ticket Friday and Saturday evening; Concession $49 Tuesday - Thursday evening & Saturday matinee; $65 per ticket Friday and Saturday evening Student $29 Tuesday - Thursday evening & Saturday matinee; $65 per ticket Friday and Saturday evening. Group (6 or more) $59 per ticket (Tuesday -Thursday evening & Saturday matinee); $70 per ticket Friday and Saturday evening. Family (2 adults, 2 children) $176 total (valid Tues-Thursday evening & Saturday matinee only). *transaction fee applies. Bookings: artscentremelbourne.com.au or by calling 1300 182 183.

Blak national tour dates following Melbourne season:

Illawarra Performing Arts Centre (IPAC), Wollongong, May 17-18
Sydney Opera House, Sydney, June 7-22
Canberra Theatre Centre, Canberra, July 11-13
Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Brisbane, July 18-27

For more about Bangarra, go to bangarra.com.au.