Senior dancer Deborah Brown has announced that she has decided to leave Bangarra Dance Theatre (BDT) after over ten years with the company.
Brown has performed in sixteen different works with BDT, and toured to 14 countries. She has also choreographed for the company, creating one of four works in “Dance Clan 3” in November 2013. The work, a short film entitled Dive, was described by Anca Frankenhaeuser of the Sydney Morning Herald as “little gem of a film”.
Whilst with BDT, Brown won the 2013 Helpmann Award for Best Female Dancer in a Dance or Physical Theatre Production for her performance in Terrain. In the same year she was also selected by Arts Queensland as a Culture Champion for her contribution to the Queensland arts and culture sector.
Artistic Director of BDT, Stephen Page, reflects on Brown’s contribution to the company, saying, “Soon after Deborah Brown started with the company, it quickly became evident that her style was rare and unique. There's a distinctive beauty in her artistic expression that allowed her to emerge as a leading Bangarra dancer. Joining the artists in the Bangarra creative spectrums, from the creation of new works, the time spent with Indigenous communities to the live performances on stage, Deborah connected to the spirit of our stories and shared them with audiences across Australia and around the world. She became an inspiration and a muse to myself and our choreographers, she will live on in the spirit of Bangarra's songline.”
Brown may be leaving BDT physically, but she says the company will remain with her. “My time with Bangarra is one of the greatest love affairs I've had, artistically and culturally. The presence there is indescribable and I will forever have the company's medicine in my veins.”